Luke Skywalker in Star Wars

Star Wars

At the start of his movie career, Robert did an audition for the role of Luke Skywalker in George Lucas' Star Wars (1977).

After he didn't get the part, he suggested and encouraged his roommate Mark Hamill to audition for this role. Hamill did and at the end, he got the part and became famous with a role that would change his life forever.

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Robert and Tobe Hooper

Tobe Hooper

Robert has worked with many different directors on different films. There's one director though he seems to work with very often; Mr. Tobe Hooper, the director of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Robert w
orked with Hooper on five different projects. 

They did the adaptation of Stephen King's The Mangler, the horrorfilms Night Terrors and Eaten Alive, the episode Dance of the Dead from the Masters of Horror series and the first episode of A Nightmare on Elm Street: The Series, called No More Mr. Nice Guy.

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Dreams and nightmares

Dreams and nightmares

Looking at Robert's filmography, you might notice there's something about Robert and dreams and nightmares. We all know he became famous for the Nightmare on Elm Street films, which are seven movies and one series featuring the word Nightmare.

But Robert also featured in the films Slashed Dreams, Night Terrors (also known as Nightmare) and Kako Los Son (which is translated into As a Bad Dream). On top of that Robert starred in the televisionshow Nightmare Cafe and had a small role in an episode of The Nightmare Room.

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The Englunds

The Englunds

Robert was married to Roxanne Rogers, who also played the part of the waitress in Robert's film 976-EVIL in 1988 for two years. On October 1988 Robert got married with Nancy Booth, who is still his wife today and often travels with him to conventions.

Nancy worked as a set decorator on 976- EVIL and was also a set decorator for CHUD 2: Bud the Chud in 1989, which features Robert in a short, uncredited cameo- appearance. The two have no kids, but they do have a sweet dog, named Lola.

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Robert in C.H.U.D.

Robert in C.H.U.D.

Robert was originally set to star in the horrorfilm C.H.U.D., a 1984 horrorfilm directed by Douglas Cheek. Robert was going to play the role of A.J. 'The Reverend' Shepherd, but had to drop out due to filming A Nightmare on Elm Street. 

The role of The Reverend went to Home Alone- actor Daniel Stern. Five years after C.H.U.D. Robert did a short and uncredited cameo in the sequel C.H.U.D. 2: Bud the Chud, a movie where Robert's wife Nancy Booth was a set decorator.

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Robert's favorite Nightmare on Elm Street

Robert's favorite Nightmare on Elm Street

One of the questions Robert gets allot at Q and A's is which Nightmare on Elm Street is his personal favorite. Robert says he loves the first one and also is a big fan of New Nightmare, because it was smart and it had allot of the same cast and crewmembers.

Robert's least favorite Nightmare film is A Nightmare on Elm Street 2. Even though Robert doesn't think Nightmare 2 is a bad film, he believes they broke too many rules that Wes Craven created for Freddy, like Freddy popping up ánd killing teens in the real world.

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Robert's favorite kill

Robert's favorite kill

Also one of those questions Robert gets allot is which is his favorite Nightmare kill. His favorites are the Johnny Depp and Amanda Wyss deaths from the first Nightmare, the Ricky Dean Logan hearing aid scene from Freddy's Dead, the Bradley Gregg puppet scene in Nightmare 3 and the Brooke Theiss cockroach scene from Nightmare 4.

Yet there is one deathscene Robert claims to love the best, but it's not from a Nightmare film. According to Robert, the Butterfly deathscene from Silence of the Lambs, in which Charles Napier gets killed by Anthony Hopkin's Hannibal Lecter in the cage, is thé best kill in cinema history.

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Robert's favorite horrorfilms

Robert's favorite horrorfilms

Robert is also often asked what his favorite horrorfilms in general are. One of these favorites is the classic movie The Innocents (1961) by director Jack Clayton. Other classics Robert loves are Rosemary's Baby (1986) by Roman Polanski and Sisters (1973) by Brian De Palma.

When talking about more recent horrorflicks, Robert claims he really loves May (2002) by Lucky McKee, 28 Days Later (2002) by Danny Boyle, Dog Soldiers (2002) by Neil Marshall and El Espinazo del Diablo (2001), also known as The Devil's Backbone, by Guillermo del Toro.

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One movie, two Roberts

One movie, two Roberts

What's better than Robert Englund in a movie? That's right, two Roberts in a movie. Ok, I'll admit the joke is pretty lame, but it is a fact that Robert is not unknown with playing more than one role or character in a movie.

For example; Robert plays a busdriver in Nightmare on Elm Street 2 and Freddy's father in Nightmare on Elm Street 5. Also Rob played both the role of Paul Chevaller and Marquis de Sade in Tobe Hooper's Night Terrors and in Dance Macabre Robert was both seen as Anthony Wager and his wife Madame. And then there is of course Robert's fightscène with himself in the 1981 science fiction film Galaxy of Terror.

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Robert and other legends of horror

Robert and other legends of horror

Robert often works with other actors who have portrayed a very popular horror icon or character. For example, Robert worked with actors such as Doug Bradley (Pinhead) in La Lengua Asesina, Kane Hodder (Jason Voorhees) on Hatchet, Zelda Rubinstein (Tangina in Poltergeist) on Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon, Tobin Bell (Jigsaw) on Mortal Fear and Sid Haig (Captain Spaulding) on Galaxy of Terror.

Also Robert played a part in Wishmaster, which featured allot of horror actors, such as Tony Todd (Candyman), Ted Raimi (Evil Dead 2), Angus Scrimm and Reggie Bannister (Phantasm) and Joseph Pilato (Day of the Dead).

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Robert and Lin Shaye

Robert and Lin Shaye

With all the actors and actresses Robert has worked with in his carreer, he probably worked the most with acress Lin Shaye, sister of New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye and famous for her work in allot of Bobby and Peter Farrelly's comedies. 

Robert and Lin worked together on A Nightmare on Elm Street, Wes Craven's New Nightmare, 2001 Maniacs, Wish You Were Dead and Robert's film Killer Pad. Also they are going to be seen together again in 2001 Maniacs: Beverly Hellbillies.

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