Robert Englund facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Robert Englund
Englund in Brussels, May 2023
Born	Robert Barton Englund (1947-06-06) June 6, 1947 (age 78) Glendale, California, U.S.
Alma mater	California State University, Northridge Royal Academy of Dramatic Art
Occupation	Actor director
Years active	1973–present
Known for	Portraying Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street
Spouse(s)	Nancy Booth ​ ​ (m. 1988)​
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Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is famous for playing the scary villain Freddy Krueger. This character appears in the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. Robert Englund also played Willie in the V TV shows from 1983 to 1985.

Englund has won several awards for his acting. These include a Saturn Award and a Fangoria Chainsaw Award. He also has a special star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

He studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Englund started his career acting in plays on stage. His first movie was Buster and Billie in 1974. He then had smaller parts in films like Stay Hungry (1976) and A Star Is Born (1976).

His big break came in 1983 as Willie, a resistance fighter, in the TV miniseries V. After playing Freddy Krueger in the first A Nightmare on Elm Street movie in 1984, he became well-known in the horror movie world. Many people see him as a very important actor in this type of film. He played Freddy in seven more movies and a TV show called Freddy's Nightmares.

Early Life and Acting Start

Robert Englund was born on June 6, 1947, in Glendale, California. His mother was Janis and his father, John Kent Englund, was an engineer. His father helped create the Lockheed U-2 airplane. Robert has some Swedish and Scottish family background.

He started acting classes when he was twelve years old. He went with a friend to a children's theater program. This was at California State University, Northridge.

Later, in high school, he went to the Cranbrook Theatre School in Michigan. He then studied at UCLA for three years. After that, he trained at the Meadow Brook Theater in Michigan. This theater was connected to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.

Englund acted in plays for five years. He performed in works by famous writers like Shakespeare. He moved back to the West Coast to find movie roles. Soon after, he got a part in the film Buster and Billie.

Robert Englund's Acting Career

In 1976, Robert Englund tried out for roles in Star Wars. He didn't get the parts of Han Solo or Luke Skywalker. But he did suggest Mark Hamill for the role of Luke. Englund appeared in the 1977 movie Eaten Alive. He then played Ranger in Galaxy of Terror in 1981. Since then, Englund has been in over 100 movies and TV shows.

Early in his career, Englund often played characters like nerds or country people. He first became well-known as Willie in the 1983 miniseries V. He continued this role in V: The Final Battle and V: The Series.

Englund took on a very different role when he became Freddy Krueger. This was in Wes Craven's hit movie A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984. He played Freddy Krueger again in many sequels. These include A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985) and Freddy vs. Jason (2003). Because of this role, he also starred in other horror films. Some of these are The Phantom of the Opera (1989) and The Mangler (1995).

Englund in Gothenburg, Sweden in March 2005

Robert Englund played Freddy Krueger in eight movies. He enjoyed playing Freddy because it was different from his usual "nice guy" roles. Many people who have worked with Englund say he is very friendly. Makeup artists even said his friendly talks made applying the long Freddy makeup harder.

Englund has also been in many TV shows. He starred in Nightmare Cafe (1992). He also played Freddy Krueger again in the series Freddy's Nightmares – A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series. He made guest appearances in shows like Babylon 5, MacGyver, and Knight Rider. He was also in Walker, Texas Ranger.

He has done voice acting for cartoons too. He was the voice of Felix Faust in Justice League. He also voiced The Riddler on The Batman. Other voice roles include The Vulture on The Spectacular Spider-Man. He was also Dormammu on The Super Hero Squad Show. In the show Charmed, he played a demon. He also appeared as The Devil in an episode of Married... with Children. In 2010, he was a scientist in the TV show Chuck.

Englund hosted the Horror Hall of Fame awards show three times. This was from 1990 to 1992.

Englund in 2008

Englund directed his first horror movie, 976-EVIL, in 1988. He met Nancy Booth, a set decorator, during this movie. They later got married. His second movie as a director was Killer Pad in 2008. In 2013, he was planning to direct a movie called The Vij.

He also directed two episodes of the TV show "Freddy's Nightmares". These episodes were "Cabin Fever" and "Monkey Dreams".

His book, Hollywood Monster: A Walk Down Elm Street with the Man of Your Dreams, came out in 2009.

Englund also starred in the web series "Fear Clinic". He played Dr. Andover in five episodes.

In 2010, it was announced that Englund would be in a movie called Strangeland II: Disciple. However, there were no specific plans for this project.

Englund made a guest appearance in an episode of Bones. He played a unique janitor at Dr. Temperance Brennan's old high school. His character was described as "very creepy". Englund was also a special guest at the 2010 Streamy Awards.

Englund in the 2014 Fan Expo Canada

Englund appeared as himself in the Call of Duty: Black Ops video game. He played a Halloween-themed killer in Hawaii Five-0. He also appeared in Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer and Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

Even though Freddy Krueger is a very scary character, Englund is known for being friendly. Other actors and film crews often say he is kind and thankful to his fans. Many people admit that his Freddy Krueger character scared them when they were kids.

He starred in The Last Showing and Fear Clinic. The latter was released in 2014. In 2016, Englund hosted a "Nightmare on Elm Street" movie marathon.

Englund was in the 2019 documentary Scream, Queen! My Nightmare on Elm Street. This film looked at the themes in A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.

Since 2020, Englund has hosted True Terror with Robert Englund. This Travel Channel show shares scary but true stories.

In 2022, Englund appeared in the fourth season of Stranger Things. He played Victor Creel, a patient in a mental hospital. His character's first appearance in the show had a small reference to his famous Freddy Krueger role.

Selected Film and Television Roles

Film Roles

Television Roles

Music Videos

Web Series

Robert Englund in character 2022

Video Games

Awards and Honors

See also

In Spanish: Robert Englund para niños