Lin Shaye
Lin Shaye (born October 12, 1943) is an American actress. In a career spanning over fifty years, Shaye has appeared in more than a hundred feature films. She is regarded as a scream queen due to her roles in various horror productions, which include the films Alone in the Dark (1982), A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), Critters (1986) and its sequel Critters 2: The Main Course (1988), Amityville: A New Generation (1993), Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994), Dead End (2003), 2001 Maniacs (2005) and its sequel 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams (2010), Ouija (2014) and its prequel Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016), Tales of Halloween (2015), Abattoir (2016), The Final Wish (2018), Room for Rent (2019), The Grudge (2019), Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021), and the Insidious film series (2010–2026). Shaye is also well known for her comedic roles in numerous films by the Farrelly brothers, including Dumb and Dumber (1994), Kingpin (1996), There's Something About Mary (1998), Detroit Rock City (1999), Me, Myself & Irene (2000), Stuck on You (2003), and The Three Stooges (2012). Description above from the Wikipedia article Lin Shaye, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Credits
- 2026 · Insidious: Out of the Further as Elise Rainier
- 2025 · Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies as Self - (archive footage)
- 2025 · 1000 Women in Horror as Self
- 2022 · Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story as Self
- 2022 · Pines as Julie (voice)
- 2020 · The Voices as The Vagabond
- 2020 · Dreamkatcher as Ruth
- 2020 · Darkness Falls as Angela Anderson
- 2017 · All About the Money as Mrs. Womack
- 2017 · Buster's Mal Heart as Pauline
- 2017 · Grow House as Mrs. Gilliam
- 2016 · Director's Cut as Captain Wheeler
- 2016 · Jack Goes Home as Teresa
- 2015 · Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha as The Grand Lady
- 2014 · Lost Time as Mysterious Woman
- 2013 · Crazy Kind of Love as Denise Mack
- 2012 · Matchmaker Santa as Debbie
- 2012 · FDR: American Badass! as Eleanor Roosevelt
- 2011 · Rosewood Lane as Mrs. Hawthorne
- 2011 · Sedona as Claire
- 2010 · Farewell Mr. Kringle as Zelda
- 2010 · 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams as Granny Boone
- 2010 · Killer by Nature as Leona
- 2008 · Chronic Town as Nurse
- 2006 · Driftwood as Nancy Forrester
- 2006 · Surf School as Larry's Mom
- 2006 · Hoboken Hollow as Mrs. Brodrick
- 2005 · Drop Dead Sexy as Ma Muzzy
- 2005 · Hate Crime as Kathleen Slansky
- 2002 · Wish You Were Dead as Jinny Macintosh
- 2001 · A Letter from My Father as Elise
- 2000 · Attention Shoppers as Libby
- 1998 · Breakfast with Einstein as Miss Desmond
- 1997 · Trading Favors as Darla
- 1995 · Nature of the Beast as Carol Powell
- 1995 · Trial by Fire as Phyliis Cardell
- 1995 · Sketch Artist II: Hands That See as Bonnie
- 1994 · Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter as Inmate
- 1993 · Amityville: A New Generation as Nurse Turner
- 1993 · Three of Hearts as Operator
- 1992 · Roadside Prophets as Celeste
- 1990 · Book of Love as Mrs. Flynn
- 1987 · Slam Dance as Librarian
- 1984 · Why Me? as
- Future · Carrier as Joan Pierson
- 1988 · Lucky Stiff as Bratty Kid's Mom
- 1987 · Mistress as Woman Customer
