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IMDbPro

Theresa Tilly

  • Actress
  • Producer
  • Additional Crew
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
Theresa Tilly
Trailer for American Fable
Play trailer1:55
American Fable (2016)
5 Videos
27 Photos
Theresa Tilly made a monstrous feature film debut as Shelly in Sam Raimi's influential classic, The Evil Dead (1981). After working as a stand-up comedian in her hometown of Detroit, she set her sights on acclaimed improv comedy troupe The Second City Chicago. Her work there earned her a role on a sketch comedy pilot called YouTV, co-starring alongside late-night TV legend Steve Allen. Although the show was not picked up, it served as an impetus for the budding performer to move to Los Angeles in order to pursue her acting career.

Tilly has since appeared in over 100 films, TV shows, plays, and commercials, including: Debutante (1998), opposite Selma Blair and Josh Hartnett; Back in the Day (2014), written and directed by actor Michael Rosenbaum; Appearances, a PBS special written by celebrated author Elmore Leonard; Brutal Massacre: A Comedy (2007), alongside the late horror icon Gunnar Hansen; and Oz the Great and Powerful (2013), which reunited her with The Evil Dead director Sam Raimi. She was also the first female to announce ESPN's ESPY Awards.

Tilly latest work includes American Fable (2016), which earned Anne Hamilton the title of Best New Director at SXSW 2016, and Stomping Ground (2014), which won the Soul of Southern Film Award at the Indie Memphis Film Festival.
BornNovember 6, 1953
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornNovember 6, 1953
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Unlock contact info on IMDbPro

Photos27

Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweiss, and Theresa Tilly in The Evil Dead (1981)
Theresa Tilly
Betsy Baker, Kassie Depava, Ellen Sandweiss, Sara Berry, Theresa Tilly
Theresa Tilly
Stomping Ground with Tara Despain, Dan Riesser, Theresa Tilly, John Bobeck
actresses Theresa Tilly and Betsy Baker arrive at the Premiere of Starz's "Ash VS Evil Dead" at TCL Chinese Theater October 28, 2015
Theresa Tilly
Theresa Tilly
Theresa Tilly
Theresa Tilly
Dangerous Women (pilot) with Ellen Sandweiss and Betsy Baker
Theresa Tilly at premier of Natsha: Mail Order Bride, Comedy Central Pilot

Known for

Bridget Hoffman in The Evil Dead (1981)
The Evil Dead
7.4
  • Shelly(as Sarah York)
  • 1981
The Prototype (2022)
The Prototype
2.4
  • Jenna
  • 2022
Mike Hagerty, Harland Williams, Danielle Bisutti, Emma Caulfield Ford, Jay R. Ferguson, Michael Rosenbaum, Nick Swardson, Morena Baccarin, Kristoffer Polaha, Sarah Colonna, Liz Carey, and Isaiah Mustafa in Back in the Day (2014)
Back in the Day
5.0
  • Mrs. Miller
  • 2014
Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, James Franco, and Michelle Williams in Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
Oz the Great and Powerful
6.3
  • Quadling Seamstress
  • 2013

Credits

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IMDbPro

Actress

  • Abigail
    • Abigail
    • Completed
  • In Her Wake
    • Barbara
    • Completed
    • Short
  • Evil Dead: The Game (2022)
    Evil Dead: The Game
    • Shelly
    • Tanya (voice)
    • Video Game
    • 2022
  • The Prototype (2022)
    The Prototype
    • Jenna
    • 2022
  • Anne Marie Cummings and Gustavo Velasquez in Conversations in L.A. (2017)
    Conversations in L.A.
    • Marion
    • TV Series
    • 2017
  • Peyton Kennedy in American Fable (2016)
    American Fable
    • Anna Winters
    • 2016
  • My Error (2015)
    My Error
    • The Mother (voice)
    • Short
    • 2015
  • Stomping Ground (2014)
    Stomping Ground
    • Susan
    • 2014
  • Mike Hagerty, Harland Williams, Danielle Bisutti, Emma Caulfield Ford, Jay R. Ferguson, Michael Rosenbaum, Nick Swardson, Morena Baccarin, Kristoffer Polaha, Sarah Colonna, Liz Carey, and Isaiah Mustafa in Back in the Day (2014)
    Back in the Day
    • Mrs. Miller
    • 2014
  • Rachel Weisz, Mila Kunis, James Franco, and Michelle Williams in Oz the Great and Powerful (2013)
    Oz the Great and Powerful
    • Quadling Seamstress
    • 2013
  • Generation U (2011)
    Generation U
    • Helen
    • TV Movie
    • 2011
  • Workshop (2009)
    Workshop
    • Sylvia
    • TV Series
    • 2011
  • Launch
    • Hal's Mom
    • Short
    • 2011
  • Betsy Baker, Ellen Sandweiss, and Theresa Tilly in Dangerous Women (2009)
    Dangerous Women
    • Shelly
    • TV Series
    • 2009
  • Gerry Bednob, Ken Foree, Gunnar Hansen, David Naughton, Brian O'Halloran, and Ellen Sandweiss in Brutal Massacre: A Comedy (2007)
    Brutal Massacre: A Comedy
    • Waitress
    • 2007
  • Projectorhead
    • Short
    • 2006
  • Lauren Ambrose, Freddy Rodríguez, Frances Conroy, Rachel Griffiths, Michael C. Hall, Peter Krause, and Mathew St. Patrick in Six Feet Under (2001)
    Six Feet Under
    • Mortuary Commerical Spokesperson (voice, uncredited)
    • TV Series
    • 2001

Producer

  • Life After Dead: The Ladies of the Evil Dead
    • producer
    • Video
    • 2007
  • The Ladies of the Evil Dead Meet Bruce Campbell
    • producer
    • Video
    • 2007

Additional Crew

  • Life After Dead: The Ladies of the Evil Dead
    • additional footage
    • Video
    • 2007

Videos5

Theresa Tilly Demo Reel
Demo Reel 1:46
Theresa Tilly Demo Reel
U.S. Version
Trailer 1:28
U.S. Version
American Fable
Trailer 1:55
American Fable
The Evil Dead
Trailer 1:51
The Evil Dead
The Evil Dead
Trailer 1:47
The Evil Dead

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Alternative names
    • T. Tilly
  • Born
    • November 6, 1953
    • Detroit, Michigan, USA

Did you know

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  • Trivia
    Once performed as a back-up dancer for the Vegas singer Paul Lichricio and His Many Moods.

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