Lin Shaye
Lin Shaye
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 (2020), Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman (2021), and the Insidious film series (2010–2023). 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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
208
Gender
Female
Birthday
1943-10-12 (82 years old)
Place of Birth
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Acting

2025

Common Side Effects as Sonia (voice)

2024

Scared to Death as Max

2023

Insidious: The Red Door as Elise Rainier

2022

Remote as Kane

2022

Living with Chucky as Self

2022

Pines as Julie (voice)

2020

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels as Dottie Minter

2020

The Horror Crowd as Herself

2020

The Voices as The Vagabond

2020

The Call as Edith Cranston

2019

The Final Wish as Kate Hammond

2018

Insidious: The Last Key as Elise Rainier

2017

Buster's Mal Heart as Pauline

2017

Grow House as Mrs. Gilliam

2017

Mountain Top as Muriel Miller

2017

The Black Room as Miss Black

2016

Ouija: Origin of Evil as Old Paulina Zander

2016

Texas Heart as Mrs. Smith

2015

Insidious: Chapter 3 as Elise Rainier

2014

The Signal as Mirabelle

2014

Ouija as Paulina Zander

2014

Grace as Helen

2013

Insidious: Chapter 2 as Elise Rainier

2013

Crazy Kind of Love as Denise Mack

2012

The Three Stooges as Nurse Crotchet

2012

EastSiders as Diane

2012

FDR: American Badass! as Eleanor Roosevelt

2012

Jewtopia as Dr. Sutton

2011

Insidious as Elise Rainier

2011

Rosewood Lane as Mrs. Hawthorne

2010

Farewell Mr. Kringle as Zelda

2010

Killer by Nature as Leona

2010

Black Limousine as Not available

2009

My Sister's Keeper as Nurse Adele

2007

Private Practice as Mrs. Taylor

2007

Homo Erectus as Museum Guide

2006

Driftwood as Nancy Forrester

2006

Snakes on a Plane as Grace

2006

Surf School as Larry's Mom

2006

Surf School as Larry's mom

2006

Unbeatable Harold as Jeannie

2005

My Name Is Earl as Paul's Mom

2005

Made in Hollywood as Self

2005

2001 Maniacs as Granny Boone

2005

Confessions of an Action Star as Samantha Jones

2004

A Cinderella Story as Mrs. Wells

2004

Cellular as Exotic Car Driver

2004

The Hillside Strangler as Jenny Buono

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 Not available

2000

Me, Myself & Irene as Mrs. Caleron

2000

Attention Shoppers as Libby

1999

Detroit Rock City as Mrs. Bruce

1998

Becker as Mrs. Cooper

1998

Breakfast with Einstein as Miss Desmond

1998

Living Out Loud as Lisa's Nurse

1996

Kingpin as Landlady

1996

Last Man Standing as The Madame

1996

Project: ALF as Waitress

1994

ER as Margaret

1994

Dumb and Dumber as Mrs. Neugeboren

1994

My So-Called Life as Parent #2

1994

New Nightmare as Nurse with Pills

1994

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues as Rubber Rose Maid

1994

Corrina, Corrina as Repeat Nanny

1993

Frasier as Anne

1993

Brain Smasher... A Love Story as Make up Artist

1993

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

1989

Life Goes On as Parent #2

1987

The Running Man as Propaganda Officer

1987

The Hidden as Carol Miller

1986

Critters as Sally

1985

The Twilight Zone as Kate Simmons (segment "Chameleon")

