Jamie Lee Curtis was born in Los Angeles, California. She’s the only daughter of famous actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, but has made a name for herself in her own right. Curtis made her silver screen debut in 1978 when she was cast as Laurie Strode in the horror flick Halloween. Following that, she branched out from “The Scream Queen” to “funny lady” in such comedies as 1983’s Trading Places and 1988’s A Fish Called Wanda. In 1994, she starred with Arnold Schwarzenegger in the actioner True Lies, for which she won a Golden Globe. She also appeared alongside comedian Richard Lewis on the ABC comedy series Anything But Love, which ran from 1989 to 1992. In 1998, she reprised her role as Laurie Strode for Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. In honor of her 55th birthday, here is a Top 10 list of Jamie Lee Curtis movies.
10. Beverly Hills Chihuahua: This 2008 family comedy from Walt Disney Pictures had Curtis co-starring with Coyote Ugly star Piper Perabo along with Drew Barrymore, George Lopez and Andy Garcia in voice-over roles. Curtis played the wealthy Beverly Hills heiress Vivian "Viv" Ashe, who leaves her pampered chihuahua, Chloe, with her niece Rachel (Perabo) while she goes on a business trip. Chloe gets dog-napped and the whole movie shows Rachel trying to rescue the dog from crazy situations. Curtis played the clueless heiress perfectly as the dog was rescued without Curtis’ character ever knowing she was in danger at all.
9. My Girl: Curtis shared the screen with Dan Aykroyd for the second time in this 1991 drama. Co-starring Macauley Culkin and Anna Chlumsky, Curtis played Shelly DeVoto, the new make-up artist at Vada’s (Chlumsky) father, Harry’s (Aykroyd) funeral parlor. Harry is an awkward widower who hits it off with Shelly and guides Vada through some important milestones of growing up. Curtis’ poignant talks with Vada and helping her through the loss of her best friend Thomas J. (Culkin,) who dies from an allergic reaction to bee stings was heartfelt and showed audiences that Curtis could deliver a touching dramatic performance.
8. Halloween H20: 20 Years Later: This 1998 slasher film was the seventh in the Halloween movie franchise. Curtis reprised her role as Laurie Strode from the 1978 original film. It also starred Josh Hartnett, Michelle Williams, LL Cool J and Adam Arkin. Set twenty years after the events of the first two movies, the movie’s plot centered on Strode living in fear of her murderous brother, Michael Myers, who attempted to kill her all those years ago. Laurie faked her death, changed her name to protect herself and her teenage son (Hartnett) and was now the headmistress of a prestigious private boarding school. When Michael eventually appears, Laurie must face his evil one last time, while the life of her teenage son is on the line. Curtis kicked some serious *ss as she fought to keep her son and his girlfriend alive against her psychotic brother. Curtis showed Laurie’s pain wonderfully as she and Michael touched hands lovingly, showing her mixed emotions, right before she chopped his head off at the end of the movie.
7. Forever Young: This 1992 drama had Curtis co-starring with the hunky Mel Gibson and Elijah Wood. Curtis played Claire Cooper, the single mother of Nat Cooper (Wood.) Gibson played test pilot Captain Daniel McCormick, who in 1939, let his friend Harry Finley (played by George Wendt) use him as his test subject for his suspended animation project after McCormick’s girlfriend, Helen, is hit by a car and he’s told she will never wake up. Fast-forward 53 years later, Cooper and his friend find and wake up McCormick and he befriends Nat and Claire while trying to piece his life back together. Curtis’ portrayal of single mother Claire was sweet as she tried to help Daniel, learned the truth about where he came from and did anything she could to help him reunite with his long lost love.
6. Freaky Friday: Based on the novel of the same name by Mary Rodgers, this 2003 family comedy had Curtis co-starring with Lindsay Lohan, Mark Harmon, Chad Michael Murray and Julie Gonzalo. This was Disney’s second remake of this film, which in 1976 starred Barbara Harris and Jodie Foster. Curtis played Tess Coleman, who thanks to an enchanted fortune cookie, switches bodies with her teen daughter, Anna (Lohan.) The hijinks that ensue are side-splitting as Curtis reminded moviegoers of her dazzling talent for comedy.
5. You Again: This 2010 comedy had Curtis co-starring with Kristen Bell, Odette Yustman, James Wolk, Sigourney Weaver and Betty White. Curtis played Gail, mother of Marni, (Bell) who just learned that her brother, Will (Wolk) is engaged Joanna (Yustman,) who made her high school years a living hell. In turn, Gail learns that Joanna’s aunt, Ramona (Weaver) is her former best friend. Curtis and Weaver’s constant sparring and never-ending attempts at one-upping each other throughout the movie made for some serious slapstick comedy and showed audiences why Curtis is so gifted in the comedic genre.
4. A Fish Called Wanda: Written by John Cleese, this 1988 heist comedy had Curtis co-starring opposite Kevin Kline, who the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role as Otto, Cleese, Michael Palin and Stephen Fry. Curtis played Wanda Gershwitz, a sneaky and sexy con artist. She and her partner/lover Otto (Kline,) help a gangster and his partner pull off a jewel heist and while the robbery goes well, its aftermath isn’t without its mishaps and hysterical bungles. Curtis conveyed her genius at comedy from all angles as she double-crossed all of the males in the movie and audiences didn’t know how it would all end.
3. Halloween: Directed by John Carpenter, this 1978 slasher film changed the horror film genre and was Curtis’ film debut. Co-starring with Donald Pleasence, she played Laurie Strode. The movie was set in the fictional Midwestern town of Haddonfield, Illinois. On Halloween night in 1963, a six-year-old Michael Myers murdered his older sister by stabbing her with a kitchen knife. 15 years later, he escaped from a psychiatric hospital, returned home, and stalked teenager Strode and her friends. Michael's psychiatrist Dr. Sam Loomis (Pleasence) followed Michael to Haddonfield, knowing he would kill again and tried to prevent more bloodshed. Curtis’ infused Laurie with a drive and determination to stay alive despite Michael’s relentless pursuit. She earned “scream queen” status from this movie and IMO, it was well deserved!
2. Trading Places: This 1983 comedy had Curtis starring opposite two incredibly funny men, Dan Aykroyd and Eddie Murphy along with Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche. Curtis played Ophelia, a prostitute that Louis Winthorpe III (Aykroyd) befriends after Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Bellamy and Ameche,) wealthy brothers who own a commodities brokerage, make a wager and conduct an experiment, switching the lives of Winthorpe and poor hustler Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy.) Ophelia helps Winthorpe get back on his feet and they fall in love as she, Valentine and Winthorpe get revenge on the Duke Brothers in the most damaging yet hilarious way. Curtis pulled no punches playing the no-nonsense prostitute with a heart of gold.
1. True Lies: Directed by James Cameron, this 1994 action thriller comedy had Curtis starring opposite the consummate action hero. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Also starring Tom Arnold, Tia Carrere, Grant Heslov, Bill Paxton, Eliza Dishku and Charlton Heston. Curtis played Helen Tasker, wife of Harry Tasker (Schwarzenegger.) She thinks he’s a mild-mannered computer sales rep when he’s in fact been a secret agent for more than a decade. Harry managed to keep his real identity a secret from Helen and their teenage daughter Dana (Dishku) until in order to thwart nuclear terrorists he must reveal his identity when he and Helen are kidnapped. Curtis’ sultry striptease was a moment in the movie that audiences still talk about to this day and once Helen knew Harry’s true identity, Curtis showed that Helen was no wallflower and Harry’s perfect mate.