Freddy Krueger Actor Robert Englund Gets Hollywood Star On Halloween Horror legend Robert Englund was honored with the 2,826th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame today, on October 31. The ceremony took place at 6644 Hollywood Boulevard, where Englund’s star was unveiled in the Motion Pictures category. He was joined by special guests Eli Roth (Hostel, Cabin Fever) and Heather Langenkamp (A Nightmare on Elm Street). The Halloween date couldn’t be more fitting for Englund, whose portrayal of Freddy Krueger — the dream-haunting villain of New Line Cinema’s A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise — cemented his place in pop culture and horror history. Born in Glendale, California, Englund is the son of an aeronautics engineer who worked on the Lockheed U-2 airplane. At 12, he was a carefree surfer who joined an acting class on a whim and soon fell in love with performance. He later studied at the U.S. branch of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art at Oakland University in Detroit before performing classical theatre on the East Coast. Englund’s Hollywood break came when he landed his first audition for Buster and Billie (1974). It was followed by notable early roles in Stay Hungry, A Star Is Born, and the TV series V. Seeking to avoid typecasting, Englund auditioned for Wes Craven’s low-budget horror film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984). Craven had planned to cast a stuntman as the burned killer, but Englund’s intensity and theatrical training convinced him otherwise. Englund’s Freddy Krueger debut was a career-defining moment. His blend of dark humor and menacing charisma made Freddy an instant icon. The film spawned seven sequels, a TV series, crossovers, and a massive fan following. The success of the series helped transform New Line Cinema into a major studio. The studio earned the nickname “The House That Freddy Built.” Over the decades, Englund became a fixture in genre entertainment, appearing in more than 80 films and countless television roles. He worked alongside screen legends such as Henry Fonda, Jeff Bridges, Sally Field, Barbara Streisand, James Earl Jones, and Sissy Spacek. Englund remains a fan-favorite presence at conventions and continues to act and lend his voice to film and animation. He recently appeared in season 4 of Netflix’s Stranger Things and voices Jiminy Crickett in the new animated film Pinocchio: Unstrung, released October 26 by ITN Studios. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. Home Entertainment has issued the A Nightmare on Elm Street 7-Film 4K UHD Collection, bringing Freddy Krueger’s entire legacy to modern home viewing formats. Outside of acting, Englund supports the charity ScaresThatCare.org and the Laguna Beach High School Scholarship fund. Englund’s star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame serves as a tribute to a career that has thrilled, terrified, and inspired audiences for more than five decades. By earning his place along Hollywood Boulevard on the most spirited day of the year, Englund solidifies his legacy as one of cinema’s most enduring figures — and the face behind one of its most haunting nightmares.
