American leading actor of a number of horror films, probably best known as Freddy Krueger in _Nightmare On Elm Street, A (1984)_ and all of its sequels. Englund, a boyish, tall and gaunt figure, became a cult favorite after that film but had started working in the 1970s. He was cast as a sex-crazed maniac in Eaten Alive (1977) by Tobe Hooper, who also directed The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974). Englund went on to a number of low-budget horror films, including Galaxy of Terror (1981) and The Fifth Floor (1978). Then came his big break as Freddy Kruger in "Elm Street", the man of nightmares with the disfigured face and a red striped shirt with his right hand as razor-sharp knives. The film was directed by Wes Craven and was so successful for New Line Cinema that the company had Englund reprise Freddy in all of the subsequent - and wildly successful - sequels. He played the title role in the semi-remake of the horror film classic, The Phantom of the Opera (1989) for 21st Century Film Corporation. Englund has frequently worked with Hooper, in such films as Night Terrors (1993) and The Mangler (1995).
IMDb Mini Biography By: Anonymous| Nancy Booth | (1 October 1988 - present) |
| Roxanne Rogers | (1986 - 1988) (divorced) |
| Elizabeth Gardner | (15 September 1968 - 2 January 1986) (divorced) |
Freddy Krueger of The Nightmare on Elm Street films.
Father designed U-2 spy plane.
Attended UCLA (for three years) and The Academy of Dramatic Art (in Rochester, MI).
Parents: Kent and Janis McDonald.
Member of Actors' Equity Association (1968-), Screen Actors Guild (1973-), American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, Directors Guild of America.
One-time TV/radio host.
Married three times, the first occurred during his college heyday. His second wife, actress Roxanne Rogers, had a small part in the only movie he directed, 976-EVIL (1988), and his third wife, Nancy Booth, worked on the same movie as set decorator..
Ranked the #40 top villain for the American Film Institution's Top 100 list of 100 Heroes and Villains for his role as Freddy Krueger.
Is of Swedish descent.
Auditioned for the part of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977).
Is an avid "King of the Hill" (1997) fan.
Cannot, despite popular belief, speak Swedish fluently.
His performance as Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) is ranked #51 on Premiere Magazine's 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All Time.
He is a keen surfer, and has been shown on "Entertainment Tonight" (1981) talking about surfing.
Shares graduation from Granada Hills High School with actor Ossie Beck and John Elway
Wrote an unused treatment for A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987).
Is an avid fan of filmmaker Kevin Smith.
After failing to get the part of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars (1977), he suggested to a friend that he try out for the part. That friend was Mark Hamill.
In 1973 he returned to the Academy of Dramatic Art to teach a stunts and stage fight class while appearing at the nearby regional professional Meadow Brook Theatre.
While a student at the Academy of Dramatic Art he spent a summer teaching at Cranbrook Theatre School in Bloomfield Hills.
Has one daughter Elizabeth.
When I was 9, I went to a birthday party. We were supposed to see a cowboy movie, but the programming got screwed up and we saw The Bad Seed (1956) instead. Horrifying. For years I was frightened of girls with pigtails.
I saw an entire magazine of Freddy Krueger tattoos. Hey, I'm a classically trained actor who was doing [Anton Chekhov], and now there are thousands of people walking around America with my tattoo on them. I just take it as pop culture.
I get a lot of teenagers going, 'Yo, Krueger,' and honking their horn and giving me the claw. Yeah, I'm recognized.
| Freddy vs. Jason (2003) | $1,000,000 |
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