| Caption | Dourif at the Lord of the Rings Convention in Bonn, Germany, November 2002 |
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| Birth date | March 18, 1950 |
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| Birth name | Bradford Claude Dourif |
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| Birth place | Huntington, West Virginia, U.S. |
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| Occupation | Actor |
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| Years active | 1975–present |
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| Spouse | Joni Dourif (divorced) |
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Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif (; born March 18, 1950) is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbitt in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in Ragtime, Gríma Wormtongue in The Lord of the Rings, the Betazoid in the TV series , and Doc Cochran in the HBO television series Deadwood.
Early life
Dourif was born in
Huntington, West Virginia, the son of Joan Felton (
née Bradford), an actress, and Jean Henri Dourif, an art collector who owned and operated a dye factory. who cast him in
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).
Although this film is frequently cited as his film debut, in fact, Dourif made his first big-screen appearance with a bit part in W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975). Nevertheless, his portrayal of the vulnerable Billy Bibbit in Cuckoo's Nest was his big break, earning him a Golden Globe (Best Actor Debut) and a British Academy Award (Supporting Actor); he was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Skeptical of his instant stardom, Dourif returned to New York, where he continued in theater and taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University until 1988, when he moved to Hollywood.
In 1981, Vincent Canby listed Dourif as one of twelve actors to watch, calling Dourif "one of the most intense, most interesting young film actors of his generation".
Film and television
Despite his attempts to avoid
typecasting, he frequently plays eccentric or disturbed characters, starting in
Eyes of Laura Mars (1978),
John Huston's
Wise Blood (1979), Forman's
Ragtime (1981) and
Marc Didden's
Istanbul. Dourif then teamed up with director
David Lynch for
Dune (1984) and
Blue Velvet (1986). He also appears in the 1984 music video for
Toto's single "Stranger in Town".
He has appeared in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of the evil killer doll Chucky in Child's Play (1988) and its sequels, as well as in Exorcist III as the Gemini Killer (1990). Dourif broke from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Hidden Agenda (1990), and London Kills Me (1991). He also played Gríma Wormtongue in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy.
On television, Dourif appeared in The X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea" as Luther Lee Boggs. He also played , a murderous psychopath who eventually redeems himself, in a three-episode story arc on , and has guest-appeared in shows such as Babylon 5. In 1984, he played a suspected serial killer in the episode "Number Eight" of the British TV series Tales of the Unexpected.
He is a fan of video games and appeared as Saavedro in (2001), the third game in the popular Myst franchise, and as the sadistic preacher Reed in GUN (2005).
Dourif was cast as The Scarecrow in Batman Forever, while Tim Burton was attached to the project. However, Joel Schumacher eventually took over the project, and instead cast Tommy Lee Jones as Two-Face and Jim Carrey as The Riddler.
Dourif played Doc Cochran in the HBO series Deadwood, receiving a 2004 Emmy nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series." He voiced Chucky in the fifth Child's Play film, Seed of Chucky, appeared in the film Sinner, and played Sheriff Brackett in 2007 in Rob Zombie's version of Halloween and its sequel in 2009, Halloween II.
Filmography
Films
{| border="2" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" style="margin: 1em 1em 1em 0; background: #f9f9f9; border: 1px #aaa solid; border-collapse: collapse;"
|-style="background:#B0C4DE;"
! Year
! Film
! Role
! Notes
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1975 ||
W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings || uncredited ||
|-
|
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest ||
Billy Bibbit || Golden Globe for Best New Star of the Year
BAFTA for Best Supporting Actor
Nominated - Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
|-
| 1976 || The Mound Builders || Chad Jasker || (made for television)
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1977 || Group Portrait with Lady || Boris Koltowski ||
|-
| The Gardener's Son || Robert McEvoy || (made for television)
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1978 || Eyes of Laura Mars || Tommy Ludlow ||
|-
| Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force || Sgt. Leonard Matlovich || (made for television)
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1979 || Studs Lonigan || Danny O'Neill || (made for Television)
|-
| Wise Blood || Hazel Motes ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1980 || || David Langtree || (made for television)