- 1987 · My Demon Lover as Anemic Counter Girl
- 1984 · Summer Fantasy as Woman on Beach
- 1982 · Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again as Nurse with Telegram
- 1979 · The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal as Freida
- Future · Mascotland as
- Future · Devoted as Aunt Dottie
- 2026 · Scared to Death as Max
- 2025 · House of Abraham as
- 2025 · Common Side Effects as Sonia (voice)
- 2024 · The Last Stand of Ellen Cole as Ellen
- 2023 · Insidious: The Red Door as Elise Rainier
- 2022 · Remote as Kane
- 2022 · We Are Gathered Here Today as Jean Cole
- 2022 · Living with Chucky as Self
- 2022 · Frank and Penelope as Ophelia
- 2021 · Behind the Monsters as Self
- 2021 · Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman as Mrs. Bundy
- 2020 · The Call as Edith Cranston
- 2020 · The Horror Crowd as Self
- 2020 · Max Reload and the Nether Blasters as Mrs. Wylder
- 2020 · Penny Dreadful: City of Angels as Dottie Minter
- 2020 · Dead Talk Live as Self - Guest
- 2019 · The Grudge as Faith Matheson
- 2019 · Gothic Harvest as Griselda
- 2019 · Get Gone as Mama
- 2019 · Room for Rent as Joyce
- 2018 · Herbert West: Reanimator as Meredith
- 2018 · They Bite!: The Making of Critters as Self
- 2018 · The Main Course: The Making of Critters 2 as Self
- 2018 · Los Angeles Overnight as Cousins
- 2016 · Texas Heart as Mrs. Smith
- 2015 · Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves as Helen Keller
- 2010 · Small Town Saturday Night as Phyllis Ryan
- Future · The Possession at Gladstone Manor as Nurse
- 2019 · Ambition as Lady Bum
- 2019 · The Final Wish as Kate Hammond
- 2018 · Eli Roth's History of Horror as Self
- 2018 · Insidious: The Last Key as Elise Rainier
- 2017 · The Black Room as Miss Black
- 2017 · Mountain Top as Muriel Miller
- 2016 · Abattoir as Allie
- 2016 · Ouija: Origin of Evil as Old Paulina Zander
- 2016 · The Midnight Man as Anna
- 2015 · Tales of Halloween as Lynn's Mother
- 2015 · Insidious: Chapter 3 as Elise Rainier
- 2014 · Grace as Helen
- 2014 · Ouija as Paulina Zander
- 2014 · The Signal as Mirabelle
- 2013 · All American Christmas Carol as Barbara Belnap
- 2013 · Big Ass Spider! as Mrs. Jefferson
- 2013 · Insidious: Chapter 2 as Elise Rainier
- 2013 · Noobz as Mrs. Theodore
- 2012 · EastSiders as Diane
- 2012 · Life's an Itch as Gloria
- 2012 · 3 Days of Normal as May
- 2012 · Jewtopia as Dr. Sutton
- 2012 · The Three Stooges as Nurse Crotchet
- 2012 · Waffle Hut as Jerrie Wolf
- 2011 · Chillerama as Baglady / Nurse Maleva
- 2011 · A Good Old Fashioned Orgy as Dody
- 2011 · I Was a Teenage Werebear as
- 2011 · Insidious as Elise Rainier
- 2011 · Take Me Home as Jill
- 2011 · Goldberg - P.I. as Violet
- 2010 · The Land of the Astronauts as
- 2010 · Next Stop Murder as Detective Reeson
- 2010 · The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue as Mrs. Rawlings
- 2010 · Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self
- 2010 · Pickin' and Grinnin' as Bonnie Johnson
- 2010 · The Penthouse as Frances
- 2010 · VideoDome Rent-O-Rama as The Lush
- 2009 · Dark Moon Rising as Sunny
- 2009 · Stuntmen as Bumble Jackson
- 2009 · American Cowslip as Lou Anne
- 2009 · My Sister's Keeper as Nurse Adele
- 2008 · Doggie Heaven as Woman
- 2008 · Starz Inside: In the Gutter as Self
- 2008 · Asylum as String's Mother
- 2008 · Killer Pad as Marge
