Jamie Lee Curtis (Laurie Strode)
The daughter of Psycho’s Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee Curtis was just 19 when she made her big screen debut as Laurie Strode, the babysitter stalked by Michael Myers, in the original 1978 Halloween. She reprised the role in Halloween‘s sequels Halloween II (1981), Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), Halloween: Resurrection (2002), Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022), the latter of which was dubbed as the final showdown between Laurie and Michael.
Curtis’ role in the franchise has cemented her place as one of the most iconic scream queens and final girls, and she has appeared in other horror titles including The Fog (1980), Prom Night (1980) and Terror Train (1980), as well as Ryan Murphy’s hit Fox series Scream Queens.
Outside of the horror genre, Curtis has starred in Trading Places (1983), A Fish Called Wanda (1988), True Lies (1994), and Freaky Friday (2003). In 2023, the actress won her first Oscar when she took home the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress at the 95th Academy Awards for her role in A24’s 2022 film Everything Everywhere All at Once.
Nick Castle (Michael Myers)
While numerous actors have played Michaels Myers throughout the franchise’s decades-long history, Nick Castle was the first when he wore the iconic mask in the 1978 film. He landed the role after first meeting Carpenter while they both studied at USC, with Castle starring in Carpenter’s 1974 debut film Dark Star.
After Halloween, Castle went on to focus on his career as a writer and director, once again teaming with Carpenter to co-write Escape from New York (1981), pen the screenplay for August Rush (2007), and direct Dennis the Menace (1993) and Major Payne (1995), among others. He returned to Haddonfield to once again transform into The Shape in Green’s recent trilogy – Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022).
“Being on the set the first day, as a matter of fact she noticed me walking across the place where we were shooting and yelled at me, ‘Castle!’ ran over, gave me a big hug and said, ‘Is this nuts or what?'” he told Bloody Disgusting in 2018 of his reunion with Curtis. “hat’s how we addressed it in the crazy way that life works and the crazy way the motion picture business works, that’s for sure. Not in the deep philosophical, psychological sense [but] the weight of how ridiculous it is. 40 years later we’re still doing this work and it’s somewhat of a mystery to us how this has sustained its interest in the fans.”
Donald Pleasence (Dr. Sam Loomis)
Known for his role as Dr. Loomis, Michaels’s appointed psychiatrist, Donald Pleasence was already a well-known actor, having starred in The Great Escape (1963), You Only Live Twice (1967), and THX 1138 (1971), George Lucas’ first major film. Following Halloween, Pleasence had roles in in titles including Midsomer Murders in 1998, Doctor Who in 2007, and Dario Argento’s Phenomena (1985).
He maintained a working relationship with Carpenter, also starring in Escape from New York (1981) and Prince of Darkness (1987). Pleasence reprised his role as Dr. Loomis in Halloween II, Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988), Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989,) and Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995).
Pleasence died from complications of a heart valve replacement surgery at the age of 75 in 1995, just a few months after The Curse of Michael Myers released.
Brian Andrews (Tommy Doyle)
BURBANK, CA – SEPTEMBER 23: Actor Brian Andrews at the signing for entire “Halloween” complete BluRay collection from Anchor Bay Entertainment and Scream Factory held at Dark Delicacies Bookstore on September 23, 2014 in Burbank, California.
– Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Brian Andrews was an up-and-coming child actor when he landed the role of Tommy Doyle, the little boy Laurie babysits, in Halloween, having already appeared in TV movies like 1974’s I Love You… Good-bye and 1977’s Intimate Strangers, as well as in series including Days of Lives and Kojak. Following his breakout role in Halloween, Andrews continued his acting career with roles in the Robert Duvall-starring The Great Santini (1979), the teen comedy Three O’Clock High (1987), The Day of the Living Dead (2014), and most recently, Sky Harbor (2015).
While Andrews never returned Haddonfield, little Tommy Doyle continued to make appearance throughout the Halloween franchise. Paul Rudd starred as an adult Tommy in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, with Danny Ray appearing in the role in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. Michael Hall portrayed Tommy in Halloween Kills.
Kyle Richards (Lindsay Wallace)
After making her acting debut portraying Julia in the television series Police Woman, a then-9-year-old Kyle Richards found herself running for her life from The Shape when she took on the role of young Lindsey Wallace in Halloween. Lindsey, whose parents were at a Halloween party when Michael began to wreak havoc on Haddonfield, has the unique distinction of being one of the few people to survive the fictional Babysitter Murders of 1978.
Richards followed the standout role with the series Down to Earth from 1984 to 1987 and a recurring role on ER from 1998 to 2006, with other credits including The Watcher in the Woods, Little House on the Prairie, and Love Boat. Although the actress stepped away from the spotlight for most of the 1990s and early 2000s, she went on to become a reality TV star and is the longest-running original cast member on The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, which premiered on Bravo in 2010.
