Robert Englund facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Robert Englund
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Englund in Brussels, May 2023
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Robert Barton Englund
June 6, 1947 Glendale, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1973–present |
| Known for | Portraying Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street |
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Elizabeth Gardner
(m. 1966; div. 1972)Roxanne Rogers
(m. 1986; div. 1988)Nancy Booth
(m. 1988) |
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Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director. He is most famous for playing the scary villain Freddy Krueger in the A Nightmare on Elm Street movies. For his work, Englund has won awards like the Saturn Award and has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Englund trained as an actor at the famous Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. He started his career in theater before appearing in movies. His first film was Buster and Billie in 1974. He later had roles in movies like Stay Hungry (1976) and A Star Is Born (1976).
He became well-known for playing the friendly alien Willie in the TV miniseries V in 1983. But his role as Freddy Krueger in 1984 made him a star in the horror genre. He is now seen as one of the most iconic horror actors ever. He played Freddy in seven more movies and a TV show called Freddy's Nightmares.
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Early Life and Education
Robert Englund was born on June 6, 1947, in Glendale, California. His father, Clyde Kent Englund, was an aeronautics engineer who helped design the Lockheed U-2 airplane. He has Swedish and Scottish ancestry.
Englund started acting when he was just twelve years old. He joined a friend at a children's theater program at California State University, Northridge. In high school, he studied at the Cranbrook Theatre School in Michigan. He later attended UCLA for three years before moving to Michigan's Oakland University. There, he trained at the Meadow Brook Theater, which was connected to the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art.
For five years, Englund performed in plays across the country, including works by Shakespeare. He moved back to California to find work in movies and soon got a role in the film Buster and Billie.
Career
Early Roles and Star Wars Audition
In 1976, Englund tried out for the parts of Han Solo and Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars movie. He didn't get the roles, but he told his friend, Mark Hamill, to audition for Luke Skywalker. Hamill ended up getting the part.
Englund appeared in several movies in the 1970s and early 1980s. He often played nerdy characters or country boys. He first got major attention as the alien resistance fighter Willie in the 1983 TV miniseries V. He returned for the sequel V: The Final Battle and the TV series that followed.
Becoming Freddy Krueger
In 1984, Englund took on the role that would define his career: Freddy Krueger. He played the terrifying, dream-haunting villain in Wes Craven's hit horror movie A Nightmare on Elm Street. The character, with his bladed glove, scarred face, and dark humor, became a pop culture icon.
Englund played Freddy Krueger in eight movies altogether, including:
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
- Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
- Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
Even though Freddy Krueger is a scary character, people who worked with Englund say he is very friendly and fun. The makeup artists who applied the Freddy makeup said Englund was so talkative that it made the long process more enjoyable.
Other Film and TV Roles
Besides Freddy, Englund has appeared in over 100 other movies and TV shows. He starred in other horror films like The Phantom of the Opera (1989) and The Mangler (1995).
He has also been a guest star on many popular TV shows. These include MacGyver, Sliders, Charmed, and Bones. In 2022, he played the role of Victor Creel in the fourth season of the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.
Voice Acting and Directing
Englund is also a talented voice actor. He has voiced many cartoon characters, including:
- Felix Faust in Justice League
- The Riddler on The Batman
- The Vulture on The Spectacular Spider-Man
He has also voiced characters in video games. He played the Scarecrow in Injustice 2 and appeared as himself in Call of Duty: Black Ops.
Englund has also worked as a director. He directed the horror movie 976-EVIL in 1988 and Killer Pad in 2008. He also directed two episodes of the Freddy's Nightmares TV series.
Images for kids
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Englund in the 2014 Fan Expo Canada
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Robert Englund in character 2022
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See also
In Spanish: Robert Englund para niños
