Willem Dafoe hallucination. The cameo was suggested by Dafoe, comparing it to the ghost of Hamlet's father visiting his son to ask him to avenge his death. Dafoe was next seen in the comedy-drama "The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou" (2004), his first of three films with director Wes Anderson. He played the "hilariously doltish" German first mate of a research vessel owned by the eponymous lead character, who is played by Bill Murray. Dafoe then had a small role as a tabloid magazine editor in Martin Scorsese's "The Aviator" (2004), a biographical film about Howard Hughes starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Also in
Title role Title role The title role in the performing arts is the performance part that gives the title to the piece, as in "Aida", "Giselle", "Michael Collins", or "Othello". The actor, singer, or dancer who performs that part is also said to have the "title role". The performer playing the title role is not always the lead and the title role may or may not be the protagonist. In the television miniseries "Shogun", for example, Toshirō Mifune had the title role, but the lead was played by Richard Chamberlain. In the James Bond novel "The Man with the Golden Gun", the