Richards reprised her role as Lindsey in 2021’s Halloween Kills and 2022’s Halloween Ends, telling PEOPLE in 2022 when asked if she would be up to return for future films, “Absolutely. That would be amazing to be able to do that after all these years. I mean, Halloween is the gift that keeps on giving. It keeps coming back and coming back, and my character’s been around for so long, so that would be amazing.”
Nancy Kyes (Annie Brackett)
Nancy Kyes starred as Laurie’s friend and fellow babysitter Annie Brackett in the 1978 film, marking her second role in a Carpenter film after she starred in Assault on Precinct 13 (1976). She again reunited with Carpenter in 1980’s The Fog, where she starred as Sandy Fadel, the assistant of Janet Leigh’s Kathy Williams. The movie also reunited Kyes with Curtis, who appeared as Elizabeth Solley.
While her Halloween character Annie was strangled to death by Michael inside a garage in Halloween, Kyes reprised a dead version of the role in 1981’s Halloween II. She again returned to the franchise in 1982 for Halloween III: Season of the Witch (1982), an anthology film, where she met her future husband, writer and director Tommy Lee Wallace.
“You don’t think you’re making great works of art that are somehow going to last through the ages,” Kyes told The Poly Post in 2018 of her role in the franchise. “In 1978, when the movie was made, the whole sequel thing was just taking off, so we were making jokes about ‘Oh yeah, there’ll be a sequel.'”
Although Kyes went on to make a handful of screen appearances, she ultimately retired from acting to focus on her work as a sculptor and adjunct professor of theater at Cal Poly Pomona. She will celebrate her 75th birthday on Dec. 19 of this year.
P.J. Soles (Lynda Van Der Klok)
P.J. Soles appeared in the role of Lynda Van Der Klok, Laurie’s friend who is strangled by Michael Myer’s with a telephone chord after hooking up with her high school sweetheart, in Halloween after making her acting debut in Brian De Palma’s 1976 adaptation of Stephen King’s Carrie. She followed Halloween with dozens of other credits, such as Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), Private Benjamin (1980), Stripes (1981), Jawbreaker (1999), and The Devil’s Rejects (2005).
She quietly returned to the Halloween franchise for the 2018 sequel, in which she had a voice cameo as a teacher.
John Michael Graham (Bob Simms)
As Lynda’s boyfriend Bob, John Michael Graham’s character met an unfortunate end in the 1978 film when he is stabbed and pinned to the wall by Michael after sleeping with Lynda. In one of the most iconic moments from the franchise, Michael uses a sheet to dress as a ghost and dons Bob’s glasses.
His appearance in Halloween marked Graham’s final movie credit, the actor, who also appeared as a background dancer in Grease (1978), retired from acting, meaning recent images are scarce, though he has continued to make appearances at conventions. According to his convention bios, Graham has worked for Disney since the ’80s.
Charles Cyphers (Sheriff Lee Brackett)
PASADENA, CA – OCTOBER 13: Actor Charles Cyphers attends Halloween Con: 40 Years Of Terror held at Pasadena Civic Center on October 13, 2018 in Pasadena, California.
– Albert L. Ortega/Getty Images)
Charles Cyphers portrayed Haddonfield’s sheriff and Annie’s father Leigh Brackett in the original film, a role he reprised in Halloween II (1981) and for a cameo in Halloween Kills (2021), which is his most recent acting credit. He also worked with Carpenter on films like Assault on Precinct 13 (1976), The Fog (1980), and Escape from New York (1981), with his other credits including TV series like Seinfeld, ER, JAG, The Betty White Show, Wonder Woman, The Dukes of Hazard, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Murder, She Wrote.
Nancy Stephens (Marion Chambers)
Actress Nancy Stephens attends the costume party premiere of Halloween Kills at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on October 12, 2021. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
– VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images)
Nancy Stephens played Nurse Marion Chambers, a nurse who worked at the hospital where Michael Myers escaped. At the beginning of the film, Marion accompanies Dr. Loomis to the hospital Smith’s Grove.
She reprised this role in Halloween II (1981), where her character revealed that Laurie Strode was Michael’s sister, and again in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later (1998), which saw her character murdered at the very beginning of the film. She returned to the franchise for a final time in 2018, which was a direct sequel to the 1978 movie and retconned every movie after that. In the film, Marion was once again murdered by Michael.
Outside of Halloween, Stephens’ has appeared in episodes of CHiPs, Cheers, Beverly Hills, 90210, Ally McBeal, and Boston Legal, as well as films like Escape From New York, D2: The Mighty Ducks (1994), and A Time for Dancing (2002).
Outside of her acting career, Stephens works as an activist for climate policy and public arts funding, and serves on the Board of Americans For The Arts, as well as the LA Arts for All Pooled Fund and The Santa Monica Mountains Conservancy. She met her husband, Rick Rosenthal, on the set of Halloween II, and with him has produced several documentary films, including Dark Money (2018) and Invisible Beauty (2023). They share three children.