Biography
Since his first film, Buster and Billie, in 1974, Englund has appeared in nearly 70 movies and TV series. In his early career, he was usually typecast as a nerd or a redneck. He also guest starred in a 4th season episode of the TV series Knight Rider starring David Hasselhoff, (titled "Fright Knight") where he played a phantom haunting a film studio.
Before the Nightmare on Elm Street series, his most notable role was that of Wilie, the lovably innocent alien in the 1983 miniseries V, the 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle, and V: The Series. Englund also made a cameo appearance on the science fiction series, Babylon 5. He also provided the voice of magician Felix Faust in Justice League, and guest starred on the show Charmed in the episode "Size Matters" where he played a demon who used the services of a lackey to lure people into a decrepit household (of which he lived in the walls) and shrank them down to action figure size.
After the huge success of Elm Street, Englund became the first modern horror movie star since Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in the 1950s. His association with the genre led him to top-billed roles in The Phantom of the Opera (1989) and The Mangler (1995). While no longer a headliner, today he is regarded by fans as an elder statesman of the genre, much like Vincent Price in the 1970s.
Englund's biggest starring role since Freddy vs. Jason was that of Mayor Buckman in the horror film 2001 Maniacs (2005).
Englund's directorial début was the 1989 horror film 976-EVIL. He is currently directing his second feature titled Killer Pad, a horror-comedy about three friends who use money from an insurance claim to move out of their parents' homes. They score a place in Hollywood Hills and refuse to believe that the house is actually a portal to hell.
Englund has been married twice, but has never had any children. He currently resides in Laguna Beach, California.
Selected filmography
* Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006)
* Hatchet (2006)
* 2001 Maniacs (2005)
* Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
* Urban Legend (1998)
* Wishmaster (1997)
* The Mangler (1995)
* Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
* Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
* The Phantom of the Opera (1989)
* A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
* A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
* A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
* A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge (1985)
* A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
* Buster and Billie (1974)
Education
* Granada Hills High School, Granada Hills, California
* University of California, Los Angeles, California
* Oakland University, Rochester, Michigan
* BA Theatre, California State University, Northridge
* Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, London, England
Quotes
* "I saw an entire magazine of Freddy Krueger tattoos. Hey, I'm a classically trained actor who was doing Chekhov, and now there are thousands of people walking around America with my [character's] tattoo on them. I just take it as pop culture."
* "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 instead. Horrifying. For years I was frightened of girls with pigtails."
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