About Me
This is a Brad Dourif fan site. I do not know Brad, or have any way of contacting him. Just so you know. Enjoy the page, and pat yourself on the back for being a fan of one of the greatest actors around.
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"I would much rather be a fabulously wealthy actor. But since I am not, the character parts are more interesting, gives much more diversity. Villains are great. If it wasn't for the devil, we wouldn't be here, would we?"
- Brad Dourif
I have tried to start writing this tribute about five times, and everytime I find it so difficult to find the right words to describe this actor. When I think of science fiction and horror, I think of Brad Dourif. He portrays psychopaths, sociopaths, killers and other lost souls like no other. He is a chameleon, effortlessly blending into characters that are so convincing, we forget we are watching a film. He is magnetic and compelling, and when he catches my attention for 10 seconds on screen, he draws me in.
You can't catagorise Dourif. He is not in a specific "group" of actors, and you can't label him a heartthrob either (well....unless you're like me). As far as he's concerned, mainstream sucks balls. He is one on his own, and he prefers it that way. Those branded wierd as kids have a tendancy to grow up to become iconic horror figures, and Dourif is a perfect example of that. Alone in the shadows of his youth, surrounded by macabe images that his dead father had doted on years before, Brad was educated by Vincent Price and Christopher Lee movies instead of becoming an arsehole sports fanatic....you get my point. Dourif's got an aura, a glow. Maybe he doesn't see it, but it's blinding everyone else.
Yeah, so he's been in about a thousand B movies....and alot of them have been shit. In all honesty, I can't fault one of his performances. For a quirky character actor that plays deranged and demented perfectly, his performances are moving. There I am, sympathising with a serial killer, all because Dourif makes it so. The physical and mental transformations are breathtaking, marking him as one of horrors most memorable performers. He was nominated for an Oscar once. Was he ecstatic? Not exactly. He hid from the limelight, performing and teaching theatre in New York until the dust settled and he bceame a "nobody" again. He did manage to become a nobody again, but only to box office hugging overactors and their hormonal teenage fans. The rest of us continued to follow his every move, becoming more intoxicated by him as time went on.
Dourif was stealing the scene while most of us were still in our nappies, and he's not ashamed to admit he is a bit of a film whore. He'll pretty much do anything as long as it grabs his attention. His experience on stage and screen has never altered his personality, and he continues to embrace the "wierdo" image that has sometimes overshadowed him. He has been in alot of horror, and it's unfortunate that people tend to forget about his "normal" roles (Dune, Blue Velvet, Fatal Beauty, Wise Blood, and London Kills Me, to name a few) where his performances have been outstanding.
It could be seen as unfortunate that he soon became typecasted as a villain after providing the voice of evil doll Chucky, but most see it as a blessing. Dourif has managed to gain a massive cult following because he has a strong screen presence, and he's not arsed about how much cash the film manages to make. He does a job to pay the bills, and his passion for acting is what draws him to so many projects. He is as unusual and as beautiful as they get, and we wouldn't have it any other way.
