
Lin Shaye
Known for Acting · 207 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)

ER
1994
as Margaret

Frasier
1993
as Anne

Falcon Crest
1981
as Smoking Female Prisoner

Private Practice
2007
as Mrs. Taylor

Crossing Jordan
2001
as Leather Lauren

My Name Is Earl
2005
as Paul's Mom

The Twilight Zone
1985
as Kate Simmons (segment "Chameleon")

Cagney & Lacey
1982
as Secretary

Highway to Heaven
1984
as Lila Barnes

Becker
1998
as Mrs. Cooper

Who's the Boss?
1984
as Mrs. Padnick

Arli$$
1996
as Shurja

Life Goes On
1989
as Parent #2

Eight Is Enough
1977
as Band Member

Made in Hollywood
2005
as Self

Eli Roth's History of Horror
2018
as Self

Common Side Effects
2025
as Sonia (voice)

Penny Dreadful: City of Angels
2020
as Dottie Minter

My So-Called Life
1994
as Parent #2

EastSiders
2012
as Diane

Perversions of Science
1997
as Nurse

Behind the Monsters
2021
as Self

Dead Talk Live
2020
as Self - Guest
Movies (184)

A Nightmare on Elm Street
1984
as Teacher

Insidious
2011
as Elise Rainier

Insidious: The Red Door
2023
as Elise Rainier

A Cinderella Story
2004
as Mrs. Wells

Dumb and Dumber
1994
as Mrs. Neugeboren

There's Something About Mary
1998
as Magda

Insidious: Chapter 2
2013
as Elise Rainier

The Running Man
1987
as Propaganda Officer

Insidious: Chapter 3
2015
as Elise Rainier

Me, Myself & Irene
2000
as Mrs. Caleron

Insidious: The Last Key
2018
as Elise Rainier

Frank and Penelope
2022
as Ophelia

Ouija
2014
as Paulina Zander

Insidious: Out of the Further
2026
as Elise Rainier

The Last Stand of Ellen Cole
2024
as Ellen

Wes Craven's New Nightmare
1994
as Nurse with Pills

Snakes on a Plane
2006
as Grace

Cellular
2004
as Exotic Car Driver

The Grudge
2019
as Faith Matheson

Barely Legal
2003
as Tequlia

Ouija: Origin of Evil
2016
as Old Paulina Zander

My Sister's Keeper
2009
as Nurse Adele

Critters
1986
as Sally

The Signal
2014
as Mirabelle

Kingpin
1996
as Landlady

Last Man Standing
1996
as The Madame

2001 Maniacs
2005
as Granny Boone

Boat Trip
2002
as Sonya the Coach

The Hidden
1987
as Carol Miller

National Lampoon's Loaded Weapon 1
1993
as Witness

The Three Stooges
2012
as Nurse Crotchet

Critters 3
1991
as Sal (archive footage)

Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd
2003
as Margie

Stuck on You
2003
as Makeup Babe

Critters 2
1988
as Sal

Brewster's Millions
1985
as Journalist at Rally

The Long Riders
1980
as Kate

Extreme Prejudice
1987
as Employment Office Clerk

Detroit Rock City
1999
as Mrs. Bruce

Dead End
2003
as Laura Harrington

Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy
2010
as Self

Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
1994
as Rubber Rose Maid

Confessions of an Action Star
2005
as Samantha Jones

Goin' South
1978
as Parasol Lady

Corrina, Corrina
1994
as Repeat Nanny

Say It Isn't So
2001
as Nurse Bautista

A Good Old Fashioned Orgy
2011
as Dody

Pledge This!
2007
as Miss Prin

Stuntmen
2009
as Bumble Jackson

Pump Up the Volume
1990
as PTA Parent #3

The Call
2020
as Edith Cranston

Grace
2014
as Helen

Chillerama
2011
as Baglady / Nurse Maleva

The Black Room
2017
as Miss Black

Mountain Top
2017
as Muriel Miller

Slam Dance
1987
as Librarian

Who's Your Daddy?
2004
as Ms. Harding

Abattoir
2016
as Allie

The Final Wish
2019
as Kate Hammond

Amityville: A New Generation
1993
as Nurse Turner

Project: ALF
1996
as Waitress

Buster's Mal Heart
2017
as Pauline

Noobz
2013
as Mrs. Theodore

Tales of Halloween
2015
as Lynn's Mother

Asylum
2008
as String's Mother

Snoop Dogg's Hood of Horror
2006
as Clara

All About the Money
2017
as Mrs. Womack

Roadside Prophets
1992
as Celeste

Homo Erectus
2007
as Museum Guide

Killer Pad
2008
as Marge

Ted Bundy: American Boogeyman
2021
as Mrs. Bundy

The Temp
1993
as Rosemary

The Midnight Man
2016
as Anna

Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares: The Robert Englund Story
2022
as Self

Drop Dead Sexy
2005
as Ma Muzzy

Big Ass Spider!
2013
as Mrs. Jefferson

The Penthouse
2010
as Frances

Darkness Falls
2020
as Angela Anderson

Attention Shoppers
2000
as Libby

Alone in the Dark
1982
as Receptionist at Haven

Her Final Fury: Betty Broderick, the Last Chapter
1994
as Inmate

Grow House
2017
as Mrs. Gilliam

2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams
2010
as Granny Boone

FDR: American Badass!
2012
as Eleanor Roosevelt

The Hillside Strangler
2004
as Jenny Buono

Hate Crime
2005
as Kathleen Slansky

Living Out Loud
1998
as Lisa's Nurse

Contagion
2002
as Laura Crowley

Rosewood Lane
2011
as Mrs. Hawthorne

Trial by Fire
1995
as Phyliis Cardell

Crazy Kind of Love
2013
as Denise Mack

Dreamkatcher
2020
as Ruth

Small Town Saturday Night
2010
as Phyllis Ryan

Trading Favors
1997
as Darla

My Demon Lover
1987
as Anemic Counter Girl

In the Line of Duty: The Price of Vengeance
1994
as Foreman #2

We Are Gathered Here Today
2022
as Jean Cole

Jewtopia
2012
as Dr. Sutton
Without Charlie
2001

Take Me Home
2011
as Jill

Brain Smasher... A Love Story
1993
as Make up Artist

Unbeatable Harold
2006
as Jeannie

Room for Rent
2019
as Joyce

Dark Moon Rising
2009
as Sunny

Doggie Heaven
2008
as Woman

Don Quixote: The Ingenious Gentleman of La Mancha
2015
as The Grand Lady

Max Reload and the Nether Blasters
2020
as Mrs. Wylder

They Bite!: The Making of Critters
2018
as Self

Hoboken Hollow
2006
as Mrs. Brodrick

American Cowslip
2009
as Lou Anne

Sketch Artist II: Hands That See
1995
as Bonnie

Book of Love
1990
as Mrs. Flynn

Three of Hearts
1993
as Operator

Nature of the Beast
1995
as Carol Powell

Bachelor Party Vegas
2006
as Cassandra

Matchmaker Santa
2012
as Debbie

Wish You Were Dead
2002
as Jinny Macintosh

The Triangle Factory Fire Scandal
1979
as Freida

ManFast
2003
as Marge

Breakfast with Einstein
1998
as Miss Desmond
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 207 credits spanning from 1975 to 2026, Lin Shaye has appeared in 184 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
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) — as Teacher
- Insidious (2011) — as Elise Rainier
- Insidious: The Red Door (2023) — as Elise Rainier
- A Cinderella Story (2004) — as Mrs. Wells
- Dumb and Dumber (1994) — as Mrs. Neugeboren
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.