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Halloween Legend
Background:
A two-time Golden Globe winner for Best Actress (True Lies, 1995 and Anything
but Love, 1990,TV) Jamie Lee Curtis established worldwide fame after portraying
the funny character of Helen Tasker in True Lies, and Hannah Miller in Anything
but Love. The role in True Lies also handed her an American Comedy award for
Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading Role) in 1995. Additionally,
Curtis was well remembered for her supporting role as prostitute Ophelia in the
1983 comedy Trading Places. Her spectacular performance won both a BAFTA and a
British Academy award in 1984.
Perhaps the most remembered role associated with Curtis is that of tormented
young Laurie Strode in John Carpenter's horror 1978 classic Halloween. The
legacy of twisted psychotic Michael Myers still screams across televisions every
Halloween and gave birth to an entire legend of sequels: Halloween II (1981),
Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998),
and Halloween: Resurrection (2002).
Off screen, Curtis reportedly has bad taste in clothing and trouble with
choosing colors, textures and styles, and often misses the mark.
She loves renting designer clothes to overcome the problem and rents because she
prefers to return them once they are worn because she hates hoarding clothes.
Currently, Curtis spends time giving support to a variety of charitable groups.
She was a guest at the 11th annual Gala and Fundraiser in 2003 for Women in
Recovery, Inc, which is a non-profit organization that offers a live-in, 12-Step
program for the rehabilitation of women.
Introvert Girl
Childhood and Family:
Daughter of actor legends Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh, Jamie Lee Curtis was born
on November 22, 1958, in Los Angeles, California. Her mom and dad divorced when
she was almost three. Due to the separation of her parents, Jamie Lee and sister
Kelly Lee were raised by their mother, who remarried stockbroker Robert Brandt
soon after the divorce.
During her teen years at Beverly Hills High School, Jamie had difficulty making
friends because she felt the school was not appropriate for her. She also
experienced difficulties living with her stepfather doe to his problems with
drugs and alcohol. Jamie Lee eventually moved to Choate Rosemary Hall private
school and graduated in 1976. She then continued her studies by attending the
University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, but left after one semester
to pursue a career in acting.
Jamie married actor Christopher Guest (born on February 5, 1948) on December 18,
1984. Shortly after their marriage, the couple established Syzygy Industries and
adopted two children, Thomas Haden-Guest (born in 1996) and Annie Guest (born in
December 1986).
Scream Queen
Career:
After appearing in Columbo: The Bye-Bye Sky High I.Q. Murder Case (1977, TV),
Jamie Lee Curtis drew attention from the TV sitcom Operation Petticoat
(1977-1978, played Lt. Barbara Duran). Her big break came when Curtis, nicknamed
the Scream Queen, was cast in several horror movies. She starred in John
Carpenter's Halloween (1978, played Laurie Strode) and reprised her role in
Halloween II (1981). She followed it up with films like The Fog (1980), Prom
Night (1980), and Terror Train (1980).
In 1983, Curtis made a big transition to comedian when she received the
supporting role of prostitute Ophelia in Trading Places (1983, starred Dan
Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy). Curtis attracted Hollywood's attention when she
appeared topless and showed off her fantastic body in a scene she often
referrers to as the "Freeze Frame." Additionally, her outstanding performance
handed her a BAFTA and British Academy award for Best Supporting Actress in
1984. Subsequent roles in Love Letters (1984) and Grandview, U.S.A. (1984) added
to her popularity though her performance in the movie Perfect (1985) was a
temporary slowdown.
A comedy named A Fish Called Wanda (1988) gave Curtis the opportunity to again
show off her talent and she received a Golden Globe nomination the following
year. Curtis' significant performances in the TV Series Anything But Love (1989,
played Hannah Miller), rewarded Jamie with a Golden Globe for Best Actress in a
Series (Musical or Comedy) in 1990.
At the beginning of the 1990s, Curtis had such wide screen projects as Blue
Steel (1990), Queens Logic (1991), My Girl (1991), and Mother's Boys (1994). She
also tried her hand in writing children's books and penned: When I Was Little: A
Four-Year-Old's Memoir of Her Youth (1993) and Tell Me Again About the Night I
Was Born (1996).
Curtis played the role of Helen Tasker in 1994's hilarious action hit True Lies
(also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger). Due to her spectacular performance in the
film, Curtis won her second Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a
Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical in 1995. In the same year, the role also handed
her an American Comedy award for Funniest Actress in a Motion Picture (Leading
Role). Regarded by some critics as her best work, True Lies boosted Curtis'
career. She next played leading roles in the movies Virus (1999), Forever Young
(1992, also starred Mel Gibson), My Girl 2 (1994), Fierce Creatures (1997),
Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998) and Drowning Mona (2000).
In 2000, Curtis provided the voice of Clara in the television series Pigs Next
Door and appeared as a host at the 5th Annual Prism Awards (2001). She was also
seen starring with Oscar-winner Geoffrey Rush and Pierce Brosnan in the film The
Tailor of Panama (2001) and had the supporting role of Elaine Bowen in Daddy and
Them (2001). That same year, Curtis lent her voice to Queen Camilla in the video
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer & the Island of Misfit Toys. Curtis also had a
cameo in Halloween: Resurrection (2002).
The following year, Curtis was seen in the family-oriented blockbuster Freaky
Friday (2003, with Lindsay Lohan). Although Curtis said she would retire from
making movies after Christmas with the Kranks (2004, played Nora Krank), Curtis
is scheduled to appear in The Kid & I (2005).
Awards:
