Jamie Lee Curtis born November 22, is an American actress, producer, and children's author. Known for her performances in the horror and slasher genres, she is regarded as a scream queen , in addition to roles in comedies. A critical and commercial success, the film established Curtis as a scream queen and led to starring roles in the horror films The Fog , Prom Night , Terror Train all , and Roadgames She would reprise the role in six of the Halloween sequels , concluding with Halloween Ends in Her performance in the latter earned Curtis multiple accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.
Her mother was of Danish, German, and Scotch-Irish descent. Curtis's parents divorced in She has stated that, after the divorce, her father was "not around" and that he was "not interested in being a father".
Curtis made her television debut in a episode of the drama series Quincy, M. Barbara Duran in the short-lived comedy series Operation Petticoat β , [ 27 ] based on the film that starred her father, Tony Curtis. Curtis was also a game show panelist on several episodes of Match Game. Her film debut occurred in John Carpenter 's horror film Halloween , in which she played the role of Laurie Strode.
The film was a major success and was considered the highest-grossing independent film of its time, earning accolades as a classic horror film. The producer, Debra Hill , specifically cast Curtis because her mother, Janet Leigh, had been known as a horror icon due to her Oscar-nominated performance in Psycho. After the major critical and commercial success of Halloween , Curtis was cast in several horror films, garnering her a reputation as a scream queen.
Her next film following Halloween was The Fog , which was also directed by Carpenter and produced by Hill. The film opened in February to mixed reviews but strong box office, [ 31 ] starting Curtis as a horror film starlet.
