On June 6th, 1947 (that’s 70 years ago today) a nightmare was born. That nightmare was Robert Barton Englund who is better known to pop culture as the man who played Freddy Krueger. Englund’s a legend in film for playing one of the greatest slasher villains of all time, but his career spans far beyond Kreuger. From Star Wars to Freddy to Injustice 2, Robert Englund’s long tenure in Hollywood provides a lot of work to admire.
Happy Birthday to Robert Englund! Here’s a look back through his career.
1. Pre-Freddy Krueger
Before landing the role of mass murderer Freddy Krueger, Englund was a classically trained actor making waves on stage. After appearing in plays by Shakespeare and George Bernard Shaw, Englund landed a small film role. And like a snowball, Englund’s career kept rolling and growing. Eventually, Englund landed a role in the TV mini-series V as a humble “Visitor.” Englund would reprise his role in the sequel, V: The Final Battle.
During this period in his life, Englund was considered for the role of Han Solo in the original Star Wars. He also encouraged a friend who was sleeping on his couch to audition. That friend was Mark Hamill.
