Robert Barton Englund is an American actor and director. He gained his worldwide fame thanks to the film of the famous Wes Craven "A Nightmare on Elm Street", where he played the mystical maniac killer Freddy Krueger. For the image he created, he was nominated for the Saturn Prize.
The actor devoted most of his creative biography to films where he played the roles of villains and dark personalities, although friends speak of him as a very kind and disposing person. Prior to starting his acting career, Robert worked in radio and hosted several entertainment shows on television.
early years
Robert was born in 1947, on June 6, in the United States, into a family that had nothing to do with art. Mom ran a household, and my father worked as an engineer at an aircraft factory.
The boy attended an ordinary school, but by the age of 12 he began to actively participate in school theatrical performances and gradually became very carried away by the stage. In the future, his hobby influenced his choice of profession and Robert enters first at the Cranbrook Theater School, then at acting courses at the University of California and the Academy of Arts in Michigan. He later did an internship at the New York Theater and attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Actor career
After receiving an acting education, Inglund played several roles in the theater, and in 1974 he decided to try his hand at cinema.
On the advice of his friend Mark Hamill, Robert goes to audition for the movie "Star Wars", but his attempt was unsuccessful. After a while, he was invited to a number of cameo roles that did not bring the actor either success or fame. But Robert did not despair and continued to work hard and look for new projects. And his search was not in vain.
Since the 80s, the actor has appeared in more than a hundred films and television series.
A Nightmare on Elm Street
The main role of Robert Englund was the fictional killer and maniac from childhood dreams known to all fans of horror films - Freddy Krueger in a series of films "A Nightmare on Elm Street".
There were many rumors and legends about how the actor began to appear in this film. In some of them, it was said that Robert had quarreled with his close friend the day before and, in order to annoy her, painted his face with make-up and walked like that for several days. The future director of the film, Wes Craven, saw him in this "mask" and invited him to the shooting. The very name Freddy Krueger was also not chosen by chance. It was said that the director named his hero so after a classmate who harassed him during his school years.
Nevertheless, the role of a maniac became truly stellar for Inglund. He was called the "king of horror", crowds of fans pursued the actor, not giving him a pass, and Robert himself provided himself with work for many years.
In one of his interviews, Robert said that the film was based on nightmares that haunted Wes himself for a long time. When he was very young, at night before going to bed, he saw in the window a strange man in a multi-colored sweater with a burnt or dirty face, who was looking directly into the eyes of the child. The boy went to bed, but soon heard a noise near the front door. Looking through the peephole, he saw this strange man. These childhood fears, as well as stories about refugees from Vietnam who died in their dreams, formed the basis of the film's script.
To this day, the image created by Inglund is considered one of the most terrifying in cinema.
Later, the actor played in many more horror films, among which were: "Crush", "Wishmaster", "Urban Legends", "2001 Maniac" and many others.
Personal life
Robert tied the knot twice.
The first wife is Elizabeth Gardner, who has lived with Robert for about 20 years.
For two years, the actor was in a close relationship with Roxanne Rogers, an actress who played a small role in Inglund's directorial work, but they never got married.
The current chosen one - Nancy Booth, works as a make-up artist. Englund has been living with her since 1988 and considers their union very happy.
Unfortunately, the actor never had children in any marriage.