1985

Brewster's Millions as Journalist at Rally

1984

Highway to Heaven as Lila Barnes

1984

Who's the Boss? as Mrs. Padnick

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

1977

Eight Is Enough as Band Member

1975

Hester Street as Whore

NaN

Devoted as Aunt Dottie

2026

Insidious: The Bleeding World as Elise Rainier

2022

Frank and Penelope as Ophelia

2020

Dreamkatcher as Ruth

2020

Darkness Falls as Angela Anderson

2019

Gothic Harvest as Griselda

2019

Room for Rent as Joyce

2019

Ambition as Lady Bum

2019

The Grudge as Faith Matheson

2019

Get Gone as Mama

2018

Los Angeles Overnight as Cousins

2017

All About the Money as Mrs. Womack

2016

The Midnight Man as Anna

2016

Director's Cut as Captain Wheeler

2015

Tales of Halloween as Lynn's Mother

2014

Lost Time as Mysterious Woman

2013

Noobz as Mrs. Theodore

2013

All American Christmas Carol as Barbara Belnap

2012

Life's an Itch as Gloria

2012

3 Days of Normal as May

2011

Chillerama as Baglady / Nurse Maleva

2011

Take Me Home as Jill

2011

Sedona as Claire

2010

VideoDome Rent-O-Rama as The Lush

2010

2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams as Granny Boone

2010

Small Town Saturday Night as Phyllis Ryan

2008

Asylum as String's Mother

2008

Killer Pad as Marge

2008

Doggie Heaven as Woman

2007

The Election as The Wife

2007

Pledge This! as Miss Prin

2006

Bachelor Party Vegas as Cassandra

2005

Hate Crime as Kathleen Slansky

2004

The Almost Guys as Repo Boss

2003

Barely Legal as Tequlia

2003

Stuck on You as Makeup Babe

2002

Wish You Were Dead as Jinny Macintosh

1997

Trading Favors as Darla

1995

Nature of the Beast as Carol Powell

1990

Book of Love as Mrs. Flynn

1988

Critters 2 as Sal

1988

Lucky Stiff as Bratty Kid's Mom

1987

Slam Dance as Librarian

1987

Extreme Prejudice as Employment Office Clerk

1984

Why Me? as Not available

1984

Summer Fantasy as Woman on Beach

1980

A Cry for Love as Not available

1978

Goin' South as Parasol Lady

NaN

Carrier as Joan Pierson

2025

House of Abraham as Not available

2022

We Are Gathered Here Today as Jean Cole

2021

Behind the Monsters as Self

2020

Dead Talk Live as Self - Guest

2018

Herbert West: Reanimator as Meredith

2016

Abattoir as Allie

2016

Jack Goes Home as Teresa

2015

Helen Keller vs. Nightwolves as Helen Keller

2013

Big Ass Spider! as Mrs. Jefferson

2012

Matchmaker Santa as Debbie

2012

Waffle Hut as Jerrie Wolf

2011

I Was a Teenage Werebear as Not available

2011

Goldberg - P.I. as Violet

2010

The Penthouse as Frances

2010

Pickin' and Grinnin' as Bonnie Johnson

2010

Next Stop Murder as Detective Reeson

2009

Stuntmen as Bumble Jackson

2009

American Cowslip as Lou Anne

2009

Dark Moon Rising as Sunny

2008

Chronic Town as Nurse

2007

Chasing Robert as Martha the Bookie

2006

Down the P.C.H. as Wendy O'Hara

2006

Hoboken Hollow as Mrs. Brodrick

2005

Drop Dead Sexy as Ma Muzzy

2005

Born Killers as Willow

2004

Who's Your Daddy? as Ms. Harding

2003

Dead End as Laura Harrington

2003

ManFast as Marge

1995

Trial by Fire as Phyliis Cardell

1993

Three of Hearts as Operator

1993

The Temp as Rosemary

1987

My Demon Lover as Anemic Counter Girl

1987

Stillwatch as Not available

1987

Mistress as Woman Customer

1982

Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again as Nurse with Telegram

1982

Alone in the Dark as Receptionist at Haven

1977

A Secret Space as Amy

NaN

Dead of Nowhere 3D as Meemaw

NaN

The Bench as Not available

NaN

Before Memory as Not available

NaN

The Old World as The Aunt (voice)
Crew

2024

Scared to Death Executive Producer

2024

The Last Stand of Ellen Cole Executive Producer

2020

Dreamkatcher Executive Producer

2019

Room for Rent Co-Producer