Lin Shaye
Known for Acting · 208 credits
- Born
- 1943-10-12 (age 82)
- Place of birth
- Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Also known as
- Linda 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 (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.
Known For
TV Shows (23)
Frasier
1993
as Anne
ER
1994
as Margaret
Crossing Jordan
2001
as Leather Lauren
Falcon Crest
1981
as Smoking Female Prisoner
Private Practice
2007
as Mrs. Taylor
Arli$$
1996
as Shurja
My Name Is Earl
2005
as Paul's Mom
The Twilight Zone
1985
as Kate Simmons (segment "Chameleon")
Highway to Heaven
1984
as Lila Barnes
Cagney & Lacey
1982
as Secretary
Becker
1998
as Mrs. Cooper
Who's the Boss?
1984
as Mrs. Padnick
Life Goes On
1989
as Parent #2
Eight Is Enough
1977
as Band Member
Made in Hollywood
2005
as Self
Common Side Effects
2025
as Sonia (voice)
Eli Roth's History of Horror
2018
as Self
My So-Called Life
1994
as Parent #2
Penny Dreadful: City of Angels
2020
as Dottie Minter
Perversions of Science
1997
as Nurse
EastSiders
2012
as Diane
Behind the Monsters
2021
as Self
Dead Talk Live
2020
as Self - Guest
Movies (185)
Insidious
2011
as Elise Rainier
A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984
as Teacher
Insidious: The Red Door
2023
as Elise Rainier
Dumb and Dumber
1994
as Mrs. Neugeboren
A Cinderella Story
2004
as Mrs. Wells
Insidious: Chapter 3
2015
as Elise Rainier
Insidious: Chapter 2
2013
as Elise Rainier
Insidious: The Last Key
2018
as Elise Rainier
There's Something About Mary
1998
as Magda
Frank and Penelope
2022
as Ophelia
The Last Stand of Ellen Cole
2024
as Ellen
Insidious: Out of the Further
2026
as Elise Rainier
The Running Man
1987
as Propaganda Officer
Me, Myself & Irene
2000
as Mrs. Caleron
Ouija
2014
as Paulina Zander
Wes Craven's New Nightmare
1994
as Nurse with Pills
Critters
1986
as Sally
Snakes on a Plane
2006
as Grace
Ouija: Origin of Evil
2016
as Old Paulina Zander
2001 Maniacs
2005
as Granny Boone
Barely Legal
2003
as Tequlia
Cellular
2004
as Exotic Car Driver
My Sister's Keeper
2009
as Nurse Adele
The Grudge
2019
as Faith Matheson
Boat Trip
2002
as Sonya the Coach
The Signal
2014
as Mirabelle
Critters 3
1991
as Sal (archive footage)
The Three Stooges
2012
as Nurse Crotchet
Last Man Standing
1996
as The Madame
Chillerama
2011
as Baglady / Nurse Maleva
Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
2003
as Margie
Dead End
2003
as Laura Harrington
Stuck on You
2003
as Makeup Babe
Kingpin
1996
as Landlady
Who's Your Daddy?
