From sudden dismissal to scream queen: How one actress found fame in horror

People say that when one door closes, another one opens. The idea is simple. Disappointments can lead to unexpected opportunities. That is exactly what happened to Jamie Lee Curtis in the late 1970s while she was part of the cast of the TV series “Operation Petticoat.” As part of an ABC shake up, the network dismissed her along with ten other actors. The bad news turned out to be the opening chapter of one of the most celebrated and longest running horror franchises of all time.

The chance phone call that changed everything

Curtis was driving home, deep in thought about the possibility of having to move again or even go back to college. Then, out of nowhere, she got a call a few days later from a friend named Chuck Binder. He told her about a low budget movie shooting on the outskirts of town and mentioned that the director was promising. He was right. The director was John Carpenter, and the movie was “Halloween,” released in 1978.

Jamie Lee Curtis becomes Laurie Strode

Carpenter chose Curtis to play Laurie Strode, the teenager hunted by Michael Myers, the villain who defined the franchise. Between 1978 and 2022, Curtis portrayed Laurie in 13 films, most recently “Halloween Ends” in October 2022. The series stands as one of the most influential and popular horror franchises in film history, as well as one of the longest running.

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