"The truth of it is when you get an audience to laugh and camp along with you, it's much easier to scare 'em again because they're using two sides of their emotions. It's much easier to set them up for a good cheap thrill scare again."
Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947 in Glendale, California) is a classically trained actor, who primarily works in film and television.
He became famous for his contributions to horror genre, most notably with the role of Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street films.
However, he first hit the big time as the lovably innocent Willie in the V (1983) franchise. This created a TV image strong enough that when Freddy's Nightmares had an Origins Episode for Krueger, Englund's face was largely obscured to avoid associations with Willie.
Along with his acting work, he has also directed two movies; 976-EVIL in 1988 and Killer Pad in 2008.
Also, he and three others once fought a zombie-fied George A. Romero.
Appearances:
Film
- Eaten Alive! (1976) — Buck (Englund's film debut)
- A Star Is Born (1976) — Marty
- Dead & Buried (1981) — Harry
- Galaxy of Terror (1981) — Ranger
- Don't Cry, It's Only Thunder — (1982) — Tripper
- A Nightmare on Elm Street — Freddy Krueger
- A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)
- A Nightmare On Elm Street 2 Freddys Revenge (1985)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 4: The Dream Master (1988)
- A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child (1989)
- Freddy's Dead: The Final Nightmare (1991)
- Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994)
- Freddy vs. Jason (2003)
- Never Too Young to Die (1986) — Riley
- C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud (1989) — Man in Trenchcoat Walking with Trick-or-Treaters
- The Phantom of the Opera (1989) — Erik Destler / The Phantom
- The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990) — Smiley
- The Mangler (1995) — Bill Gartley
- Wishmaster (1997) — Raymond Beaumont
- Urban Legend (1998) — Professor Wexler
- Python (2000) — Dr. Anton Rudolph
- 2001 Maniacs (2005) — Mayor Buckman
- Hatchet (2006) — Sampson Dunston
- Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon (2006) — Doc Halloran
- Jack Brooks: Monster Slayer (2007) — Professor Gordon Crowley
- Zombie Strippers! (2008) — Ian Essko
- Strippers Vs. Werewolves (2012) — Tapper
- Lake Placid — Jim Bickerman
- Lake Placid: The Final Chapter (2012)
- Film/Lake Placid vs Anaconda (2015)
- Fear Clinic (2015) — Dr. Peter Andover
- The Funhouse Massacre (2015) — Warden Kane
- Choose Or Die (2022) — Himself
Live-Action Television
- Babylon 5 — Jeremiah
- Charmed — Gammill, the collector.
- Chuck — Dr. Stanley Wheelwright
- Freddy's Nightmares — Freddy Krueger
- Married... with Children — "Lou"
- Nightmare Cafe — Blackie
- Supernatural — Dr. Robert
- V (1983) — Willie
- Bones — Ray Buxley
- Stranger Things — Victor Creel
Video Games
- Call of Duty: Black Ops: Zombies — As Himself
- Mortal Kombat 9 — Freddy Krueger
- Super Hero Squad Online — Dormammu
- Injustice 2 — Scarecrow
Western Animation
- The Batman — The Riddler
- Green Lantern: The Animated Series — Myglom
- Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. — Pluto
- Justice League — Felix Faust
- Regular Show — Stagman and Anti-Pops
- The Spectacular Spider-Man — The Vulture
- The Super Hero Squad Show — Dormammu
- Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2012) — Dream Beavers
Tropes associated with Robert Englund:
- As Himself: He plays himself as a character in Wes Craven's New Nightmare as well as a cameo in Call of Duty.
- Cool Old Guy: He's in his seventies and still seems endlessly enthusiastic about traveling and making movies.
- I Am Not Spock: He has been permanently Spocked as Freddy Krueger. To a lesser degree, he has also become typecast as a creepy/evil/weird guy in B-grade horror films. But these movies often feature Englund, and promote his inclusion, solely because of his "horror icon" status - a status he gained from playing Freddy. Luckily, he doesn't mind, and he loves being known as Freddy.
- Large Ham: Not afraid to go over the top, as some of the later Nightmare movies show.
- Serendipity Writes the Plot: While a young actor friend was sleeping on his couch, Englund encouraged him to try out for a big-budget science fiction movie Englund was considered for. The young actor did, and eventually won the part. The name of that friend? Mark Hamill.
- Motor Mouth: Get him going and he'll talk your ear off. His love of a good conversation has sometimes been an issue when he's getting the Freddy Krueger makeup applied.
