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

2020

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels as Dottie Minter
Dead Talk Live as Self - Guest
Dreamkatcher as Ruth
The Call as Edith Cranston
Darkness Falls as Angela Anderson
Max Reload and the Nether Blasters as Mrs. Wylder
The Voices as The Vagabond
The Horror Crowd as Self

2019

The Grudge as Faith Matheson
The Final Wish as Kate Hammond
Room for Rent as Joyce
Get Gone as Mama
Ambition as Lady Bum
Gothic Harvest as Griselda

2018

Insidious: The Last Key as Elise Rainier
Eli Roth's History of Horror as Self
Los Angeles Overnight as Cousins
The Main Course: The Making of Critters 2 as Self
They Bite!: The Making of Critters as Self
Herbert West: Reanimator as Meredith

2017

Buster's Mal Heart as Pauline
The Black Room as Miss Black
All About the Money as Mrs. Womack
Mountain Top as Muriel Miller
Grow House as Mrs. Gilliam

2016

Ouija: Origin of Evil as Old Paulina Zander
The Midnight Man as Anna
Abattoir as Allie
Texas Heart as Mrs. Smith
Director's Cut as Captain Wheeler
Jack Goes Home as Teresa

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

Ouija as Paulina Zander
The Signal as Mirabelle
Grace as Helen
Lost Time as Mysterious Woman

2013

Insidious: Chapter 2 as Elise Rainier
Big Ass Spider! as Mrs. Jefferson
Crazy Kind of Love as Denise Mack
All American Christmas Carol as Barbara Belnap
Insidious: Spectral Sightings as Elise
Noobz as Mrs. Theodore

2012

EastSiders as Diane
The Three Stooges as Nurse Crotchet
Jewtopia as Dr. Sutton
Life's an Itch as Gloria
3 Days of Normal as May
Matchmaker Santa as Debbie
FDR: American Badass! as Eleanor Roosevelt
Waffle Hut as Jerrie Wolf

2011

Insidious as Elise Rainier
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy as Dody
Chillerama as Baglady / Nurse Maleva
Take Me Home as Jill
Rosewood Lane as Mrs. Hawthorne
I Was a Teenage Werebear
Sedona as Claire
Goldberg - P.I. as Violet

2010

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy as Self
Small Town Saturday Night as Phyllis Ryan
2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams as Granny Boone
The Land of the Astronauts
Killer by Nature as Leona
VideoDome Rent-O-Rama as The Lush
The Penthouse as Frances
Next Stop Murder as Detective Reeson
The Accidental Death of Joey by Sue as Mrs. Rawlings
Farewell Mr. Kringle as Zelda
Pickin' and Grinnin' as Bonnie Johnson

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
Starz Inside: In the Gutter as Self
Killer Pad as Marge
Doggie Heaven as Woman
Chronic Town as Nurse

2007

Private Practice as Mrs. Taylor
Pledge This! as Miss Prin
Homo Erectus as Museum Guide
The Snake Pit: On the Set of 'Snakes on a Plane' as Self
Snakes on a Plane: Meet the Reptiles as Self
Snakes on a Set: Behind the Scenes as Self
Chasing Robert as Martha the Bookie
The Election as The Wife

2006

Snakes on a Plane as Grace
Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror as Clara
Bachelor Party Vegas as Cassandra
Hoboken Hollow as Mrs. Brodrick
Driftwood as Nancy Forrester
Pure Venom: The Making of Snakes on a Plane as Self
Surf School as Larry's Mom
Down the P.C.H. as Wendy O'Hara
Unbeatable Harold as Jeannie

2005

My Name Is Earl as Paul's Mom
Made in Hollywood as Self
2001 Maniacs as Granny Boone
Confessions of an Action Star as Samantha Jones
Drop Dead Sexy as Ma Muzzy
Hate Crime as Kathleen Slansky
Born Killers as Willow

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

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd as Margie
Barely Legal as Tequlia
Dead End as Laura Harrington
Stuck on You as Makeup Babe
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
A Letter from My Father as Elise
Without Charlie

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
Last Man Standing as The Madame
Kingpin as Landlady
Project: ALF as Waitress

1995

Nature of the Beast as Carol Powell
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See as Bonnie
Trial by Fire as Phyliis Cardell

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
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as Rubber Rose Maid
Corrina, Corrina as Repeat Nanny
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
Amityville: A New Generation as Nurse Turner
The Temp as Rosemary
Brain Smasher... A Love Story as Make up Artist
Three of Hearts as Operator
The Hidden II as Carol Miller (archive footage)

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
Stillwatch
Slam Dance as Librarian
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

Who's the Boss? as Mrs. Padnick
Highway to Heaven as Lila Barnes
A Nightmare on Elm Street as Teacher
Summer Fantasy as Woman on Beach
Why Me?

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