The scream queens, the monsters behind the makeup, and the legends who made horror immortal.
Andrew Robinson
Andrew Robinson played Larry Cotton in Hellraiser and Garak in Star Trek.
Ann Dowd
Ann Dowd plays the grandmother in Hereditary (2018) and starred in Compliance, then won an Emmy as Aunt Lydia in The Handmaid’s Tale. Her career.
Anne Heche
Anne Heche starred in Psycho (1998).
Anthony Hopkins
Anthony Hopkins is Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs, Hannibal and Red Dragon. The short screen time that won an Oscar, and his wider career.
Anthony Perkins
After an Oscar nod for Friendly Persuasion, Anthony Perkins played Norman Bates in Psycho (1960), one of horror’s most iconic characters.
Ashley Laurence
Kirsty Cotton in Hellraiser (1987), then Hellbound, Hellraiser III and Hellseeker: Ashley Laurence’s horror career, built on one final girl.
Barbara Steele
Mario Bava’s Black Sunday (1960) made Barbara Steele an Italian gothic icon, then The Pit and the Pendulum, Castle of Blood and Dark Shadows.
Basil Rathbone
Basil Rathbone played Wolf von Frankenstein opposite Karloff and Lugosi in Son of Frankenstein (1939), plus his long run as Sherlock Holmes.
Bela Lugosi
First on Broadway, then in Universal’s 1931 film: Bela Lugosi defined Dracula. Plus White Zombie, the Ed Wood films and the rest of his career.
Bill Hader
Saturday Night Live alum and Barry co-creator Bill Hader played the adult Richie Tozier in It Chapter Two (2019). His horror role and comedy career.
Bill Moseley
Bill Moseley played Chop Top in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986) and Otis Driftwood in House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects and 3 from Hell.
Bill Paxton
Bill Paxton was in Aliens, Twister and Titanic, then directed and starred in Frailty (2001), a psychological horror film. His career and credits.
Bill Skarsgard
Bill Skarsgard played Pennywise in It and It Chapter Two, then Count Orlok in Nosferatu (2024). Plus Barbarian, Hemlock Grove and his acting family.
Boris Karloff
Boris Karloff played the Monster in Frankenstein (1931), Bride and Son of Frankenstein, and Imhotep in The Mummy, then hosted Thriller. Profile.
Brad Dourif
Since 1988 Brad Dourif has voiced Chucky in nearly every Child’s Play film. He earned an Oscar nomination for Cuckoo’s Nest and played Wormtongue.
Brian Cox
The first screen Hannibal Lecter was Brian Cox, cooler and quieter in Michael Mann’s Manhunter (1986). Plus Logan Roy in Succession, X2 and more.
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell is Ash Williams, the clerk with a chainsaw for a hand, from The Evil Dead to Ash vs Evil Dead. His career and the Sam Raimi films.
Bruno Ganz
Opposite Klaus Kinski, Bruno Ganz played Jonathan Harker in Herzog’s Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979). Plus Wings of Desire, Downfall and his career.
Cailee Spaeny
Xenomorphs on a derelict station: Cailee Spaeny played Rain in Alien: Romulus (2024), after Priscilla and Civil War. Her rising career, profiled.
Caroline Williams
Caroline Williams played Stretch, the radio DJ targeted by the Sawyer family, in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 (1986). Plus The Stepfather II.
Cary Elwes
Cary Elwes played Dr. Gordon, the surgeon chained in the bathroom in Saw (2004), years after The Princess Bride made him a star. His career.
Charles Dance
Charles Dance appeared in Alien 3, played Tywin Lannister in Game of Thrones and directed Ladies in Lavender. The British actor’s career at a glance.
Charles S. Dutton
The prisoner and preacher Dillon in Alien 3 (1992) was Charles S. Dutton, who also appeared in Mimic. The stage-trained star of Roc, profiled.
Christian Bale
American Psycho made Christian Bale a star as Patrick Bateman, then came three Batman films and an Oscar for The Fighter. His roles, profiled.
