Early life

Dourif was born in Huntington, West Virginia, on March 18, 1950, one of six children born to Jean Henri Dourif, an art collector who owned and operated a dye factory, and Joan Mavis Felton (née Bradford), an actress.

His paternal grandparents emigrated from France, and his paternal grandfather co-founded the Standard Ultramarine and Color Company in Huntington. After Dourif's father died in 1953, his mother remarried champion golfer William C. Campbell, who helped raise Dourif and his five siblings (four sisters and one brother). From 1963 to 1965, Dourif attended the private Aiken Preparatory School in Aiken, South Carolina. There, he pursued his interests in art and acting. Although he briefly considered becoming a flower arranger, he was eventually inspired to become an actor by his mother's participation as an actress in a community theater called "Give me Shelter".

After Aiken, he attended Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, graduating in 1968. Dourif attended Marshall University for a time, before quitting college and moving to New York City to study acting on the advice of actress Conchata Ferrell.

Career

Starting in school productions, Dourif progressed to community theater, joining up with the Huntington Community Players while attending Marshall. In New York, he studied with Sanford Meisner, and worked with Marshall Mason and Lanford Wilson at the Circle Repertory Company. During the early 1970s, Dourif appeared in a number of plays, off-Broadway and at Woodstock, New York, including The Ghost Sonata, The Doctor in Spite of Himself, and When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder?, in which he was spotted by director Miloš Forman who cast him in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975).

Although One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest is frequently cited as his film debut, in fact, Dourif made his first appearance in a low-budget film called Split, which was never released. His first studio film was W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings (1975) but his bit part was cut. Nevertheless, his portrayal of the vulnerable Billy Bibbit in Cuckoo's Nest was his big break, earning him a Golden Globe Award (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".

Stage

Though Dourif had not been on stage in nearly three decades, he chose to star alongside Amanda Plummer in the Off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play that played to critical acclaim at the New World Stages. He explained, in a filmed interview released by the producers, why he broke his 29-year hiatus from acting in live theater: "I hated the stage, did not want to do it. And then somebody said, 'Will you do a play? It's with Amanda Plummer', and I said, 'Oh shit! No. Oh God, I'm gonna have to do this...'". It opened on June 10, 2013 and closed on September 29, 2013. The play was subject to a number of performance cancellations, one relating to Dourif's absence, due to a death in the family. Plummer refused to perform without Dourif, notwithstanding the presence of an understudy.

Film and television

Dourif has often played 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 the single "Stranger in Town" by Toto.

He appeared in a number of horror films, notably as the voice of Chucky in the Chucky franchise. He portrayed the Gemini Killer in The Exorcist III (1990), Death Machine (1994), but has broken from the horror genre with roles in Fatal Beauty (1987), Mississippi Burning (1988), Hidden Agenda (1990), and London Kills Me (1991). Dourif also played Gríma Wormtongue in the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

On television, Dourif appeared in The X-Files episode "Beyond the Sea" as the psychic serial killer Luther Lee Boggs. He also portrayed Lon Suder in a 3-episode story arc on Star Trek: Voyager and has guest starred as a troubled monk haunted by visions in Babylon 5. In 1984, Dourif played a suspected serial killer in the episode "Number Eight" of Tales of the Unexpected.

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. Other roles Dourif has played are Doc Cochran in Deadwood, receiving a 2004 Emmy Award nomination for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series." He also appeared in Sinner and portrayed Sheriff Lee Brackett in Halloween and Halloween II. In 2013, Dourif reprised his voice role as Chucky in Curse of Chucky, which has been released to DVD. His daughter Fiona Dourif starred with him in the 6th installment of the Child's Play franchise. He guest starred in the third season finale of Fringe.