|-
| Heaven's Gate || Mr. Eggleston ||
|-
| 1981 || Ragtime || Younger Brother ||
|-
| 1982 || Desire, the Vampire || Paul || (made for television)
|-
| 1984 || Dune || The Mentat Piter De Vries ||
|-
| 1985 || Istanbul || Martin Klamski || (Belgian movie)
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1986 || Blue Velvet || Raymond ||
|-
| Rage of Angels || Seymour Bourne || (made for television)
|-
| || Lamar Sands || (made for television)
|-
| Impure Thoughts || Kevin Harrington ||
|-
| 1987 || Fatal Beauty || Leo Nova ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1988 || Child's Play || Charles Lee Ray (Chucky) || (character and voice of Chucky)
|-
| Mississippi Burning|| Deputy Clinton Pell ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1989 || || Camillus Fly || (made for television)
|-
| Sonny Boy || Weasel ||
|-
| Terror on Highway 91 || Keith Evans || (made for television)
|-
|rowspan="8"| 1990 || Child's Play 2 || Chucky || (voice only)
|-
| Spontaneous Combustion|| Sam ||
|-
| Horseplayer || Bud Cowan ||
|-
| Graveyard Shift || Tucker Cleveland ||
|-
| The Exorcist III || James Venamun ||
|-
| Hidden Agenda || Paul Sullivan ||
|-
| Chaindance || Johnny Reynolds ||
|-
| Grim Prairie Tales || Farley ||
|-
|rowspan="6"| 1991 || Murder Blues || John Barnes || a.k.a. Dead Certain
|-
| Child's Play 3 || Chucky || (voice only)
|-
| Jungle Fever || Leslie ||
|-
| Body Parts || Remo Lacey ||
|-
| Scream of Stone || Fingerless ||
|-
| London Kills Me || Hemingway the Restaurant Manager ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1992 || Final Judgement || Father Tyrone ||
|-
| Critters 4 || Al Bert ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 1993 || Wild Palms || Chickie Levitt || television miniseries
|-
| Trauma || Dr. Lloyd ||
|-
| Amos & Andrew || Officer Donnie Donaldson ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 1994 || Color of Night || Clark ||
|-
| A Worn Path || Hunter || (Made for Television)
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1995 || Death Machine || Dante ||
|-
| Murder in the First || Byron Stamphill ||
|-
| || Sheriff Bill Douglass || (Made for Television)
|-
| Escape to Witch Mountain || Luther/Bruno || (Made for Television)
|-
| Phoenix || Reiger ||
|-
| rowspan="4"| 1996 || Blackout || Thomas Payne || (Made for Television)
|-
| If Looks Could Kill || M. Eugene 'Gene' Hanson || (Made for Television)
|-
| Sworn to Justice || Teddy ||
|-
| A Step Toward Tomorrow || Kirby ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1997 || Jamaica Beat || Tom Peterson ||
|-
| Nightwatch || Duty Doctor ||
|-
| Best Men || The Vet ||
|-
| Alien Resurrection || Dr. Gediman ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| 1998 || Brown's Requiem || Edwards ||
|-
| Senseless || Dr. Wheedon ||
|-
| Progeny || Dr. Bert Clavell ||
|-
| Urban Legend|| Michael McDonnell, gas station attendant || (uncredited)
|-
| Bride of Chucky|| Chucky || (voice only)
|-
|rowspan="4"| 1999 || The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man || Gabriel ||
|-
| Cypress Edge || Colin McCammon ||
|-
| Interceptors || David M. Webber ||
|-
| Silicon Towers || Alton ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2000 || Shadow Hours|| Roland Montague ||
|-
| || Zealot ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2001 || The Ghost || Lt. Garland || a.k.a. Code of the Dragon
|-
| Soulkeeper || Mr. Pascal ||
|-
| 2002 || || Gríma Wormtongue ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2003 || The Box || Stan ||
|-
| Vlad || Radescu ||
|-
| || Gríma Wormtongue || (extended version only)
|-
|rowspan="5"| 2004 || Seed of Chucky || Chucky || (voice only)
|-
| The Devil's Due at Midnight || The Dark One ||
|-
| Deadwood || Doc ||
|-
| The Hazing || Professor Kapps ||
|-
| El Padrino || Cyrus ||
|-
|rowspan="3"| 2005 || Drop Dead Sexy || Herman ||
|-
| The Wild Blue Yonder || The Alien||
|-
| Man of Faith || B. B. Gallen ||
|-
| 2006 || Pulse || Thin Bookish Guy ||
|-
|rowspan="4"| 2007 ||Sinner || Caddie ||
|-
| The List || Johan Gabini ||
|-
| The Wizard of Gore || Dr. Chong ||
|-
| Halloween || Sheriff Lee Brackett ||
|-
|rowspan="2"| 2008 || Humboldt County || Jack ||
|-
| Touching Home || Clyde Winston ||
|-
|rowspan="5"| 2009 || Born of Earth || Mayor ||
|-
| Lock and Roll Forever || Zee ||
|-
| || Ned Schoenholtz ||
|-
| Halloween II || Sheriff Lee Brackett ||
|-
| My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done? || Uncle Ted ||
|-
|rowspan="6"| 2010 || Chain Letter || Mr. Smirker ||
|-
| Blood Shot || Bob ||
|-
| Fading of the Cries || Mathias ||
|-
| Priest || Salesman ||
|-
| Death and Cremation || Stan ||
|}
Video games
(2001) - as Saavedro
Run Like Hell (2002) - as Fred (voice only)
GUN (2005) - as Reverend Josiah Reed (voice only)
Upcoming films
Child's Play (2011 remake)-July 2011
References
External links
Category:1950 births
Category:Actors from West Virginia
Category:American film actors
Category:American television actors
Category:American video game actors
Category:American voice actors
Category:BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor
Category:Living people
Category:Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners
Category:People from Huntington, West Virginia
Category:People from Colorado Springs, Colorado
