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.