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: The Bleeding World as Elise Rainier
- 2025 · Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies as Self - (archive footage)
- 2025 · 1000 Women in Horror as Self
- 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 · Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story as Self
- 2020 · The Call as Edith Cranston
- 2020 · Darkness Falls as Angela Anderson
- 2019 · The Final Wish as Kate Hammond
- 2017 · All About the Money as Mrs. Womack
- 2017 · Grow House as Mrs. Gilliam
- 2014 · Lost Time as Mysterious Woman
- 2013 · Crazy Kind of Love as Denise Mack
- 2013 · Noobz as Mrs. Theodore
- 2012 · Life's an Itch as Gloria
- 2012 · FDR: American Badass! as Eleanor Roosevelt
- 2012 · Jewtopia as Dr. Sutton
- 2012 · Waffle Hut as Jerrie Wolf
- 2011 · Rosewood Lane as Mrs. Hawthorne
- 2010 · Small Town Saturday Night as Phyllis Ryan
- 2010 · Pickin' and Grinnin' as Bonnie Johnson
- 2010 · 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams as Granny Boone
- 2010 · The Penthouse as Frances
- 2010 · Killer by Nature as Leona
- 2010 · VideoDome Rent-O-Rama as The Lush
- 2009 · American Cowslip as Lou Anne
- 2008 · Asylum as String's Mother
- 2008 · Killer Pad as Marge
- 2006 · Driftwood as Nancy Forrester
- 2006 · Surf School as Larry's Mom
- 2006 · Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror as Clara
- 2006 · Bachelor Party Vegas as Cassandra
- 2006 · Unbeatable Harold as Jeannie
- 2004 · The Hillside Strangler as Jenny Buono
- 2003 · ManFast as Marge
- 2002 · Wish You Were Dead as Jinny Macintosh
- 2002 · Contagion as Laura Crowley
- 2001 · Without Charlie as
- 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 · Brain Smasher... A Love Story as Make up Artist
- 1993 · Amityville: A New Generation as Nurse Turner
- 1992 · Roadside Prophets as Celeste
- 1990 · Book of Love as Mrs. Flynn
- 1988 · Lucky Stiff as Bratty Kid's Mom
- 1987 · My Demon Lover as Anemic Counter Girl
- 1987 · Stillwatch as
- 1984 · Summer Fantasy as Woman on Beach
- 1984 · Why Me? as
- 1982 · Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again as Nurse with Telegram
- Future · Mascotland as
- 2026 · Scared to Death as Max
- 2025 · House of Abraham as
- 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
- 2022 · Pines as Julie (voice)
- 2021 · Behind the Monsters as Self
- 2021 · Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman as Mrs. Bundy
- 2020 · The Horror Crowd as Self
- 2020 · Max Reload and the Nether Blasters as Mrs. Wylder
- 2020 · The Voices as The Vagabond
- 2020 · Dreamkatcher as Ruth
- 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 · Ambition as Lady Bum
- 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 · Eli Roth's History of Horror as Self
- 2018 · Los Angeles Overnight as Cousins
- 2018 · Insidious: The Last Key as Elise Rainier
- 2017 · Buster's Mal Heart as Pauline
- 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
- 2016 · Director's Cut as Captain Wheeler
- 2016 · Texas Heart as Mrs. Smith
- 2016 · Jack Goes Home as Teresa
- 2015 · Tales of Halloween as Lynn's Mother
- 2015 · Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves as Helen Keller
- 2015 · Insidious: Chapter 3 as Elise Rainier
- 2015 · Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha as The Grand Lady
- 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
- 2012 · EastSiders as Diane
- 2012 · Matchmaker Santa as Debbie
- 2012 · 3 Days of Normal as May
- 2012 · The Three Stooges as Nurse Crotchet
- 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 · Sedona as Claire
- 2011 · Goldberg - P.I. as Violet
- 2010 · Farewell Mr. Kringle as Zelda
- 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
- 2009 · Dark Moon Rising as Sunny
- 2009 · Stuntmen as Bumble Jackson
- 2009 · My Sister's Keeper as Nurse Adele
- 2008 · Doggie Heaven as Woman
- 2008 · Starz Inside: In the Gutter as Self
- 2008 · Chronic Town as Nurse
- 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 · Hoboken Hollow as Mrs. Brodrick
- 2005 · Made in Hollywood as Self
- 2005 · My Name Is Earl as Paul's Mom
- 2005 · 2001 Maniacs as Granny Boone
- 2005 · Drop Dead Sexy as Ma Muzzy
- 2005 · Confessions of an Action Star as Samantha Jones
- 2005 · Hate Crime as Kathleen Slansky
- 2005 · Born Killers as Willow
- 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
- 2002 · Boat Trip as Sonya the Coach
- 2001 · A Letter from My Father as Elise
- 2001 · Crossing Jordan as Leather Lauren
- 2001 · Say It Isn't So as Nurse Bautista
- 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
- 1994 · In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance as Foreman #2
- 1993 · Frasier as Anne
- 1993 · Three of Hearts as Operator
- 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 · Mistress as Woman Customer
- 1987 · Slam Dance as Librarian
- 1987 · Extreme Prejudice as Employment Office Clerk
- 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 · A Cry for Love as
- 1980 · The Long Riders as Kate
- 1979 · The Seeding of Sarah Burns as 2nd Nurse
- 1979 · The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal as Freida
- 1978 · Goin' South as Parasol Lady
- 1977 · A Secret Space as Amy
- 1977 · Sex and the Married Woman as Sandra
- 1977 · Eight Is Enough as Band Member
- 1975 · Hester Street as Whore
- Future · Before Memory as
- Future · Dead of Nowhere 3D as Meemaw
- Future · The Old World as The Aunt (voice)
- Future · Carrier as Joan Pierson
- Future · Devoted as Aunt Dottie
- Future · The Bench as
- Future · The Possession at Gladstone Manor as Nurse
- Future · Jackson's Hole as Netter