He Won't Play Freddy Krueger Again: Who is Robert Englund?

Robert Englund was born in Los Angeles on June 6, 1947, as the son of Janis Englund and John Kent Englund. His full name is Robert Barton Englund. He studied at Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills, California, studied at California State University, Northridge for 3 years, and then graduated from Oakland University, Michigan, Department of Dramatic Arts.

Robert Englund became famous for his role as Freddy Krueger in the first movie of The Nightmare On Elm Street series in 1984.

A Nightmare on Elm Street lasted exactly 10 years and the series was shot in 7 episodes. In fact, Freddy was definitely killed in the 6th episode, but upon popular demand, the 7th episode of the film was shot in a different format. And since Freddy would never die, the new part of the movie was shot 10 years later as Freddy VS Jason.

Robert Barton Englund (born June 6, 1947) is an American actor and director, best known for playing the supernatural serial killer Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street film series. Classically trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, Englund began his career as a stage actor in regional theatre, and made his film debut in Buster and Billie in 1974. After supporting roles in films in the 1970s such as Stay Hungry, A Star Is Born, and Big Wednesday, Englund had his breakthrough as the resistance fighter Willie in the miniseries V in 1983. Following his performance in the original A Nightmare on Elm Street in 1984, he became closely associated with the horror film genre, and is widely-regarded as one of its iconic actors.

Marriages:

1st wife: He married nurse Elizabeth Gardner in 1968. They divorced in 1972.

His second wife: He married Roxanne Rogers in 1986. They divorced in 1988.

3rd wife: He married Nancy Booth on October 1, 1988.

June 2023

Robert Englund announced that he said goodbye to the character of Freddy Krueger. The famous actor also shared the actor he had in mind for the new movie "A Nightmare on Elm Street".

Robert Englund announced that he ended his adventure with the Freddy Krueger character, which he played for many years. The American artist also shared the name he wishes to replace for the new A Nightmare on Elm Street movie, which is in the design phase.

Robert Englund, who officially confirmed that he has retired from portraying horror icon Freddy Krueger in the Nightmare on Elm Street series, spoke to Variety in an interview to promote the upcoming documentary Hollywood Dreams & Nightmares.

Englund was asked if he would be open to reprising his horror role if the franchise's tenth film is greenlit. “I'm too old and unhealthy to play Freddy anymore,” Englund admitted.

“I can't shoot fight scenes more than once, I have neck and back problems and I have arthritis in my right wrist. That's why I have to put it on the shelf, but I want to return, even if it's short-term, in a cameo form.”

The actor first played Freddy Krueger, the immortal child killer who can kill people in their dreams, in the 1984 horror classic A Nightmare on Elm Street. He later returned to play Freddy in seven other sequels of the series and in the television series Freddy's Nightmares, which aired from 1988 to 1990. He also voiced Freddy Krueger in an episode of The Simpsons and made a brief appearance as the horror icon in a Halloween-themed episode of The Goldbergs.

Although Robert Englund stopped playing Freddy, he stated that he wanted to see who should use the brown leather right-hand glove with metal claws, which is among the character's unique features: Kevin Bacon.

After the 2010 remake starring Jackie Earle Haley as Freddy Krueger, no new films were made in the series. However, New Line Cinema attempted a new entry between 2015 and 2018. In 2019, it was announced that the film rights had reverted to Wes Craven's estate. Although reports of new film and TV projects have emerged, no progress has been made or given the green light since the initial announcement.

Freddy Krueger was one of the most iconic horror characters of the 1980s, along with Jason Voorhees on Friday the 13th. The duo starred in many films separately before meeting in the 2003 film Freddy vs Jason. However, no new movies of either character have been made since 2010. But it was recently announced that beloved horror character Jason Voorhees will return in a prequel series called Crystal Lake, which will air on Peacock. While Bryan Fuller will undertake the script, production, and direction of Crystal Lake, the A24 production company will also take part in the project. It is not yet known when it will start.