Lin Shaye
Born: 1943-10-12 in Detroit, Michigan, USA
Known For: Acting
Biography
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.
Filmography
2026
- Insidious: Out of the Further as Elise Rainier
- Scared to Death as Max
2025
- Common Side Effects as Sonia (voice)
- House of Abraham
- 1000 Women in Horror as Self
2024
- The Last Stand of Ellen Cole as Ellen
2023
- Insidious: The Red Door as Elise Rainier
2022
- Frank and Penelope as Ophelia
- Living with Chucky as Self
- Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story as Self
- Pines as Julie (voice)
- The Quarry: Movie Mode as Constance Hackett
- We Are Gathered Here Today as Jean Cole
- Remote as Kane
2021
- Behind the Monsters as Self
- Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman as Mrs. Bundy
2020
- Penny Dreadful: City of Angels as Dottie Minter
- The Call as Edith Cranston
- Dead Talk Live as Self - Guest
- Dreamkatcher as Ruth
- Darkness Falls as Angela Anderson
- The Voices as The Vagabond
- The Horror Crowd as Self
- Max Reload and the Nether Blasters as Mrs. Wylder
2019
- The Grudge as Faith Matheson
- The Final Wish as Kate Hammond
- Room for Rent as Joyce
- Ambition as Lady Bum
- Gothic Harvest as Griselda
- Get Gone as Mama
2018
- Eli Roth's History of Horror as Self
- Insidious: The Last Key as Elise Rainier
- Herbert West: Reanimator as Meredith
- Los Angeles Overnight as Cousins
- They Bite!: The Making of Critters as Self
- The Main Course: The Making of Critters 2 as Self
2017
- Mountain Top as Muriel Miller
- The Black Room as Miss Black
- Grow House as Mrs. Gilliam
- Buster's Mal Heart as Pauline
- All About the Money as Mrs. Womack
2016
- Ouija: Origin of Evil as Old Paulina Zander
- Abattoir as Allie
- The Midnight Man as Anna
- Jack Goes Home as Teresa
- Director's Cut as Captain Wheeler
- Texas Heart as Mrs. Smith
2015
- Insidious: Chapter 3 as Elise Rainier
- Tales of Halloween as Lynn's Mother
- Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha as The Grand Lady
- Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves as Helen Keller
2014
- The Signal as Mirabelle
- Ouija as Paulina Zander
- Grace as Helen
- Lost Time as Mysterious Woman
2013
- Insidious: Chapter 2 as Elise Rainier
- Big Ass Spider! as Mrs. Jefferson
- Noobz as Mrs. Theodore
- Crazy Kind of Love as Denise Mack
- All American Christmas Carol as Barbara Belnap
2012
- EastSiders as Diane
- The Three Stooges as Nurse Crotchet
- Jewtopia as Dr. Sutton
- FDR: American Badass! as Eleanor Roosevelt
- Waffle Hut as Jerrie Wolf
- Matchmaker Santa as Debbie
- Life's an Itch as Gloria
- 3 Days of Normal as May
2011
- Insidious as Elise Rainier
- Chillerama as Baglady / Nurse Maleva
- A Good Old Fashioned Orgy as Dody
- Rosewood Lane as Mrs. Hawthorne
- Take Me Home as Jill
- Sedona as Claire
- I Was a Teenage Werebear
- Goldberg - P.I. as Violet
2010
- Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self
- The Penthouse as Frances
- 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams as Granny Boone
- Small Town Saturday Night as Phyllis Ryan
- Next Stop Murder as Detective Reeson
- Killer by Nature as Leona
- The Land of the Astronauts
- VideoDome Rent-O-Rama as The Lush
- Pickin' and Grinnin' as Bonnie Johnson
- Farewell Mr. Kringle as Zelda
- The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue as Mrs. Rawlings
2009
- My Sister's Keeper as Nurse Adele
- American Cowslip as Lou Anne
- Dark Moon Rising as Sunny
- Stuntmen as Bumble Jackson
2008
- Asylum as String's Mother
- Killer Pad as Marge
- Chronic Town as Nurse
- Doggie Heaven as Woman
- Starz Inside: In the Gutter as Self
2007
- Private Practice as Mrs. Taylor
- Pledge This! as Miss Prin
- Homo Erectus as Museum Guide
- Snakes on a Set: Behind the Scenes as Self
- Snakes on a Plane: Meet the Reptiles as Self
