In Platoon, which actor plays Sergeant Elias Grodin?

Willem Dafoe plays Sergeant Elias Grodin in Oliver Stone’s 1986 Vietnam War film Platoon.

Elias is a squad leader whose approach to the war contrasts sharply with that of Staff Sergeant Gordon Elias. He tries to protect his men and retains moral concerns about the conduct of the conflict, placing him in opposition to the increasingly brutal Sergeant Barnes, played by Tom Berenger.

The story is told through Chris Taylor, a young American infantryman played by Charlie Sheen. Taylor’s divided loyalties between Elias and Barnes provide the film’s central moral conflict, while the jungle combat reflects Stone’s own service in Vietnam.

Platoon was released on 19 December 1986. It won four Academy Awards at the 1987 ceremony, including Best Picture and Best Director. Dafoe received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor, while Berenger was also nominated in the same category.