| Lin Shaye | |
|---|---|
| Born | Linda Shaye 1944 (age 67–68) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1971–present |
| Spouse | Marshall Rubinoff (? – July 7, 1968) (his death) Clayton Landey (January 1, 1988–2003) |
Linda "Lin" Shaye (born 1944) is an American film, theatre and television actress.
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Born in Detroit, Michigan, Shaye is the daughter of Dorothy (née Katz), a homemaker, and Max Mendle Shaye, a painter and supermarket owner. Her brother is film executive Robert Shaye. Shaye studied acting at the University of Michigan before she moved to New York to appear in Off Broadway productions. In 1977, she moved to Los Angeles to further pursue her acting career.[1]
In 1975, she made her film debut with a small role in Hester Street, followed by small roles in several movies and television shows. In 1978, she appeared in the Jack Nicholson-directed Western Goin' South. She has since appeared in a large number of character roles. Many were for her brother, Robert Shaye, co-founder and former co-CEO of New Line Cinema, such as her role as Mrs. Flynn in the 1990 film Book of Love, which Robert Shaye directed. Her breakout comedy role was the part of Mrs. Nuegeboren in the Farrelly Brothers' Dumb and Dumber (1994). Shaye also appeared in the Farrelly's 1996 comedy Kingpin as the repulsive landlady, and then got a role as Cameron Diaz's overtanned neighbor Magda in their 1998 hit There's Something About Mary. She followed this with 1999's Detroit Rock City as an uptight mother waging a personal war against the band Kiss.
Shaye has also appeared in four films by director Walter Hill: The Long Riders (1980), Brewster's Millions (1985), Extreme Prejudice (1987) and Last Man Standing (1996). In 2003, she appeared alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. and Horatio Sanz in Boat Trip as Sonya, a horny tanning coach who begins stalking Sanz's character. That same year she co-starred with Ray Wise and Alexandra Holden in the cult horror film Dead End as Laura Harrington, and as Jenny Buono, the mother of 1970s Los Angeles serial killer Angelo Buono in The Hillside Strangler. Most recently, she was seen in the thriller Snakes on a Plane. She also appeared in the film 2001 Maniacs as the part of Granny Boone and in the sequel 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams.[2]
In 2007, she appeared in the short films Sponsored By, Under The Gun, Midnight Snack, Time Upon a Once, Old Home Boyz, Backseat Driving Test, and The Yes Men which were directed by contestants on the reality show On the Lot. In 2010, Lin appeared in the horror film Insidious as Elise Reiner (a major supporting role).
Shaye has been married twice. Her first husband died in 1968. In 1988, she married actor Clayton Landey, with whom she appeared in 2002's Wish You Were Dead. The couple had one child[1] before divorcing in 2003.
| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
| 1975 | Hester Street | Whore | |
| 1978 | Goin' South | Parasol Lady | |
| 1980 | The Long Riders | Kate | |
| 1982 | Alone in the Dark | Receptionist at Haven | |
| 1982 | Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again | Nurse with Telegram | |
| 1984 | A Nightmare on Elm Street | Teacher | |
| 1985 | Brewster's Millions | Journalist at Rally | |
| 1986 | Critters | Sally | |
| 1987 | Extreme Prejudice | Employment Office Clerk | |
| 1987 | Slam Dance | Librarian | |
| 1987 | The Hidden | Carol Miller | |
| 1987 | The Running Man | Propaganda Officer | |
| 1988 | Critters 2: The Main Course | Sal | |
| 1988 | Lucky Stiff | Bratty Kid's Mom | |
| 1990 | Book of Love | Mrs. Flynn | |
| 1990 | Pump Up the Volume | PTA Parent #3 | |
| 1992 | Roadside Prophets | Celeste | |
| 1993 | Loaded Weapon 1 | Witness | |
| 1993 | The Temp | Rosemary | |
| 1993 | Three of Hearts | Operator | |
| 1993 | Amityville: A New Generation | Nurse Turner | |
| 1993 | Even Cowgirls Get the Blues | Rubber Rose Maid | |
| 1994 | Corrina, Corrina | Repeat Nanny | |
| 1994 | Wes Craven's New Nightmare | Nurse | |
| 1994 | Dumb & Dumber | Mrs. Neugeboren | |
| 1995 | The Nature of the Beast | Carol Powell | |
| 1996 | Kingpin | Landlady | |
| 1996 | Last Man Standing | The Madame | |
| 1998 | Living Out Loud | Lisa's Nurse | |
| 1998 | There's Something About Mary | Magda | |
| 1999 | Detroit Rock City | Mrs. Bruce | |
| 2001 | Say It Isn't So | Nurse Bautista | |
| 2002 | Wish You Were Dead | Jinny Macintosh | |
| 2002 | Boat Trip | Sonya | |
| 2003 | Who's Your Daddy? | Ms. Harding | |
| 2003 | National Lampoon's Barely Legal | Tequila | |
| 2003 | Dumb and Dumberer: When Harry Met Lloyd | Margie | |
| 2003 | Dead End | Laura Harrington | |
| 2003 | Stuck on You | Makeup Babe | |
| 2004 | The Hillside Strangler | Jenny Buono | |
| 2004 | A Cinderella Story | Mrs. Wells | |
| 2004 | Cellular | Exotic Car Driver | |
| 2005 | Hate Crime | Kathleen Slansky | |
| 2005 | Confessions of an Action Star | Samantha Jones | |
| 2005 | 2001 Maniacs | Granny Boon | |
| 2005 | Drop Dead Sexy | Ma Muzzy | |
| 2006 | Unbeatable Harold | Jeannie | |
| 2006 | Bachelor Party Vegas | Cassandra | |
| 2006 | Hood of Horror | Clara | |
| 2006 | Snakes on a Plane | Grace | |
| 2006 | Driftwood | Nancy Forrester | |
| 2006 | Pledge This! | Miss Prin | |
| 2007 | Homo Erectus | Museum Guide | |
| 2007 | Kush | Susan | |
| 2008 | Killer Pad | Marge | |
| 2008 | Asylum | String's Mother | |
| 2009 | My Sister's Keeper | Nurse Adele | |
| 2009 | American Cowslip | Lou Anne | |
| 2010 | Small Town Saturday Night | Phyllis | |
| 2010 | 2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams | Granny Boone | |
| 2011 | Insidious | Elise Reiner | |
| 2011 | Sedona: The Motion Picture | Claire | |
| 2011 | Chillerama | Nurse Maleva | |
| 2012 | The Three Stooges | Nursery Nurse | post-production |
| Television | |||
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1977 | Eight Is Enough | 1 episode | |
| 1985 | The New Twilight Zone | Kate Simmons | 1 episode |
| 1991 | Life Goes On | Parent #2 | 1 episode |
| 1996 | Frasier | Anne | 1 episode |
| 1997 | Perversions of Science | The Nurse | 1 episode |
| 1998 | Becker | Mrs. Cooper | 1 episode |
| 2004 | Crossing Jordan | Leather Lauren | 1 episode |
| 2006 | My Name Is Earl | Paul's Mom | 1 episode |
| 2007 | Dirty Sexy Money | Leslie Donovan | 1 episode |
| 2009 | ER | Margaret | 1 episode |
| Year | Result | Award | Category | Film or series |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Nominated | Blockbuster Entertainment Awards | Favorite Supporting Actress – Comedy | There's Something About Mary |
| 2002 | Won | Method Fest Independent Film Festival | Best Supporting Actress |
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| 2004 | Peñíscola Comedy Film Festival | Best Actress | Dead End |