- Chasing Robert as Martha the Bookie
- The Election as The Wife
- The Snake Pit: On the Set of 'Snakes on a Plane' as Self
2006
- Snakes on a Plane as Grace
- Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror as Clara
- Surf School as Larry's Mom
- Bachelor Party Vegas as Cassandra
- Hoboken Hollow as Mrs. Brodrick
- Unbeatable Harold as Jeannie
- Pure Venom: The Making of Snakes on a Plane as Self
- Driftwood as Nancy Forrester
- Down the P.C.H. as Wendy O'Hara
2005
- My Name Is Earl as Paul's Mom
- Made in Hollywood as Self
- 2001 Maniacs as Granny Boone
- Drop Dead Sexy as Ma Muzzy
- Confessions of an Action Star as Samantha Jones
- Born Killers as Willow
- Hate Crime as Kathleen Slansky
2004
- A Cinderella Story as Mrs. Wells
- Cellular as Exotic Car Driver
- Who's Your Daddy? as Ms. Harding
- The Hillside Strangler as Jenny Buono
- The Almost Guys as Repo Boss
2003
- Barely Legal as Tequlia
- Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd as Margie
- Stuck on You as Makeup Babe
- Dead End as Laura Harrington
- ManFast as Marge
2002
- Boat Trip as Sonya the Coach
- Wish You Were Dead as Jinny Macintosh
- Contagion as Laura Crowley
2001
- Crossing Jordan as Leather Lauren
- Say It Isn't So as Nurse Bautista
- Without Charlie
- A Letter from My Father as Elise
2000
- Me, Myself & Irene as Mrs. Caleron
- Attention Shoppers as Libby
1999
- Detroit Rock City as Mrs. Bruce
1998
- Becker as Mrs. Cooper
- There's Something About Mary as Magda
- Living Out Loud as Lisa's Nurse
- Breakfast with Einstein as Miss Desmond
1997
- Perversions of Science as Nurse
- Trading Favors as Darla
1996
- Arli$$ as Shurja
- Kingpin as Landlady
- Last Man Standing as The Madame
- Project: ALF as Waitress
1995
- Trial by Fire as Phyliis Cardell
- Nature of the Beast as Carol Powell
- Sketch Artist II: Hands That See as Bonnie
1994
- ER as Margaret
- Dumb and Dumber as Mrs. Neugeboren
- My So-Called Life as Parent #2
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare as Nurse with Pills
- Corrina, Corrina as Repeat Nanny
- Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as Rubber Rose Maid
- Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter as Inmate
- In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance as Foreman #2
1993
- Frasier as Anne
- National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1 as Witness
- The Temp as Rosemary
- Brain Smasher... A Love Story as Make up Artist
- Three of Hearts as Operator
- Amityville: A New Generation as Nurse Turner
1992
- Roadside Prophets as Celeste
1991
- Critters 3 as Sal (archive footage)
1990
- Pump Up the Volume as PTA Parent #3
- Book of Love as Mrs. Flynn
1989
- Life Goes On as Parent #2
1988
- Critters 2 as Sal
- Lucky Stiff as Bratty Kid's Mom
1987
- The Running Man as Propaganda Officer
- The Hidden as Carol Miller
- Extreme Prejudice as Employment Office Clerk
- My Demon Lover as Anemic Counter Girl
- Slam Dance as Librarian
- Stillwatch
- Mistress as Woman Customer
1986
- Critters as Sally
1985
- The Twilight Zone as Kate Simmons (segment "Chameleon")
- Brewster's Millions as Journalist at Rally
1984
- Highway to Heaven as Lila Barnes
- Who's the Boss? as Mrs. Padnick
- A Nightmare on Elm Street as Teacher
- Why Me?
- Summer Fantasy as Woman on Beach
1982
- Cagney & Lacey as Secretary
- Alone in the Dark as Receptionist at Haven
- Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again as Nurse with Telegram
1981
- Falcon Crest as Smoking Female Prisoner
1980
- The Long Riders as Kate
- A Cry for Love
1979
- The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal as Freida
- The Seeding of Sarah Burns as 2nd Nurse
1978
- Goin' South as Parasol Lady
1977
- Eight Is Enough as Band Member
- Sex and the Married Woman as Sandra
- A Secret Space as Amy
1975
- Hester Street as Whore