Jamie Lee Curtis Biography

"I wouldn't have had a career without Halloween," says Jamie Lee Curtis, who was once known as the "scream queen" due to her work in horror films. The daughter of Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, she began working in the '70s in such TV movies as Operation Petticoat, Murder at the World Series and then a TV series spin-off from one of her movies, Operation Petticoat which was pretty bad and didn't last long

It wasn't until 1978 that Jamie began regularly showing up in horror flicks, beginning with Halloween and continuing with The Fog (1980), Prom Night (1980), Terror Train (1980), Road Games (1981) and Halloween II (1981).

Determined to break away from horror typecasting, Jamie transitioned into comedy and drama, earning widespread acclaim for her performance in A Fish Called Wanda (1988). She later solidified her comedic chops in Trading Places (1983), True Lies (1994), and Freaky Friday (2003), the latter earning her a Golden Globe nomination. She continued to star in family favorites and comedies such as Christmas with the Kranks (2004), You Again (2010), and TV hits like New Girl and Scream Queens (2015–2016).

Jamie reprised her role as Laurie Strode in the new Halloween trilogy (Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022), bringing her iconic character’s story full circle. That same year, she starred as the eccentric IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre in the critically acclaimed film Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), a performance that won her first Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She appeared as Madame Leota in Disney’s Haunted Mansion (2023), that same year she voiced Hup! in the animated series Monsters at Work (2023).

She made a cameo in Borderlands (2024) and has a recurring role on FX’s The Bear (2022-current), playing Donna Berzatto, the mother of Jeremy Allen White’s character, Carmen Berzatto.

Back on the big screen, she appeared in the highly anticipated sequel Freakier Friday (2025), reprising her role as Tess Coleman opposite Lindsay Lohan.

In addition to acting, Jamie is a celebrated author of numerous children’s books and a columnist for The Huffington Post. She has been outspoken about self-acceptance and aging naturally, recently making headlines for criticizing Hollywood’s obsession with plastic surgery and AI-enhanced beauty standards.

Married to actor-director Christopher Guest since 1984, Jamie is also known as Baroness Haden-Guest after her husband inherited a British barony in 1996. The couple share two adopted children, Annie and Thomas.

In 1998, she was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Jamie Lee Curtis continues to champion authenticity in Hollywood while taking on diverse roles that resonate with both longtime fans and new audiences. ~Erin Grace

Filmography:

Freaky Friday 2 (2025)
Borderlands (2024)
Haunted Mansion (2023)
Halloween Ends (2022)
Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022)
Halloween Kills (2021)
Senior Entourage (2021)
Knives Out (2019)
Halloween (2018)
Spare Parts (2015)
From Up On Poppy Hill (2013)
You Again (2010)
Beverly Hills Chihuahua (2008)
Christmas with the Kranks (2004)
Freaky Friday (2003)
Halloween: Resurrection (2002)
Daddy and Them (2001)
The Tailor of Panama (2001)
Drowning Mona (2000)
Virus (1999)
Halloween: H20 (1998)
Homegrown (1998)
Fierce Creatures (1997)
House Arrest (1996)
Ellen's Energy Adventure (1996) [uncredited]
True Lies (1994)
My Girl 2 (1994)
Mother's Boys (1993)
Forever Young (1992)
My Girl (1991)
Queens Logic (1991)
Blue Steel (1990)
Dominick and Eugene (1988)
A Fish Called Wanda (1988)
Un homme amoureux (1987)
Amazing Grace and Chuck (1987)
Perfect (1985)
Grandview, U.S.A. (1984)
Trading Places (1983)
Love Letters (1983)
Coming Soon (1982)
Escape from New York (1981)
Halloween II (1981)
Road Games (1981)
Terror Train (1980)
Prom Night (1980)
The Fog (1980)
Halloween (1978)