Jamie Lee Curtis Through the Years: From ‘Halloween’ to ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and Beyond

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Jamie Lee Curtis Through the Years: From ‘Halloween’ to ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once’ and Beyond

The scream queen! Jamie Lee Curtis has had a long and successful career, starting off in iconic horror films before venturing into hit comedies. The Fierce Creatures actress was born in Santa Monica, California, to actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. Jamie went on to study law at the University of the Pacific in Stockton, California — however, she dropped out after one semester to pursue an acting career. “I wasn’t originally going to be an actress. I was going to be a police officer,” the Knives Out star told Vulture in November 2022. “I thought I’d be a really good cop.” Jamie’s Hollywood debut came in the 1978 horror film Halloween, which went on to become a major success and put the actress’ name on the map as a horror icon. After following in her mother’s own Scream Queen footsteps – Leigh famously starred as Marion Crane in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho in 1960 – Jamie reprised the role of Laurie at various points throughout the Halloween franchise from 1981 to 2022. Though the My Girl actress said goodbye to her beloved character in 2022’s Halloween Ends, she looked at her final face-off with longtime nemesis Michael Myers as a “thank you.” “That role gave me my life. It gave me a creative life. I ultimately met my husband [Christopher Guest] somehow through a connection to Halloween,” Jamie told NPR in October 2022. “And it gave me a sort of platform as a young actor to stand on.” [jwplayer J0H3SIla-zhNYySv2] Although she came to prominence with her work in horror films, Jamie’s acting career spans across many genres, including comedies like 1983’s Trading Places, 1988’s A Fish Called Wanda and 2003’s Freaky Friday. The True Lies star also ventured into television with roles on 1989’s Anything But Love — which earned her a Golden Globe — and on 1998’s Nicholas’ Gift, which earned her an Emmy nomination. In 2022, Jamie’s performance in the critically acclaimed comedy Everything Everywhere All at Once led her to receive her first Academy Award nomination of her career for Best Supporting Actress. “I couldn’t believe how much people loved it. It was so thrilling. You know, there were Marvel movies out there, and we were blowing them out of the water,” the Prom Night star told Vulture. “All I can tell you is that was a dream come true: to be able to go to work on something and let go of every idea you’ve ever had for yourself and just understand a character so deeply that you could commit so completely to what they did and what they said.” As for the star’s personal relationships, Jamie married filmmaker Guest in December 1984. The couple have two daughters: Annie, born in 1986, and Ruby, born in 1996. She is also godmother to actor Jake Gyllenhaal. Keep scrolling for a look back at Jamie’s life and career over the years:  

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1958

The daughter of movie stars, Jamie was born in November 1958. She later attended her mother’s alma-mater University of the Pacific in Stockton, California, however, she dropped out after one semester to pursue an acting career.

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1978

The Death of a Centerfold star made her feature film debut as Laurie Strode in Halloween, which established her as a scream queen — and a bonafide star.

“What I’ve gotten from [Laurie] is way more than she’s gotten from me. Because when I’m gone, her legacy will become mine. Now, of course, I have my children, and that is my life, and that’s crucial,” Jamie told Variety in October 2022. “But in the films, she is my legacy, and I could not be producer of any legacy … in a film character, there’s not one you could name that I would rather be than Laurie Strode.”

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1980 to 1981

After Halloween, Jamie appeared in The Fog, another cult classic film by Halloween director John Carpenter, The Fog. One year later starred tin the Australian thriller Roadgames, which was championed by Quentin Tarantino.

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1983

The Mother’s Boys actress transitioned into a different genre of film in the comedy Trading Places, which garnered her a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role.

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1984

Jamie tied the knot with Guest after four months of dating. In following years, the couple adopted their two daughters. (In 2021, Jamie publicly supported her younger daughter, Ruby, who came out as transgender.)

“One of the longest relationships I’ve had seeking comfort and contact and connection is with Chris,” she wrote via Instagram in December 2020. “Today marks the 36th anniversary of our wedding. My hand in his. Then and now. Connected through our children and family and friends and it became the links in our human emotional chain that have seen each of us through triumph and tragedy.”

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1988 to 1994

The Terror Train star went on to star in several popular films during this time such as 1988’s A Fish Called Wanda and 1994’s True Lies for which she received a Golden Globe Award. Aside from appearing on the big screen, Curtis moved on to television starring opposite Richard Lewis in Anything But Love, running from 1989 through 1992. For her performance in the sitcom, she received a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.

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1993

After years of acting, Jamie wrote her first children’s book When I Was Little: A Four-Year Old’s Memoir of Her Youth. The New Girl alum has since written 12 books, one of which has become a New York Times bestseller.

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1998

In 1998, Jamie appeared in Nicholas’ Gift, leading her to receive an Emmy Award nomination.

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2003

The Drew Carey Show alum starred in Freaky Friday opposite Lindsay Lohan. Jamie received critical acclaim for her performance and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical. She told Variety in February 2023 that Freaky Friday 2 is “going to happen.”

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2004

After the success of Freaky Friday, Curtis starred in the fan favorite holiday film Christmas with the Kranks.

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2015

From 2015 to 2016, the Operation Petticoat star had a lead role on the horror comedy series Scream Queens. She was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Musical or Comedy.

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2021

Curtis received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Venice Film Festival. “[That achievement] seems to be sort of closed, whereas I’m working more creatively today than I have been since I was born,” she told Silver Magazine in 2021. “So it’s odd for me, and yet I am incredibly honored.”

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2022

Several years later, Curtis closed her chapter of Halloween with Halloween Ends. “I am Laurie. Laurie is Jamie, and we are you, and that is the real emotional power of these movies as we present this final presentation to you,” she explained to Mashable in October 2022.

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2022

The You Again star appeared in the comedy-drama action film Everything Everywhere All At Once, which earned the actress her first Academy Award nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Supporting Actress.

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2023

Jamie took home her first Oscar at the 95th Academy Awards, winning Best Supporting Actress for her performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. She dedicated her speech to everyone who's supported her through the years, including her husband, children, parents and fans. "To all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I have made for all these years. We just won an Oscar together!" she said. "My mother and my father, who were both nominated for Oscars in different categories, I just won an Oscar!"