- 2007 · Private Practice as Mrs. Taylor
- 2007 · Chasing Robert as Martha the Bookie
- 2007 · The Election as The Wife
- 2007 · Homo Erectus as Museum Guide
- 2007 · Pledge This! as Miss Prin
- 2006 · Down the P.C.H. as Wendy O'Hara
- 2006 · Snakes on a Plane as Grace
- 2006 · Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror as Clara
- 2006 · Bachelor Party Vegas as Cassandra
- 2006 · Unbeatable Harold as Jeannie
- 2005 · Made in Hollywood as Self
- 2005 · My Name Is Earl as Paul's Mom
- 2005 · 2001 Maniacs as Granny Boone
- 2005 · Confessions of an Action Star as Samantha Jones
- 2005 · Born Killers as Willow
- 2004 · The Hillside Strangler as Jenny Buono
- 2004 · Cellular as Exotic Car Driver
- 2004 · A Cinderella Story as Mrs. Wells
- 2004 · The Almost Guys as Repo Boss
- 2004 · Who's Your Daddy? as Ms. Harding
- 2003 · Dead End as Laura Harrington
- 2003 · Stuck on You as Makeup Babe
- 2003 · Barely Legal as Tequlia
- 2003 · Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd as Margie
- 2003 · ManFast as Marge
- 2002 · Boat Trip as Sonya the Coach
- 2002 · Contagion as Laura Crowley
- 2001 · Crossing Jordan as Leather Lauren
- 2001 · Say It Isn't So as Nurse Bautista
- 2001 · Without Charlie as
- 2000 · Me, Myself & Irene as Mrs. Caleron
- 1999 · Detroit Rock City as Mrs. Bruce
- 1998 · Becker as Mrs. Cooper
- 1998 · Living Out Loud as Lisa's Nurse
- 1998 · There's Something About Mary as Magda
- 1997 · Perversions of Science as Nurse
- 1996 · Last Man Standing as The Madame
- 1996 · Arli$$ as Shurja
- 1996 · Kingpin as Landlady
- 1996 · Project: ALF as Waitress
- 1994 · Dumb and Dumber as Mrs. Neugeboren
- 1994 · Wes Craven's New Nightmare as Nurse with Pills
- 1994 · ER as Margaret
- 1994 · My So-Called Life as Parent #2
- 1994 · Corrina, Corrina as Repeat Nanny
- 1994 · Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as Rubber Rose Maid
- 1980 · A Cry for Love as
- 1977 · Sex and the Married Woman as Sandra
- Future · Before Memory as
- 1994 · In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance as Foreman #2
- 1993 · Brain Smasher... A Love Story as Make up Artist
- 1993 · Frasier as Anne
- 1993 · The Temp as Rosemary
- 1993 · National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as Witness
- 1991 · Critters 3 as Sal (archive footage)
- 1990 · Pump Up the Volume as PTA Parent #3
- 1989 · Life Goes On as Parent #2
- 1988 · Critters 2 as Sal
- 1987 · The Running Man as Propaganda Officer
- 1987 · The Hidden as Carol Miller
- 1987 · Extreme Prejudice as Employment Office Clerk
- 1987 · Stillwatch as
- 1986 · Critters as Sally
- 1985 · The Twilight Zone as Kate Simmons (segment "Chameleon")
- 1985 · Brewster's Millions as Journalist at Rally
- 1984 · A Nightmare on Elm Street as Teacher
- 1984 · Who's the Boss? as Mrs. Padnick
- 1984 · Highway to Heaven as Lila Barnes
- 1982 · Alone in the Dark as Receptionist at Haven
- 1982 · Cagney & Lacey as Secretary
- 1981 · Falcon Crest as Smoking Female Prisoner
- 1980 · The Long Riders as Kate
- 1979 · The Seeding of Sarah Burns as 2nd Nurse
- 1978 · Goin' South as Parasol Lady
- 1977 · Eight Is Enough as Band Member
- Future · The Bench as
- Future · Dead of Nowhere 3D as Meemaw
- Future · The Old World as The Aunt (voice)
- 1977 · A Secret Space as Amy
- 1975 · Hester Street as Whore
- Future · Jackson's Hole as Netter