Jamie Lee Curtis: from scream queen to Oscar winner

Curtis was one of the last actors of the 20th century to be part of the outdated studio contract system, which allowed studios to pay actors a set weekly wage regardless of how profitable their movies or TV shows were. This was standard during the Golden Age of Hollywood, but had been phased out through the 1950s and 1960s.

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She acknowledges her "nepo baby" status -

Curtis auditioned for the starring role in the horror movie ‘Halloween’ in 1977. It came down to her and one other actress, and she believes that her family's status must have given her a leg up. “If you’re going to choose between this one and this one, choose the one whose mother was in ‘Psycho,’ because it will get some press for you. I’m never going to pretend that I just got that on my own."

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She followed in her mother’s footsteps -

Regardless of the circumstances, Curtis was cast in the lead role and joined her mother on the list of history’s most adored scream queens.

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'Halloween' (1978) -

The first ‘Halloween’ movie came out in 1978 and was followed by numerous sequels throughout the ‘80s,‘90s, and early 2000s. The series even returned for two final sequels in 2018 and 2021.

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She’s a scaredy cat -

One fact about Jamie Lee Curtis that few could have guessed is that she actually hates horror movies! Curtis has said on countless occasions that she hates being scared and is easily spooked.

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'The Fog' (1980) -

Despite her personal fears, Curtis went on to star in several other horror movies including ‘The Fog’ in 1980, which also featured her mother, Janet Leigh.

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Moving into comedy -

In 1983, Curtis began to show her range by appearing in the comedy ‘Trading Places’ with Eddie Murphy and Dan Aykroyd. It was a major hit at the box office, and she was nominated for a BAFTA for her performance.

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She's shared her experiences with the pressure to look young -

As her career progressed into her thirties, Curtis became acutely aware of the severe beauty standards applied to actresses. When she was working on the movie ‘Perfect’ (1985) at age 35, a famous cameraman said he wouldn’t shoot her one day. Curtis says her face was puffy that day and she felt mortified.

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She underwent plastic surgery -

After the movie was complete, she immediately went and had cosmetic surgery on her eyes to look younger. While she was recovering from the procedure she was prescribed Vicodin, a strong opioid painkiller to which she became addicted.

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She's struggled with addiction -

Curtis abused Vicodin and alcohol for the following decade. For a while, she was terrified of the stigma and saw her addiction as a weakness that could be exploited if anyone ever found out. However, in 1999, she saw an article by writer Tom Chiarella in which he outed himself as a Vicodin addict. She was so deeply affected by his honesty and the discovery that she was not alone that she decided to seek treatment.

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She's an outspoken advocate of addiction recovery -

Curtis entered recovery in 1999 and has been sober ever since. She decided to be candid about her experiences in the hope that one of her articles would have the same effect on someone that Chiarella’s had on her. She has become one of Hollywood’s most outspoken advocates for sobriety and recovery.

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She has a loving family by her side -

Throughout her recovery journey, Curtis has been supported by her husband and two children. She met Christopher Guest in 1984, after first randomly pointing him out in a magazine that spring and telling her friend she was going to marry him! She discovered that Guest was signed with the same agency and asked them to pass her number on to him.

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They have been married for almost 40 years -

Sadly, Guest never called her! Although sometime later, she spotted him in a restaurant and they waved to each other. The next day, he called her, and the rest is history. They got married in December 1984 and have been together ever since.

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Her husband turns it up to 11 -

Christopher Guest is a British-American screenwriter, director, musician, and actor best known for creating and starring in his mockumentary-style comedies like ‘This Is Spinal Tap’ (1984) and ‘Best in Show’ (2000).

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The couple really are close to royalty -

Guest inherited the title of Baron Haden-Guest from his British father (pictured) following his death in 1996, which means that Curtis is technically the Baroness Haden-Guest! The couple prefer not to use their titles.

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They have two adopted children -

Curtis and Guest adopted two children. Their daughter Annie (right) was born in 1986, and their daughter Ruby (left) was born in 1996. Ruby came out as transgender in 2020, and she and Curtis have spoken openly about the beauty and challenges they have experienced through that transition.

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Curtis is a bit of a nerd -

There’s definitely a nerdy streak in the family! Curtis has always loved getting dressed up, and Ruby and her partner got married in full cosplay attire in 2022. Ruby introduced her mom to games like World of Warcraft and Street Fighter when she was younger, and Curtis is now a huge fan. She frequently attends Comic-Con and similar events.

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Curtis has won two Golden Globes -

She picked up her first Golden Globe in 1990 for her performance in the TV comedy series ‘Anything But Love,’ co-starring Richard Lewis. In 1995, she won her second award, this time for her performance in the movie ‘True Lies’ (1994).

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She started a production company with her mother and sister -

In addition to her illustrious acting career, Curtis started her own production company along with her mother, Janet Leigh, and sister, Kelly Curtis, in 1981. They called it Generation Productions.

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She writes best-selling children’s books -

Curtis has also authored many best-selling children’s books. She released her first book in 1994, and in 1998 her book ‘Today I Feel Silly, and Other Moods That Make My Day’ made The New York Times best-seller list for 10 weeks. She has continued to publish a new book every few years since then.

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Her 'Knives Out' style was inspired by a friend -

One of Curtis’ more recent hits was the 2019 murder mystery ‘Knives Out.’ Curtis plays Linda Drysdale, whose whole look was inspired by her friend; Patti Röckenwagner. Curtis sent a photo of Röckenwagner wearing a “head-to-toe raspberry-sorbet blouse and trouser” to the movie’s costume designer and said, “That’s Linda Drysdale.”

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She was nominated for (and won!) her first Oscar at age 64 -

In 2022, Curtis took on a less stylish but no less iconic role in the movie ‘Everything Everywhere All at Once.’ Her brilliant performance as ill-tempered IRS inspector Deirdre Beaubeirdre earned her her first Oscar nomination and award at the age of 64. “It is the thrill of my life, professionally. It is, because it never was something I thought would ever happen," she said.

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A proud nepo baby -

Curtis picked up the Best Supporting Actress SAG Award for 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' and in two of her speeches that night she joked about being a product of nepotism.

“I got my SAG card when I was 19 years old, when I signed a seven-year contract to Universal Studios and starred in an ABC TV series called the ‘Operation Petticoat,’ which was based on the movie that my father, Tony Curtis—nepo baby!— starred in,” Curtis said as the audience laughed. She recalled being fired from the TV show after a year and thinking her life was over, “But the good news is that if I hadn’t been fired from ‘Operation Petticoat,’ I would have never had the opportunity to audition for a little tiny, no-budget horror movie called ‘Halloween,'" which of course became one of the biggest horror franchises in history.

In her acceptance speech for her first SAG Award, Curtis added, “I know you look at me and think, well, ‘Nepo baby. That’s why she’s there.’ And I totally get it. But the truth of the matter is, I’m 64 years old and this is just amazing.” It's a nice change in Curtis's tone as she'd previously criticized New York magazine’s polarizing nepo baby article, claiming it was "designed to try to diminish and denigrate and hurt."

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A force to be reckoned with -

Curtis has certainly had a long and fascinating career. She summarized it rather bluntly while marveling over her Oscar nomination: “I’m 64 years old. I’ve been an actor since I was 19. I made horror films and sold yogurt that makes you sh**. I never thought I would hear my name at the Oscars.” From Activia commercials to Oscar-winning movies, Curtis brings her uniquely energetic and joyful spirit to the screen every time.