Christopher Lee
Horror of Dracula (1958) made Christopher Lee Hammer’s Count, and he later played Saruman and Count Dooku. The WWII veteran’s long career.
Clare Higgins
Entangled with Frank and the Cenobites, Julia Cotton was Clare Higgins’ role in Hellraiser (1987) and Hellbound. Her career and other roles.
Colin Clive
Colin Clive cried “It’s alive!” as Henry Frankenstein in Frankenstein (1931), returned for Bride of Frankenstein and died in 1937. His career.
Courteney Cox
Courteney Cox is Gale Weathers, the reporter who writes the book on Sidney and survives her own coverage, from Scream 1996 to Scream 7. Career and roles.
Danny Glover
After The Color Purple, the Lethal Weapon films made Danny Glover a star, and Predator 2 (1990) cast him as the detective facing the alien hunter.
Danny Lloyd
Kubrick shielded Danny Lloyd from the story’s darkness while he played Danny Torrance in The Shining (1980), his only major child role. His story.
David Howard Thornton
David Howard Thornton is Art the Clown in Terrifier, Terrifier 2 and Terrifier 3: silent, elastic and pleased with his work. His career and the roles.
Dennis Hopper
A former Texas Ranger hunting the cannibal family, Lefty Enright, was Dennis Hopper’s role in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2. Plus Easy Rider and more.
Diana Scarwid
Diana Scarwid played Maureen Coyle, the former nun drawn to Norman Bates, in Psycho III (1986). Her Oscar-nominated career, from Inside Moves onward.
Donna D’Errico
After playing Donna Marco on Baywatch, Donna D’Errico starred opposite Tony Todd in Candyman: Day of the Dead (1999), the third Candyman film.
Donnie Wahlberg
Between New Kids on the Block and Blue Bloods, Donnie Wahlberg starred in Saw II (2005) and appeared in The Sixth Sense. His horror roles, profiled.
Doug Bradley
Eight Hellraiser films as the Lead Cenobite, from Clive Barker’s 1987 original on: Doug Bradley is Pinhead. His theatre roots, career and lines.
Dwight Frye
Renfield in Dracula and Fritz in Frankenstein, both 1931: Dwight Frye became early Universal horror’s essential assistant. His career, profiled.
Edward Norton
After Oscar nods for Primal Fear and American History X and Fight Club’s cult fame, Edward Norton played profiler Will Graham in Red Dragon (2002).
Edward Van Sloan
Van Helsing in Dracula and Dr. Waldman in Frankenstein, both 1931, then The Mummy: Edward Van Sloan defined early Universal’s expert figure.
Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn played Chris MacNeil in The Exorcist (1973) and returned for The Exorcist: Believer. Plus her Oscar for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.
Elsie Fisher
One of the young leads in Netflix’s Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2022), Elsie Fisher broke out in Bo Burnham’s Eighth Grade. Plus Despicable Me.
Ewan McGregor
The Shining’s sequel, Doctor Sleep (2019), cast Ewan McGregor as the adult Danny Torrance. Plus Obi-Wan Kenobi, Trainspotting and his career.
Gary Oldman
Opposite Winona Ryder, Gary Oldman played the Count in Bram Stoker’s Dracula (1992), and later won an Oscar for Darkest Hour. His career and roles.
George C. Scott
He won, then declined, the Oscar for Patton. George C. Scott also starred in the ghost story The Changeling and Dr. Strangelove. His intense career.
Gunnar Hansen
Gunnar Hansen played Leatherface in The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), the role that made him a horror figure, and later wrote a book about making it.
Hazel Court
Hazel Court starred opposite Peter Cushing in The Curse of Frankenstein, then in Roger Corman’s Poe films The Raven and The Masque of the Red Death.
Heather Langenkamp
Heather Langenkamp played Nancy Thompson in A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) and Dream Warriors, then herself in Wes Craven’s New Nightmare.
