Lin Shaye talks being named the Godmother of Horror, her wide range of acting roles, becoming the face of the Insidious franchise, and the time she auditioned for Jack Nicholson!

About Lin:

Born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, Lin Shaye loved “storytelling” so much that even as a child and knew that she was destined to act. She performed in plays at the University of Michigan and later was accepted into Columbia University’s Master of Fine Arts program in acting, from which she graduated. While in NY she also studied with Uta Hagan, Stella Adler, and Lee Strasberg. After graduation, she worked with the best and brightest in New York theater, including the infamous Joseph Papp.

Shaye made her film debut in New York in “Hester Street” where she portrayed a Polish prostitute, to her mother’s chagrin. Shortly thereafter, she took a gamble and flew to Los Angeles after hearing that Jack Nicholson was interested in meeting her for the role. She was cast in his film “Goin’ South.” Shaye has become undoubtedly one of the industry’s greatest chameleons. The Farrelly Brothers cast her in a series of memorable characters beginning with their 1994 hit comedy “Dumb and Dumber”,  and then as the infamous landlady in “Kingpin” opposite Woody Harrelson, and again as the character Magda, the sun-withered neighbor of Cameron Diaz in their hit film “There’s Something About Mary.”  Shaye was also unforgettable as the KISS-hating mom in “Detroit Rock City” and as Sonia, the tough German/Swedish coach in “Boat Trip” with Cuba Gooding, Jr. In a dramatic change of pace, she received critical acclaim in "The Hillside Strangler" as the alcoholic mother opposite Nick Turturro and C. Thomas Howell. 

The horror genre also found Lin starting with a cult favorite "Critters" and then on to Wes Craven’s “Nightmare on Elm Street” which paved the way for more in the genre. She worked on a trio of movies with director Tim Sullivan:, “2001 Maniacs,” starring opposite Robert Englund, its sequel, “2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams” and Sullivan’s "Chillerama". Shaye also starred in the cult classic “Snakes on a Plane” opposite Samuel L. Jackson, and the independent films "The Signal", "Jack Goes Home", "Abattoir", "Buster's Mal Heart" and "The Midnight Man" reuniting with Robert England.. In 2010 she found herself in the blockbuster hit “Insidious” directed by James Wan, which led to “Insidious Chapter 2, “Insidious: Chapter 3,” and the successful 4th film in the series "Insidious: The Last Key" in which Shaye had now had become according to James Wan: “the name of the franchise.” She also starred in Sony's “The Grudge" directed by Nicolas Pesce and the feature "Dreamkatcher" which she served as an executive producer. Shaye served as a producer and starred opposite horror icon Tobin Bell in “The Call” directed by Timothy Woodward. She most recently starred in “Ted Bundy:American Boogeyman” and next appears in the film “Frank & Penelope”.

Shaye has a solid resume in television as well with guest appearances which include "American Gothic", and "Still the King". She appeared in  recurring role as “Dottie” in Showtime’s “Penny Dreadful:City of Angels” series.  She received a 2020 Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Guest Performer in a Digital Drama Series for “Eastsiders” on Netflix. She most recently completed shooting the lead role in the series “Ellen” directed by Clif Prowse and Derek Lee.

Shaye resides in Los Angeles and is a lifetime member of The Actors Studio.

Lin's Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mslinshaye

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Theme Music by Andrew Skrabutenas

Producers: Jillian Clare & Susan Bernhardt

Channel: Realm

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