Biography Brad Dourif

The character actor Brad Dourif was born in 1950 in Huntington, West Virginia,
where his father owned and operated a dye factory. His father died when Dourif
was 3 years old, after which his mother married Bill Campbell, a champion golfer,
who helped raise Brad, his brother, and his four sisters. From 1963 to 1965, Dourif
attended Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, SC, where he pursued his interests in
art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming a professional artist, he finally
settled on acting as a profession, inspired by his mother's participation as an actress
in community theatre.

Starting in school productions, he progressed to community theatre, joining up with
the Huntington Community Players, while attending Marshall University of Huntington.
At age 19, he quit his hometown college and headed to New York City, where he worked
with the Circle Repertory Company. During the early 1970s, Dourif appeared in a number
of plays, off-Broadway and at Woodstock, New York, including Milos Forman 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
Forman's film was undoubtedly his big break, earning him a Golden Globe Award for Best
Acting Debut, a British Academy Film Award for Best Supporting Actor, and an Oscar
nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Sceptical of his instant stardom, Dourif returned to New York, where he continued in
theatre and taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University until 1988 when
he moved to Hollywood. Despite his attempts to avoid typecasting, his intensity destined
him to play demented, deranged, or disturbed characters, starting in Eyes of Laura Mars
(1978), John Huston's Wise Blood (1979) (arguably his best performance to date), and Milos
Forman's Ragtime (1981). Dourif then teamed up with director David Lynch for Dune (1984)
and Blue Velvet (1986). His high-strung style also served him well in a number of horror
films, notably as the voice of the evil doll Chucky in Child's Play (1988) and its sequels.

Dourif broke from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning
(1988), Hidden Agenda (1990), and London Kills Me (1991). Recent film work includes the
role of Grima Wormtongue in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Since his
television debut in the PBS film The Mound Builders (1976) (TV), Dourif has made
sporadic appearances in a number of television series, such as "The X Files" (1993),
"Babylon 5" (1994), "Star Trek: Voyager" (1995) and "Ponderosa" (2001)
(in the recurring role of Frenchy).
© Lyn Hammond

For additional information visit:
Brad Dourif @ http://www.imdb.com