Helena Bonham Carter
Helena Bonham Carter played Elizabeth in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) and starred in Sweeney Todd. Plus Bellatrix and Fight Club.
Hiroyuki Sanada
Long before The Last Samurai and FX’s Shogun, Hiroyuki Sanada played Ryuji Takayama in Ringu (1998). The Japanese star’s horror role and career.
Ian Holm
Ian Holm played Ash, the science officer hiding orders, in Alien (1979), and Bilbo Baggins in The Lord of the Rings. The British actor’s career.
Ingrid Pitt
The Vampire Lovers (1970) and Countess Dracula (1971) made Ingrid Pitt a Hammer icon. Plus The House That Dripped Blood and The Wicker Man.
Isabel May
The Yellowstone prequel 1883 is narrated by Isabel May as Elsa Dutton. She also appeared in Young Sheldon and the film Let’s Scare Julie. Her career.
Isabelle Adjani
Her breakdown performance in Possession (1981) is legendary, and Isabelle Adjani has won five Cesar Awards. The French star’s horror role and career.
Jack Nicholson
Jack Nicholson played Jack Torrance in Kubrick’s The Shining and won lead-actor Oscars for One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and As Good as It Gets.
Jacob Elordi
From Euphoria’s Nate Jacobs to Saltburn and Elvis in Priscilla, Jacob Elordi landed the Creature in Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein. His career.
Jaeden Martell
Jaeden Martell played young Bill Denbrough, leader of the Losers Club, in It (2017). Plus Knives Out, Midnight Special and his career since childhood.
James Caan
James Caan played Paul Sheldon, the writer held captive by Annie Wilkes in Misery (1990), and Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. His career and credits.
James McAvoy
Kevin Wendell Crumb in Split and Glass, the end of the Unbreakable trilogy, is James McAvoy’s best-known horror role. Plus X-Men and his career.
Jamie Clayton
Sense8’s Nomi Marks became the Priest: Jamie Clayton played Pinhead in David Bruckner’s Hellraiser (2022). Her horror role and her career.
Jamie Lee Curtis
Jamie Lee Curtis is Laurie Strode, the babysitter who survived Michael Myers and waited forty years for him. Her scream-queen run and Halloween films.
Janet Leigh
Janet Leigh played Marion Crane in Psycho and made the shower scene history. Plus Touch of Evil, and she is Jamie Lee Curtis’s mother. Her career.
Jason Miller
Jason Miller earned an Oscar nomination as Father Damien Karras in The Exorcist (1973) and won a Pulitzer for That Championship Season. His career.
Jenna Kanell
Jenna Kanell played Tara Heyes, one of Art the Clown’s central victims, in Damien Leone’s Terrifier (2016). Her horror career, credits and trivia.
Jenna Ortega
Jenna Ortega played Tara Carpenter in Scream (2022) and starred in the slasher X before Wednesday made her a global star. Her horror roles, profiled.
Jessica Biel
After 7th Heaven, Jessica Biel led the 2003 Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake, a commercial hit, then starred in The Illusionist and The Sinner.
Jessica Chastain
Jessica Chastain played the grown Beverly Marsh in It Chapter Two (2019) and won an Oscar for The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Plus The Help and her career.
Jessie Buckley
Alex Garland’s Men (2022) starred Jessie Buckley after Wild Rose, Chernobyl and I’m Thinking of Ending Things. Her career and roles, profiled.
Jodie Foster
Jodie Foster won her second Oscar as Clarice Starling in The Silence of the Lambs (1991), after The Accused and Taxi Driver as a teen. Her career.
John Hurt
Kane in Alien dies in the famous chestburster scene, and John Hurt also played John Merrick in The Elephant Man. The British actor’s career.
Julianne Moore
When Jodie Foster declined, Julianne Moore played Clarice Starling in Hannibal (2001). Plus Safe, Boogie Nights and her Oscar for Still Alice.
