Robert Englund Biography

Fast Facts

• He attended the University of California at Los Angeles and also studied at Oakland University in Michigan and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London
• Director Wes Craven enjoyed his performance as a sympathetic alien invader in the 1980s miniseries "V" so much that he cast him in "A Nightmare on Elm Street․"
• Quote: "I saw an entire magazine of Freddy Krueger tattoos․ Hey, I'm a classically trained actor who was doing Chekhov, and now there are thousands of people walking around America with my [character's] tattoo on them․ I just take it as pop culture․"
• Quote: "Often when filming a scene [as Freddy Krueger] I would give the editor the choice of a dark moment or a laugh ․․․ It is easier to scare the audience if you catch them off guard․ Humor and horror go hand in hand for that reason․"
• Quote: "[on playing Freddy Krueger] "I brought his vanity [he hides his bald head under a hat] and in later movies his humor and sexual threat․ I was influenced by Klaus Kinski in 'Nosferatu' and a pocket book cover for 'The Shadow' with a man in a fedora․""
• Best known for playing the psychotic killer Freddy Krueger in Wes Craven's "A Nightmare On Elm Street" films
• Host of the Horror Hall of Fame awards show for three consecutive years from 1989 to 1991
• Graduated from Granada Hill High School in California with fellow actors Ossie Beck and John Elway
• Auditioned for the part of Han Solo in the 1977 sci-fi film "Star Wars," and though he was told he was too young, he went home and suggested that actor Mark Hamill try out for the part of Luke Skywalker, which would define his career