He also had a brief scene in one episode of Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

Personal life

Dourif has been married twice. He has one daughter, Fiona, with his former wife Joni, and adopted Joni's daughter, Kristina Dourif Tanoue.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1975	W.W. and the Dixie Dancekings	N/A	Uncredited
1975	One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest	Billy Bibbit	BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year - Actor Nominated—Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor
1977	Group Portrait with Lady	Boris Koltowski
1978	Eyes of Laura Mars	Tommy Ludlow
1979	Studs Lonigan	Danny O'Neill
1979	Wise Blood	Hazel Motes
1980	Heaven's Gate	Mr. Eggleston
1981	Ragtime	Younger Brother
1984	Dune	The Mentat Piter De Vries
1985	Istanbul	Martin Klamski
1986	Blue Velvet	Raymond
1986	Impure Thoughts	Kevin Harrington
1987	Fatal Beauty	Leo Nova
1988	Child's Play	Chucky (voice)/Charles Lee Ray
1988	Mississippi Burning	Deputy Clinton Pell	Nominated—Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor
1989	Sonny Boy	Weasel
1990	Child's Play 2	Chucky (voice)
1990	Spontaneous Combustion	Sam
1990	Horseplayer	Bud Cowan
1990	Graveyard Shift	Tucker Cleveland
1990	The Exorcist III	James Venamun	Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor
1990	Hidden Agenda	Paul Sullivan
1990	Chaindance	Johnny Reynolds	Nominated—Genie Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role
1990	Grim Prairie Tales	Farley
1991	Murder Blues	John Barnes
1991	Child's Play 3	Chucky (voice)
1991	Jungle Fever	Leslie
1991	Body Parts	Remo Lacey	Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actor
1991	Scream of Stone	Fingerless
1991	London Kills Me	Hemingway
1992	Final Judgement	Father Tyrone
1992	Critters 4	Al Bert
1993	Trauma	Dr. Lloyd
1993	Amos & Andrew	Officer Donnie Donaldson
1994	Color of Night	Clark
1995	Death Machine	Dante
1995	Murder in the First	Byron Stamphill
1995	Phoenix	Reiger
1996	Sworn to Justice	Teddy
1996	A Step Toward Tomorrow	Kirby
1997	Jamaica Beat	Tom Peterson
1997	Nightwatch	Duty Doctor
1997	Best Men	The Vet
1997	Alien: Resurrection	Dr. Gediman
1998	Brown's Requiem	Edwards
1998	Senseless	Dr. Wheedon
1998	Progeny	Dr. Bert Clavell
1998	Urban Legend	Michael McDonnell	Uncredited
1998	Bride of Chucky	Chucky (voice)
1999	The Diary of the Hurdy-Gurdy Man	Gabriel
1999	Cypress Edge	Colin McCammon
1999	Interceptors	David M. Webber
1999	Silicon Towers	Alton
2000	Shadow Hours	Roland Montague
2000	The Prophecy 3: The Ascent	Zealot
2001	The Ghost	Lt. Garland
2001	Soulkeeper	Mr. Pascal
2002	The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers	Gríma Wormtongue
2003	The Box	Stan
2003	Vlad	Radescu
2003	The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King	Gríma Wormtongue	Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Phoenix Film Critics Society Award for Best Cast Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture (Extended Edition only)
2004	Seed of Chucky	Chucky (voice)
2004	The Devil's Due at Midnight	The Dark One
2004	The Hazing	Professor Kapps
2004	El Padrino	Cyrus
2005	Drop Dead Sexy	Herman
2005	The Wild Blue Yonder	The Alien
2005	Man of Faith	B. B. Gallen
2006	Pulse	Thin Bookish Guy
2007	Sinner	Caddie
2007	The List	Johan Gabini
2007	The Wizard of Gore	Dr. Chong
2007	Halloween	Sheriff Lee Brackett
2008	Touching Home	Clyde Winston
2008	Humboldt County	Jack
2009	Born of Earth	Mayor
2009	Lock and Roll Forever	Zee
2009	The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans	Ned Schoenholtz
2009	Halloween II	Sheriff Lee Brackett
2009	My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?	Uncle Ted
2010	Chain Letter	Mr. Smirker
2010	Junkyard Dog	Sheriff Holk
2011	Fading of the Cries	Mathias
2011	Priest	Salesman
2011	Catch .44	Sheriff Connors
2011	Death and Cremation	Stan
2012	Last Kind Words	Wylon
2012	Black Box	Tom
2013	Santa Monica	Stan	Short film
2013	Gingerclown	Worm Creature (voice)
2013	Blood Shot	Bob
2013	Curse of Chucky	Chucky (voice)/Charles Lee Ray
2013	Malignant	The Man
2014	The Control Group	Dr. Broward
2015	Rosemont	Abe
2016	Chucky 7	Chucky (voice) / Charles Lee Ray
2017	Wildling	Daddy / Gabriel Hanson