Kane Hodder
From The New Blood to Jason X, Kane Hodder played Jason Voorhees in four Friday the 13th films, then Victor Crowley in Hatchet. The stuntman’s career.
Katherine Waterston
The colony ship’s terraforming chief, Daniels, was Katherine Waterston’s role in Alien: Covenant (2017). Plus Fantastic Beasts and Inherent Vice.
Kathy Bates
The number one fan: Kathy Bates won the Oscar as Annie Wilkes in Misery. Plus Dolores Claiborne, American Horror Story and a long career on stage.
Keanu Reeves
Constantine (2005) is Keanu Reeves’ comic-book horror credit, along with Bram Stoker’s Dracula. Plus The Matrix and John Wick. His genre roles.
Kelly Rowan
The New Orleans sequel, Candyman: Farewell to the Flesh (1995), starred Kelly Rowan opposite Tony Todd before she played Kirsten Cohen on The O.C.
Kenneth Branagh
After Henry V, Kenneth Branagh directed and starred as Victor in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1994) opposite Robert De Niro. Plus his Poirot films.
Kenneth Cranham
Kenneth Cranham starred in Hellraiser: Hellbound Heart adaptations and Hot Fuzz.
Klaus Kinski
Werner Herzog cast Klaus Kinski as Count Dracula in Nosferatu the Vampyre, one of their volatile collaborations alongside Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo.
Lance Henriksen
Lance Henriksen played the android Bishop in Aliens and Alien 3 and led Pumpkinhead (1988). Plus The Terminator, Millennium and his genre career.
Lauren Cohan
Lauren Cohan played Maggie Rhee in The Walking Dead and starred in The Boy.
Lauren LaVera
Lauren LaVera plays Sienna Shaw, the warrior-angel who fights Art the Clown, in Terrifier 2 (2022) and Terrifier 3 (2024). Her role and career.
Leslie Odom Jr.
Leslie Odom Jr. played a father whose daughter is possessed in The Exorcist: Believer (2023), after his Tony as Aaron Burr in Hamilton. His career.
Lily-Rose Depp
Opposite Bill Skarsgard’s Count Orlok, Lily-Rose Depp plays the haunted Ellen Hutter in Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu (2024). Plus The Idol and her career.
Linda Blair | Horror Roles, Career and Facts
Linda Blair: Regan MacNeil in The Exorcist, star of Hell Night and host of Scariest Places on Earth. Horror career, key roles, awards and facts.
Lon Chaney Jr.
Lon Chaney Jr.: Universal’s Wolf Man and the only actor to play the Wolf Man, Frankenstein’s monster, the Mummy and Dracula. Career and facts.
Louise Fletcher
An Oscar as Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, then Exorcist II: The Heretic and Deep Space Nine: Louise Fletcher’s career, profiled.
Maggie Gyllenhaal
Maggie Gyllenhaal made her directing debut with The Lost Daughter, earning a screenplay Oscar nod, after Secretary, Crazy Heart and The Dark Knight.
Marilyn Burns
Marilyn Burns played Sally, the screaming survivor of Tobe Hooper’s The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974), then cameoed in Texas Chainsaw 3D.
Matilda Lutz
Julia chasing the cursed tape in Rings (2017), then Jen in Coralie Fargeat’s Revenge: Matilda Lutz’s horror roles and the Italian actress’s career.
Max Schreck
Gaunt, rat-like and still iconic: Max Schreck’s Count Orlok in F. W. Murnau’s Nosferatu (1922) remains one of cinema’s great images. His career.
Max von Sydow
After The Seventh Seal and a long run with Ingmar Bergman, Max von Sydow played Father Merrin in The Exorcist (1973). The Swedish actor’s career.
McKenna Grace
Annabelle Comes Home brought McKenna Grace into the Conjuring universe before she played Phoebe Spengler in Ghostbusters: Afterlife. Plus Gifted.
Melissa Barrera
Melissa Barrera played Sam Carpenter in Scream (2022) and Scream VI and was not asked back for Scream 7. Her role, her exit and her career.