2004
as Ms. Harding
The Hidden
1987
as Carol Miller
Critters 2
1988
as Sal
National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
1993
as Witness
The Call
2020
as Edith Cranston
Extreme Prejudice
1987
as Employment Office Clerk
Brewster's Millions
1985
as Journalist at Rally
Grace
2014
as Helen
Roadside Prophets
1992
as Celeste
Homo Erectus
2007
as Museum Guide
The Long Riders
1980
as Kate
Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
2010
as Self
The Black Room
2017
as Miss Black
Pump Up the Volume
1990
as PTA Parent #3
Abattoir
2016
as Allie
Detroit Rock City
1999
as Mrs. Bruce
Corrina, Corrina
1994
as Repeat Nanny
Grow House
2017
as Mrs. Gilliam
Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
as Rubber Rose Maid
Say It Isn't So
2001
as Nurse Bautista
Contagion
2002
as Laura Crowley
Goin' South
1978
as Parasol Lady
Dreamkatcher
2020
as Ruth
Slam Dance
1987
as Librarian
Asylum
2008
as String's Mother
A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
2011
as Dody
Tales of Halloween
2015
as Lynn's Mother
Confessions of an Action Star
2005
as Samantha Jones
Drop Dead Sexy
2005
as Ma Muzzy
The Midnight Man
2016
as Anna
Rosewood Lane
2011
as Mrs. Hawthorne
Matchmaker Santa
2012
as Debbie
Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman
2021
as Mrs. Bundy
Alone in the Dark
1982
as Receptionist at Haven
Project: ALF
1996
as Waitress
Mountain Top
2017
as Muriel Miller
Noobz
2013
as Mrs. Theodore
Stuntmen
2009
as Bumble Jackson
Trading Favors
1997
as Darla
Wish You Were Dead
2002
as Jinny Macintosh
Living Out Loud
1998
as Lisa's Nurse
All About the Money
2017
as Mrs. Womack
Pledge This!
2007
as Miss Prin
Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story
2022
as Self
Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha
2015
as The Grand Lady
Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror
2006
as Clara
The Final Wish
2019
as Kate Hammond
The Hillside Strangler
2004
as Jenny Buono
The Temp
1993
as Rosemary
Darkness Falls
2020
as Angela Anderson
Big Ass Spider!
2013
as Mrs. Jefferson
Pines
2022
as Julie (voice)
2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams
2010
as Granny Boone
Bachelor Party Vegas
2006
as Cassandra
Hate Crime
2005
as Kathleen Slansky
FDR: American Badass!
2012
as Eleanor Roosevelt
Stillwatch
1987
Amityville: A New Generation
1993
as Nurse Turner
My Demon Lover
1987
as Anemic Counter Girl
Buster's Mal Heart
2017
as Pauline
Attention Shoppers
2000
as Libby
Surf School
2006
as Larry's Mom
Living with Chucky
2022
as Self
Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter
1994
as Inmate
Crazy Kind of Love
2013
as Denise Mack
Three of Hearts
1993
as Operator
Killer Pad
2008
as Marge
Nature of the Beast
1995
as Carol Powell
Trial by Fire
1995
as Phyliis Cardell
Brain Smasher... A Love Story
1993
as Make up Artist
Unbeatable Harold
2006
as Jeannie
Lucky Stiff
1988
as Bratty Kid's Mom
Without Charlie
2001
Jewtopia
2012
as Dr. Sutton
Small Town Saturday Night
2010
as Phyllis Ryan
Take Me Home
2011
as Jill
Room for Rent
2019
as Joyce
American Cowslip
2009
as Lou Anne
Sex and the Married Woman
1977
as Sandra
Hoboken Hollow
2006
as Mrs. Brodrick
Killer by Nature
2010
as Leona
VideoDome Rent-O-Rama
2010
as The Lush
The Penthouse
2010
as Frances
Sketch Artist II: Hands That See
1995
as Bonnie
We Are Gathered Here Today
2022
as Jean Cole
All American Christmas Carol
2013
as Barbara Belnap
About 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),… With 208 credits spanning from 1975 to 2026, Lin Shaye has appeared in 185 films and 23 TV shows.
Fans searching for Lin Shaye movies, Lin Shaye filmography, or the latest projects starring Lin Shaye can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Lin Shaye Movies
- Insidious (2011) — as Elise Rainier
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) — as Teacher
- Insidious: The Red Door (2023) — as Elise Rainier
- Dumb and Dumber (1994) — as Mrs. Neugeboren
- A Cinderella Story (2004) — as Mrs. Wells
Where to Watch Lin Shaye Films
Most Lin Shaye movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Lin Shaye, check our movies catalogue and browse page.