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1976	The Mound Builders	Chad Jasker	Television film
1977	The Gardener's Son	Robert McEvoy	Television film
1978	Sergeant Matlovich vs. the U.S. Air Force	Sgt. Leonard Matlovich	Television film
1980	Guyana Tragedy: The Story of Jim Jones	David Langtree	Television film
1982	Desire, the Vampire	Paul	Television film
1986	The Equalizer	Fenn	Episode: "Out of the Past"
1986	Spenser: For Hire	Maxie Lyons	Episode: "Rage"
1986	Rage of Angels	Seymour Bourne	Television film
1986	Vengeance: The Story of Tony Cimo	Lamar Sands	Television film
1987	Moonlighting	Father McDonovan	Episode: "All Creatures Great...and Not So Great"
1987	Miami Vice	Joey Wyatt	Episode: "Theresa"
1989	Murder, She Wrote	Dr. Warren Overman	Episode: "Fire Burn, Cauldron Bubble"
1989	Desperado: The Outlaw Wars	Camillus Fly	Television film
1989	Terror on Highway 91	Keith Evans	Television film
1993	Wild Palms	Chickie Levitt	3 episodes
1993	Tales from the Crypt	Virgil	Episode: "People Who Live in Brass Hearses"
1994	The X-Files	Luther Lee Boggs	Episode: "Beyond the Sea"
1994	A Worn Path	Hunter	Television film
1995	Babylon 5	Charles Dexter/Brother Edward	Episode: "Passing Through Gethsemane"
1995	Escape from Terror: The Teresa Stamper Story	Sheriff Bill Douglass	Television film
1995	Escape to Witch Mountain	Luther/Bruno	Television film
1996	Star Trek: Voyager	Lon Suder	3 episodes
1996	Blackout	Thomas Payne	Television film
1996	If Looks Could Kill	M. Eugene 'Gene' Hanson	Television film
1997	Millennium	Dennis Hoffman	Episode: "Force Majeure"
2001-2002	Ponderosa	Maurice Deveraux	8 episodes
2004-2006	Deadwood	Dr. Amos 'Doc' Cochran	33 episodes Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actor - Series, Miniseries or Television Film Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2008	Law & Order	Dr. David Lingard	Episode: "Called Home"
2010	Law & Order: Special Victims Unit	Dr. Iggy Drexel	Episode: "Torch"
2011	Fringe	Moreau	Episode: "The Day We Died"
2011	Psych	Bernie Bethel	Episode: "Shawn, Interrupted"
2011	Miami Magma	Jacob Capilla	Television film
2012	Wilfred	P.T.	Episode: "Questions"
2012-2014	Once Upon a Time	Zoso	2 episodes
2012	Criminal Minds	Adam Rain	Episode: "The Lesson"
2013	End of the World	Dr. Walter Brown	Television film
2014	Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.	Thomas Nash	Episode: "End of the Beginning"

Video games

Year	Title	Role
2001	Myst III: Exile	Saavedro
2002	Run Like Hell	Fred (voice)
2005	GUN	Reverend Josiah Reed (voice)
2012	Dishonored	Piero Joplin (voice)

Discography

He released an LP called Misery Together in 2012. Dourif contributed spoken words to three songs on this album by the Norwegian duo Thinguma*jigSaw. He was also featured in the video to "Drinking from the Bottle" by Calvin Harris.

[ Source: Wikipedia ]