Jamie Lee Curtis (born November 22, 1958) 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.^[1] Curtis has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, and two Golden Globe Awards, as well as nominations for an Emmy Award and a Grammy Award.

The youngest daughter of actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, she made her television debut in a 1977 episode of the NBC drama series Quincy, M.E..^[2] Curtis made her film debut and rose to prominence with her portrayal of Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s slasher film Halloween (1978). 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 1980), and Roadgames (1981). She would reprise the role in six of the Halloween sequels, concluding with Halloween Ends in 2022.^[3]

Curtis’s film work spans many genres outside of horror, including the comedies Trading Places (1983), for which she won the BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, and A Fish Called Wanda (1988), for which she received a nomination for the BAFTA for Best Actress.^[4] Her role as a workout instructor in the film Perfect (1985) earned her a reputation as a sex symbol.^[5] She won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress for her portrayal of Helen Tasker in James Cameron’s True Lies (1994).^[6] Her other notable film credits include Freaky Friday (2003), Knives Out (2019), and Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022). Her performance in the latter earned Curtis multiple accolades, including the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress.^[7][8][9] As of 2023, her films have grossed over $2.5 billion at the box office.^[10]

Curtis received another Golden Globe for her portrayal of Hannah Miller on ABC’s sitcom Anything but Love (1989–1992), and earned a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress for the television film Nicholas’ Gift (1998).^[11] She also starred in the Fox series Scream Queens (2015–2016), for which she received her seventh Golden Globe nomination.^[6] Curtis has written numerous children’s books, including Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day (1998), which made The New York Times‘s best-seller list. She is married to British-American filmmaker Christopher Guest, with whom she has two adopted children.