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




