ACTOR · BORN 1950
Brad Dourif
- Born
- 18 March 1950, Huntington, West Virginia, USA
- Known for
- The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Alien Resurrection (1997), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999)
21 archived facts 4 topics 1 source Last reviewed Sep 2026
All facts (21)
- #001
Most of Brad Dourif's castmates in The Lord of the Rings trilogy assumed he was British because of the English accent he used as Gríma Wormtongue throughout the shoot. As a method actor, he kept the accent even when he was not filming. They were shocked when they heard him speak in an American accent after filming ended. Bernard Hill believed Dourif spoke in the worst American accent he had ever heard in his life.
- #002
Although Dourif had not been on stage for nearly thirty years, he chose to appear alongside Amanda Plummer in an Off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams's play 'The Two-Character Play', which drew critical acclaim at New World Stages. In a video interview released by the producers, he explained why he broke his 29-year absence from live theatre: "I hated the stage, I didn't want to do it. Then someone said, 'Would you do a play? With Amanda Plummer,' and I said, 'Damn! No. God, I will...'".
- #003
Brad Dourif appeared in two productions that won the Academy Award for Best Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003).
- #004
Dourif heard his own film Dune (1984) described as 'science fiction's answer to Heaven's Gate' (1980), in which he had also appeared, and he fully agrees with that summary.
- #005
In 1981, Vincent Canby listed Dourif as one of twelve actors worth watching, describing him as 'one of the most intense, most interesting young film actors of his generation'.
- #006
During the filming of The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Dourif travelled to New Zealand five times. For the role of Gríma Wormtongue, he had to have his eyebrows plucked on each occasion.
- #007
Brad Dourif is the only actor to appear in all of the Child's Play films, but he appeared on screen only in Child's Play (1988) and Curse of Chucky (2013). In all the other films his performance was voice work only. Among all the Child's Play films, his favourite is Bride of Chucky (1998).
- #008
Brad Dourif taught acting and directing classes at Columbia University in New York.
- #009
In 2012, Dourif contributed spoken-word vocals to three songs on 'Misery Together', an album by the Norwegian duo Thinguma*jigSaw.
- #010
Dourif's father, the owner and operator of a paint factory, died when Brad was three years old.
- #011
On 18 April 2024, Dourif announced that he would retire from acting apart from Chucky-related projects and the character. The reason was that he regards his daughter Fiona Dourif (who plays Nica Pierce in the series) and Chucky (2021) creator Don Mancini as 'family'. In 2025 he made another exception, appearing in an episode of the series The Pitt (2025), in which Fiona also stars.
- #012
Dourif's father, Jean Henri Dourif, was born in France and was three-quarters French and one-quarter English-Irish. His mother, Joan Mavis Felton (Bradford), was born in New York and her family was from Virginia; she also had English origins, including deep colonial American roots.
- #013
Brad Dourif lost two roles that went to John Savage. He was Michael Cimino's first choice for the role of Steven in The Deer Hunter (1978), and Miloš Forman initially wanted him for the role of Claude Hooper Bukowski in Hair (1979).
- #014
Brad Dourif attended Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, but dropped out (in 1969).
- #015
Brad Dourif appeared in four films with Samuel L. Jackson: Ragtime (1981), The Exorcist III (1990), Jungle Fever (1991) and Amos & Andrew (1993).
- #016
As of 2017, Dourif had appeared in four films nominated for the Best Picture Oscar: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Mississippi Burning (1988), The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) — though he appears only in the extended version of the last film, not in the version shown to the Academy. Of these, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) and The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) were winners in that category.
- #017
Brad Dourif worked with director Werner Herzog on four films: Scream of Stone (1991), The Wild Blue Yonder (2005), Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009).
- #018
Brad Dourif attended Fountain Valley School in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and graduated (in 1968).
- #019
Dourif is one of four actors in David Lynch's Dune (1984) who appeared in Star Trek series: Sir Patrick Stewart played Captain Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation (1987), Brad Dourif and Virginia Madsen appeared in Star Trek: Voyager (1995), and Dean Stockwell appeared in Star Trek: Enterprise (2001).
- #020
Brad Dourif played the role of Stephen in the stage production of the play When You Comin' Back, Red Ryder. He was asked to reprise the role for the film version but turned down the offer because he did not want to work with Marjoe Gortner. The role went to Peter Firth.
- #021
Brad Dourif moved to New York at the age of 19 and worked with the Circle Repertory Company, appearing in several Off-Broadway and Woodstock, New York productions. He moved to Los Angeles, California, in 1988.
Continue through the archive
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towersas Wormtongue
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nestas Billy Bibbit- Priestas Salesman
- The Exorcist IIIas The Gemini Killer
- Heaven's Gateas Mr. Eggleston
- Halloween IIas Sheriff Lee Brackett
- Deadwoodas Doc Cochran
- Child's Play 2as Chucky
- Bride of Chuckyas Chucky
- Murder in the Firstas Byron Stamphill
Sources & editorial notes
Reference databases
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