Mia Goth
Dual roles in X, then the leads of Pearl and MaXXXine: Mia Goth became Ti West’s muse. Plus Suspiria (2018), Infinity Pool and her horror career.
Michael Biehn
Back-to-back James Cameron roles: Michael Biehn played Kyle Reese in The Terminator and Hicks in Aliens. Plus The Abyss and his genre career.
Michael Fassbender
David, the android whose choices drive Prometheus and Alien: Covenant, is Michael Fassbender’s role. Plus Magneto, Hunger, Shame and 12 Years a Slave.
Michael Gough
Michael Gough appeared in Hammer’s Horror of Dracula and The Phantom of the Opera, then played Alfred in four Batman films. His long career.
Miki Nakatani
The student tied to the cursed tape, Mai Takano, was Miki Nakatani’s role in Ringu (1998) and Ringu 2 (1999). The Japanese actress and singer’s career.
Nanako Matsushima
Hideo Nakata’s Ringu (1998) launched J-horror, and Nanako Matsushima played reporter Reiko Asakawa at its center. Her career, credits and trivia.
Naomi Watts
A year after David Lynch’s Mulholland Drive, Naomi Watts starred in Gore Verbinski’s The Ring (2002), a major hit. Her horror role and career.
Neve Campbell
Neve Campbell is Sidney Prescott, the final girl Ghostface can’t finish. Every Scream she is in, the Scream VI pay dispute, Scream 7 and her wider career.
Nicholas Hoult
Dracula’s familiar in Renfield opposite Nicolas Cage, then Thomas Hutter in Robert Eggers’s Nosferatu (2024): Nicholas Hoult’s roles and career.
Noomi Rapace
Noomi Rapace played archaeologist Elizabeth Shaw in Ridley Scott’s Prometheus (2012), after the Swedish Dragon Tattoo films. Her career.
Odessa A’zion
Riley, the woman who opens the puzzle box in David Bruckner’s Hellraiser (2022), is played by Odessa A’zion. Plus Grand Army and her independent films.
Oscar Isaac
Genre turns in Ex Machina and Annihilation, plus the Star Wars sequels after Inside Llewyn Davis: Oscar Isaac’s career and his horror-adjacent roles.
Patrick Wilson
Patrick Wilson plays Ed Warren in The Conjuring films and led the Insidious series, after Broadway and The Phantom of the Opera. His horror roles.
Peter Cushing
From The Curse of Frankenstein (1957) on, Peter Cushing played Baron Frankenstein and Van Helsing for Hammer, then Grand Moff Tarkin in Star Wars.
R. Lee Ermey
A real Marine drill instructor, R. Lee Ermey played Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket and appeared in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003).
Ralph Fiennes
Ralph Fiennes played the chef in the dark satire The Menu (2022) and Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter, after Schindler’s List and The English Patient.
Rebecca Ferguson
Rebecca Ferguson played Rose the Hat, leader of the True Knot, in Doctor Sleep (2019), plus Ilsa Faust in Mission: Impossible, Life and Dune.
Richard Burton
Seven Oscar nominations, Cleopatra, Becket, and a priest probing earlier events in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977): Richard Burton’s career.
Robert De Niro
A rare horror turn in a career of Taxi Driver, Raging Bull and two Oscar wins: Robert De Niro played the Creature in Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein.
Robert Englund
Robert Englund played Freddy Krueger from the 1984 original through Freddy vs. Jason and added the walk and the voice. His career, from V to the glove.
Robert Urquhart
Robert Urquhart played Paul Krempe, the tutor who stands against Peter Cushing’s Baron in Hammer’s The Curse of Frankenstein (1957). His career.
Ron Perlman
After Cronos, Ron Perlman played Hellboy for Guillermo del Toro and appeared in Alien: Resurrection. Plus Beauty and the Beast and Sons of Anarchy.
Scatman Crothers
In The Shining (1980), Scatman Crothers’ Dick Hallorann shares Danny’s shine. Plus One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Hong Kong Phooey.
