Jamie Lee Curtis is an American actress. Although she was initially known as a "scream queen" because of her starring roles in many horror films early in her career such as Halloween, The Fog, Prom Night, and Terror Train, Curtis has since compiled a body of work that covers many genres.
Halloween[]
Curtis's film debut was the 1978 horror Halloween, playing the role of Laurie Strode, the only central teenage character in the film who is not killed. Curtis was not John Carpenter's first choice and he did not think of hiring her until learning that she was the daughter of Janet Leigh, the star from Psycho. Carpenter considered the hiring of Jamie Lee Curtis as the ultimate tribute to Alfred Hitchcock as his Psycho gave Janet Leigh a legendary status. After her first day, Curtis was so disappointed with her performance that she became convinced she would be fired. When her phone rang that night and it was John Carpenter on the phone, Curtis was certain it was the end of her movie career. Instead, Carpenter called to congratulate her and tell her he was very happy with the way things had gone. Out of her co-stars, Curtis was the only one that was actually a teenager as both P. J. Soles and Nancy Loomis were 28 years old. The film was a major success and was considered the highest grossing independent film of its time, earning status as a classic horror film. Curtis was subsequently cast in several horror films, garnering her the title of a "scream queen".
Just prior to the release of Halloween II Curtis shot additional scenes involving her character for the 1981 TV release of the first film. At this point Curtis had cut her hair much shorter than it was three years earlier so she had to wear a wig that matched her original hairstyle for the second film and the additional scenes for the TV version of the original (One of the additional scenes noticeably has her wearing a towel on her head). Afterwards, she had an uncredited voice role in Halloween III: Season of the Witch. She is heard twice in the film, first as a curfew announcer and later as a telephone operator. Once it was clear that there would be a fourth Halloween film, the producers asked Curtis to reprise her role as Laurie Strode. Curtis had become a success in the film industry and had established a career. Curtis declined and did not want to continue her participation in the film. As a result, her character was written out and supposedly died.
Around 1998, Curtis realized that it would be 20 years since she had been in the business and wanted a 20-year anniversary for Halloween since it started her career. She asked John Carpenter if he was interested in making the film but he declined. The movie would be made and called Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later. She had some input in the script by Kevin Williamson. Curtis would also get a chance to work with her mother, who portrayed Norma Watson. Due to the ending of the movie, it was thought that the Halloween series was over as Laurie had killed main antagonist Michael Myers. Curtis did agree that if there was another movie, that her role would be a cameo at most and that her character would be killed off. Four years later, She once again portrayed Laurie for the "final" time in Halloween: Resurrection.
Fifteen years later, it was announced that Curtis would reprise the role again for the 2018 movie Halloween while also serving as an executive producer. It picks up 40 years following the original.
Appearances[]
| Film | Year | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Halloween | 1978 | Laurie Strode |
| Halloween (Extended Edition) | 1981 | |
| Halloween II | 1981 | |
| Halloween III: Season of the Witch | 1982 | Curfew Announcer/Telephone Operator |
| Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later | 1998 | Laurie Storde\Keri Tate |
| Halloween: Resurrection | 2002 | |
| Halloween | 2018 | Laurie Strode |
| Halloween Kills | 2021 | |
| Halloween Ends | 2022 |
Notes and trivia[]
- On December 7, 2020, Jamie Lee Curtis won the award for Greatest Scream Queen at the 2020 MTV Movie & TV Awards. The event was designed to celebrate the filmmakers and performers they deemed "the Greatest of All Time". [1]
- On June 30, 2021, it was revealed that The 78th Venice Film Festival would present the year's award, a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement, to Curtis.The ceremony took place on September 8, 2021, at the Sala Grande before the out-of-competition world premiere screening of David Gordon Green's Halloween Kills.[2]
References[]
External links[]
Jamie Lee Curtis on Wikipedia
Jamie Lee Curtis on the Internet Movie Database