Childs Play Franchise
In Brad Dourif's celebrated career, his most famous role is a brief appearance in the first Childs Play movie. Appearing as the serial killer Charles Lee Ray, Dourif would provide the voice for Chucky and would make this killer doll one of the most popular horror villains of the late 80s and 90s.
One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest
One of Brad Dourif's first film roles portraying mental patient Billy Bibbit in the 1975 films One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest. Billy is a shy misfit with a stutter, and one of Randel McMurphy's friends (Jack Nicholson). With McMurphy's encouragement, Billy was able to overcome some of his fears and helps set up a date for him. This event would prove futile when Nurse Ratched intervenes and drives Billy to suicide. Dourif would receive an Academy Award nomination for his role.
The Lord of the Rings
Grima Worntoungue is a corrupt and scheming character in the two movies he appears. Dourif was allowed to expand on the role, and he indeed displayed the character's vile council and sinister intent. With so many villains in this epic movie, Dourif's portrayal of Grima certainly stood out.
The Exorcist III
Based on the William Peter Blatty novel Legion, The Exorcist III was a direct sequel to William Friedkin's 1973 film The Exorcist. Brad Dourif portrayed the Zodiac like serial murder known as the Gemini Killer. The character was executed years before, but the demon from the first film would possess people to commit murders in the same manner. Dourif's portrayal was done with The Exorcist's Jason Miller returning as the mysterious Patient X in a terrifying depiction of a serial killer.
Dune
David Lynch's troubled 1984 adaptation of Frank Herbert's novel Dune featured a great cast with Dourif playing the psychotic Mentat Piter De Vries. His role as a Mentat allowed him to get creative with the character, most notably how he used his hand gestures to express his intent. Piter De Vries is intelligent and clever but ultimately a disturbed sadist who advises the ruthless Baron Harkonnen, who takes credit for the plan to destroy House Atreides and take back the planet Arrakis.
Alien: Resurrection
In the fourth film of the Alien franchise, Ripley's character is cloned to breed with xenomorphs. Brad Dourif plays the lead researcher Dr. Jonathan Gediman. He displays a strange combination of hubris and genuine fascination for the deadly species. Even though all the precautions are taken, he is shown to be killed by the xenomorphs. He is later shown merged with the Queen as the latest Xenomorphs are being gestated.
Rob Zombie's Halloween & Halloween II
In the two Rob Zombie remakes of Halloween, Dourif plays Sheriff Leigh Brackett, the father of Annie Brackett, played by Halloween veteran Danielle Harris. In these movies, you see Dourif play a more determined police officer and father who you certainly will feel genuine sympathy for when the victims of the final massacre are revealed.
Eyes of Laura Mars
Directed by Irvin Kershner, The Eyes of Laura Mars is a 1978 mystery thriller that stars Faye Dunaway in the title role. Laura Mars is a fashion photographer who gets visions from a killer who is targeting people around her. Brad Dourif plays a colleague of Laura Mars named Tommy Ludlow.
Deadwood
Dourif appeared in three seasons of the HBO series Deadwood and the 2019 feature film. Doc Cochran was a popular character in the show, and Dourif's portrayal made him one of the most sympathetic characters in town. As the town doctor, he treated everyone with care and sincere sympathy.
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