Lin Shaye facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Lin Shaye
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Shaye in 2017
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| Born | October 12, 1943 |
| Alma mater | University of Michigan |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1975–present |
| Spouse(s) | Marshall Rubinoff (m. 19??; died 1968) Clayton Landey
(m. 1988; div. 2003) |
| Children | 1 |
| Relatives | Robert Shaye (brother) |
Lin Shaye (born October 12, 1943) is an American actress. She has been acting for over 50 years and has appeared in more than 100 movies. Many people know her as a "scream queen" because of her roles in scary horror films. Some of these include A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and the Insidious film series (2010–2023).
Lin Shaye is also famous for her funny roles in movies made by the Farrelly brothers. These include Dumb and Dumber (1994), There's Something About Mary (1998), and The Three Stooges (2012).
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Early Life and Education
Lin Shaye was born in Detroit, Michigan. Her mother, Dorothy, was a homemaker, and her father, Max, was a painter and owned a supermarket. Her older brother is Robert Shaye, who is a film executive. Her family is Jewish. Her mother was born in Russia, and her grandparents came from Romania to Michigan.
Lin Shaye studied acting at the University of Michigan. After college, she moved to New York to perform in plays that were not on Broadway. In 1977, she moved to Los Angeles to continue her acting career in movies and TV.
Acting Career Highlights
Lin Shaye started her movie career in 1975 with a small part in Hester Street. After that, she had many small roles in movies and TV shows. In 1978, she was in the Western movie Goin' South, which was directed by Jack Nicholson. She said it was "so much fun."
Early Roles and Horror Films
From 1980 to 1996, Lin Shaye worked with director Walter Hill on four movies. In 1984, she played a teacher in the horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. This movie was released by New Line Cinema, a company started by her brother, Robert Shaye. She has said that her family connection helped her get that role.
Lin Shaye became known for her roles in horror movies, earning the nickname "scream queen." She appeared in films like Critters (1986) and its sequel Critters 2: The Main Course (1988). Later, she starred in Dead End (2003), where she played Laura Harrington. Her performance in Dead End was praised, and she was nominated for an award.
Comedy Success with the Farrelly Brothers
In 1994, Lin Shaye had a big comedy role as Mrs. Neugeboren in the Farrelly Brothers' movie Dumb and Dumber. This movie became very popular and is now a cult classic. The Farrelly brothers liked her work and cast her again.
She played Woody Harrelson's landlady in Kingpin. Then, in 1998, she played Magda, the very tanned neighbor of Cameron Diaz's character, in the hit movie There's Something About Mary. Lin Shaye recalled that it took four hours to put on the special makeup for Magda's look. This movie was a huge success and one of the highest-grossing comedies of 1998. For her role, she was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award. In 1999, she played an uptight mother who disliked the band Kiss in Detroit Rock City.
The Insidious Film Series
In 2011, Lin Shaye took on the role of Elise Rainier, a medium (someone who can communicate with spirits), in the horror movie Insidious. She found the script very scary, saying it "chilled me to the bone." The movie was a big success and made a lot of money worldwide. It was one of the most profitable films of 2011. Lin Shaye received many positive reviews and nominations for her performance in Insidious.
She returned as Elise in the sequels, Insidious: Chapter 2 (2013), Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), and Insidious: The Last Key (2018). In the third and fourth movies, Elise became the main character. Critics and audiences really liked her performance in Insidious: Chapter 3.
Recent Work and Awards
In 2020, Lin Shaye won a Daytime Emmy Award for her guest role in the web series EastSiders. This award was for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series. She continues to act in various films and television shows, including The Grudge (2020) and Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021). She also returned for Insidious: The Red Door in 2023.
Personal Life
Lin Shaye has been married two times. Her first husband, Marshall Rubinoff, passed away in 1968 when he was 24 years old. In 1988, she married actor Clayton Landey. They had one child together before they divorced in 2003.
Awards and Nominations
Lin Shaye has been recognized for her acting with several awards and nominations:
- In 1999, she was nominated for a Blockbuster Entertainment Award for her role in There's Something About Mary.
- She won the Best Supporting Actress award at the Method Fest Independent Film Festival in 2002.
- In 2004, she won Best Actress at the Peñíscola Comedy Film Festival for Dead End.
- She won the Fright Meter Award for Best Supporting Actress for Insidious in 2011.
- In 2012, she won a Fangoria Chainsaw Award for Best Supporting Actress for Insidious.
- She received the Legend Award at the HorrorHound Film Fest in 2019.
- In 2020, she won a Daytime Emmy Award for her role in EastSiders.
See also
In Spanish: Lin Shaye para niños