Shawnee Smith
A trap survivor turned apprentice: Shawnee Smith played Amanda Young in the Saw films. Plus The Blob (1988), Becker and her music career, profiled.
Shelley Duvall
Shelley Duvall played Wendy Torrance in Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), after Robert Altman’s Nashville and 3 Women. Plus Faerie Tale Theatre.
Sheri Moon Zombie
Sheri Moon Zombie played Baby Firefly in House of 1000 Corpses, The Devil’s Rejects and 3 from Hell, and appeared in Rob Zombie’s Halloween films.
Sid Haig
After Spider Baby and the Jack Hill films, Sid Haig played Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie’s House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil’s Rejects. His career.
Sigourney Weaver
Sigourney Weaver is Ellen Ripley, who survived the Nostromo and spent three sequels fighting the company that sent her. Her four Alien films and career.
Sissy Spacek
Brian De Palma’s Carrie (1976) starred Sissy Spacek as Carrie White, and she later won an Oscar for Coal Miner’s Daughter. Plus Badlands and more.
Ted Levine
One of cinema’s most memorable killers, Buffalo Bill in The Silence of the Lambs, was Ted Levine, later Captain Stottlemeyer on Monk. His career.
Terry Farrell
Terry Farrell played Joey Summerskill, a reporter pulled into the Cenobite story in Hellraiser III: Hell on Earth, before Deep Space Nine.
Teyonah Parris
Brianna Cartwright in Nia DaCosta’s Candyman (2021) is Teyonah Parris, also Monica Rambeau in WandaVision and a Mad Men alum. Her career, profiled.
Tim Curry
Tim Curry’s Pennywise in It (1990) traumatized a generation, after Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Plus Darkness in Legend.
Tobin Bell
Tobin Bell is John Kramer, the Jigsaw killer, on screen just minutes in the 2004 original yet the voice every Saw sequel is built on. His career and roles.
Tom Noonan
Restrained and unsettling, Tom Noonan’s Francis Dollarhyde anchors Manhunter (1986). Plus Heat, The House of the Devil and his work as a playwright.
Tony Todd
Tony Todd was Candyman, the hook and the bees and that voice, from 1992 to Nia DaCosta’s 2021 film. Plus Final Destination’s Bludworth and his stage work.
Vera Farmiga | Horror Roles, Career and Facts
Vera Farmiga: Lorraine Warren in The Conjuring films, Norma Bates in Bates Motel and Kate in Orphan. Horror career, key roles, awards and facts.
Vera Miles
Hunting the truth about her sister in Hitchcock’s Psycho, Vera Miles played Lila Crane, and she also starred in The Searchers. Her career.
Veronica Cartwright
Lambert in Alien (1979), Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1978) and The Birds as a child: Veronica Cartwright’s genre career, profiled.
Vince Vaughn
Between Swingers and Wedding Crashers stardom, Vince Vaughn played Norman Bates in Gus Van Sant’s 1998 Psycho remake. His horror role and career.
Virginia Madsen
Before her Oscar nomination for Sideways, Virginia Madsen played Helen Lyle in Candyman (1992), still her best-known horror role. Credits and career.
Willem Dafoe | Horror Roles, Career and Facts
Willem Dafoe: four-time Oscar nominee and horror icon of Shadow of the Vampire, Antichrist, The Lighthouse and Nosferatu. Career, roles and facts.
William Petersen
Years before Gil Grissom on CSI, William Petersen played Will Graham in Michael Mann’s Manhunter (1986), adapted from Red Dragon. His career and roles.
Winona Ryder
Winona Ryder became a goth icon as Lydia Deetz in Tim Burton’s Beetlejuice, then came back as Joyce Byers in Stranger Things. Her roles, film by film.
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
Yahya Abdul-Mateen II played artist Anthony McCoy in Candyman (2021), appeared in Us and was Doctor Manhattan in Watchmen. His career, profiled.
