Actor Willem Dafoe has received an honorary Doctor of Arts degree from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where he studied and previously dropped out nearly 50 years ago, and can now officially call himself something of a scientist.

On Sunday, the 66-year-old actor was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from UW-Milwaukee, where he also served as the keynote speaker for the two commencement ceremonies.

- I am very proud to present Willem Dafoe for the Honorary Degree, Doctor of Arts.
- Upon the recommendation of the faculty of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and by the authority vested in me […], I am pleased to confer onto you, Willem Dafoe, an Honorary Degree, Doctorate of Arts.

Dafoe enrolled in the University in 1973 and studied there for a year and a half before dropping out to join an experimental theater company and moving to New York.

In his speech to the graduates, Dafoe recalled his time at the University, his teachers and the part-time jobs he had to take. "Be at peace with yourself, find what you love and practice it anyway you can,” Dafoe told the audience. “Serve others, make every step a pleasure and trust it will take you where you need to be.”

In late 2021, Dafoe saw a major burst in online popularity following the release of Spider-Man: No Way Home, as well as a recent string of other culturally impactful movies such as The Lighthouse.

The I'm Something of Scientist Myself meme format, based on a quote from Dafoe's character Norman Osborn in the original Sam Raimi Spider-Man movie, remains one of the best-known memes featuring the actor, although other formats such as Willem Dafoe Looking Up and Willem Dafoe Holding Two Oranges also recently became popular online.