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Jamie Lee Curtis

Acting

Born November 22, 1958 · Los Angeles, California, USA

Also known as Scream Queen · Jamie Leigh Curtis

Biography

Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, as well as in multiple comedies, she is regarded as a "scream queen". As of 2023, her films have grossed over $2.5 billion at the box office. Curtis has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and two Screen Actors Guild Awards, as well as a nomination for a Grammy Award. The youngest daughter of actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Curtis made her screen debut in a 1977 episode of the television drama Quincy, M.E.. Her feature film debut came with the role of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's horror Halloween (1978); the role proved to be Curtis' breakthrough and established her as a prominent scream queen. Her subsequent horror roles have included The Fog, Prom Night, and Terror Train (all 1980), as well as six sequels from the Halloween franchise, concluding with Halloween Ends (2022). She also gained brief recognition as a sex symbol following her role as a fitness instructor in Perfect (1985), and she won her first Golden Globe for the sitcom Anything but Love (1989–1992). Curtis' most successful roles outside of the horror genre have been in the comedies Trading Places (1983), True Lies (1994), and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022); these respectively earned her BAFTA, Golden Globe, and Academy Award wins. Her other film credits include A Fish Called Wanda (1988), Blue Steel (1990), My Girl (1991), The Tailor of Panama (2001), Freaky Friday (2003), Christmas with the Kranks (2004), Knives Out (2019), The Last Showgirl (2024), and Freakier Friday (2025). Curtis earned her first Emmy nomination for the television film Nicholas' Gift (1998). He later won Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series for the FXseries The Bear (2022–present). She also acted in the satirical slasher series Scream Queens (2015–2016). Curtis has written numerous children's books that have appeared on The New York Times best-seller list. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jamie Lee Curtis, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Awards & recognition

  • Disney Legends · 2024
  • Academy AwardBest Supporting Actress · 2023
  • Hasty Pudding Woman of the Year · 2000
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 1994
  • BAFTA AwardBest Actress in a Supporting Role · 1984
Show all 20 awards →
  • Jupiter Awards
  • star on Hollywood Walk of Fame
  • Academy AwardBest Supporting Actress · 2023 · nominated
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Supporting Actress – Motion Picture · 2023 · nominated
  • Satellite AwardBest Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy · 2004 · nominated
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 2003 · nominated
  • Primetime Emmy AwardOutstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie · 1998 · nominated
  • MTV Movie AwardBest Kiss · 1995 · nominated
  • MTV Movie AwardBest Female Performance · 1995 · nominated
  • Screen Actors Guild AwardOutstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role · 1995 · nominated
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 1994 · nominated
  • BAFTA AwardBest Actress in a Leading Role · 1989 · nominated
  • Golden Globe AwardBest Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy · 1988 · nominated
  • BAFTA AwardBest Actress in a Supporting Role · 1984 · nominated
  • Genie AwardBest Performance by a Foreign Actress · 1981 · nominated

Filmography50+ titles

Have You Been Paying Attention?

2013as Self - Video Quizmaster

Stop the Insanity: Finding Susan Powter

2025as Self

The Bear

2022as Donna Berzatto

Columbo

1971as Waitress

Arnold

2023as Self

Archer

2009as Peregrine Bruchstein (voice)

Knives Out

2019as Linda Drysdale

Scream Queens

2015as Dean Cathy Munsch

Everything Everywhere All at Once

2022as Deirdre Beaubeirdre

NCIS

2003as Samantha Ryan

Halloween

1978as Laurie

The Masked Singer

2019as Special Message (video)

Quincy, M.E.

1976as Girl in Dressing Room

New Girl

2011as Joan Day

My Girl

1991as Shelly DeVoto

The Movies That Made Us

2019as Self (Archival Footage)

The Sticky

2024as Bo

78/52

2017as Self

Hondros

2017Co-Executive Producer

Spare Parts

2015as Principal

The Graham Norton Show

2007as Self

A Fish Called Wanda

1988as Wanda Gershwitz

Trading Places

1983as Ophelia

Video Games Live: Level 2

2010as Self

True Lies

1994as Helen

The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries

1977

The Lost Bus

2025Producer

Jamie Lee Curtis: Hollywood Call of Freedom

2022as Self - Actress (archive footage)

Escape from New York

1981as Narrator / Prison Recording Voice (uncredited)

Dirt! The Movie

2009as Self

Saturday Night Live

1975as Self - Host

Freakier Friday

2025as Tess Coleman

Not Quite Hollywood: The Wild, Untold Story of Ozploitation!

2008as Self

Jeopardy!

1984as Self - Clue Presenter

Best Summer Ever

2020Executive Producer

The Fog

1980as Elizabeth Solley

Charlie's Angels

1976as Linda Frye

Halloween

2018as Laurie Strode

Veronica Mars

2014as Gayle Buckley

Freaky Friday

2003as Tess Coleman

Halloween II

1981as Laurie Strode

60 Minutes

1968as Self

Scarpetta

2026as Dorothy

The Drew Carey Show

1995as Sioux

Forever Young

1992as Claire Cooper

Road Games

1981as Pamela 'Hitch' Rushworth

The Last Showgirl

2024as Annette

Haunted Mansion

2023as Madame Leota

Halloween Kills

2021as Laurie Strode

The Kelly Clarkson Show

2019as Self