CATEGORY:
Film
Born in Santa Monica, California, to Hollywood power couple Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis excelled as a performer early on—winning people over with her exuberant personality. Originally planning to major in law enforcement, an acting manager suggested Jamie Lee try auditioning. To her surprise, she was signed to a contract at Universal, one of the last performers to be so engaged. She was later cast as iconic “Scream Queen” Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s thrilling classic Halloween (1978), establishing her trajectory as a bona fide movie star.
The Oscar® winner has demonstrated her versatility with a variety of captivating roles over her career, including suburban housewife-turned-international-spy Helen Tasker in True Lies (1994), and no-nonsense mom Tess Coleman in Disney’s remake of the classic body-swap comedy Freaky Friday (2003). In 2023, Jamie Lee returned to both Disney and the macabre genre to portray the legendary Madame Leota in Haunted Mansion, inspired by the classic Disneyland theme park attraction. The author of 13 best-selling books, all exploring core childhood issues, she is also the founder and CEO of My Hand In Yours™—a charitable organization that offers comfort and celebratory gifts where 100% of every sale is donated directly to Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
For her many performances, Jamie Lee has received a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globes®, and nominations for a Primetime Emmy® and a Grammy®. Most recently, she won an Academy Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022).