Iconic Photos of Jamie Lee Curtis Through the Years

Even though Jamie Lee Curtis recently won an Oscar for 2022's Everything Everywhere All at Once and captivated audiences on Season 2 of The Bear, we have known and loved her for way longer before that. From her groundbreaking horror movie appearances to amazing work in the TV world to her many other ventures like children's book writing and podcasting, Jamie Lee Curtis absolutely deserves all the laurels she's getting.

Late-1950s: Famous Family at Home

With her older sister Kelly, and her parents, the famed actors Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis. The pair divorced in 1962, just a few years after Jamie Lee's birth.

1960s: Childhood Portrait of Young Jamie Lee

Jamie Lee Curtis was raised mostly by her mother and stepfather Robert Brandt, who were married from 1962 until Janet Leigh's death in 2004.

1977: Cast Photo for 'Operation Petticoat'

Before she was a huge horror movie star, Jamie Lee got her start in TV with guest star parts on shows like Columbo and Charlie's Angels. This photo is from the short-lived comedy series Operation Petticoat, which aired for two seasons on ABC.

1978: Filming John Carpenter's 'Halloween'

Laurie Strode in Halloween is one of the most iconic horror movie characters, and movie characters in general, and it was Jamie Lee Curtis' very first feature film part. Curtis admitted in this New Yorker interview "I don't like horror films ... Loud noises scare me, suspense music scares me." Some of her other classic horror film parts from that time included The Fog, Prom Night and Terror Train.

1978: At Celebrity Ball in Atlantic City

Here's Jamie Lee looking gorgeous at a ball at the Resorts International Hotel in Atlantic City. The picture was taken by the notable paparazzo Ron Galella.

1978: Portrait with Cat in California

Jamie Lee poses for a sweet photoshoot outside in California with a furry friend.

1980: On 'Saturday Night Live' Opposite Ann Risley

Jamie Lee Curtis had two hosting stints on the famous sketch show in the early '80s. Her most recent appearance was in 1984, though Curtis has been impersonated on the show since then by stars like Kristen Wiig and Chloe Fineman.

1984: Curtis in the Drama 'Grandview, USA'

After a string of excellent horror movie roles, Jamie Lee sought to expand her repertoire with other genres, taking roles in films like the comedy Trading Places, and this starring turn in the drama Grandview, USA.

1988: Looking Sharp with Husband Christopher Guest

Curtis has been married to the actor/writer/director Christopher Guest since 1984, and recounted in this essay that she fell for him after seeing his photo in Rolling Stone, and immediately called his agent to live him her phone number.

1988: At the Premiere of 'A Fish Called Wanda'

The heist comedy A Fish Called Wanda showed that Jamie Lee could hold her own against comedic greats like John Cleese and Kevin Kline, who won an Oscar for his brilliantly chaotic supporting role.

1989: Acting in 'Anything But Love' Opposite Richard Lewis

Jamie Lee got a much more substantial TV role in the ABC sitcom Anything But Love, where she and Richard Lewis played co-workers at a magazine who deal with mutual romantic feelings for each other while having to stay professional.

1990: Winning a Golden Globe Award

Anything But Love also netted Jamie Lee a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series - Comedy or Musical. She has won a BAFTA, two Golden Globes, and of course just picked up the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress for Everything Everywhere All at Once.

1991: At the 1st Environmental Media Awards

Jamie Lee is rocking a red pantsuit at the first ever Environmental Media Awards or EMAs. The show was hosted by Diane Sawyer, and awarded several films and shows from fiction to nonfiction for environmental themes. Honorees included Dances with Wolves, Captain Planet, and MacGyver.

1995: Doing 'True Lies' Again at the Oscars

In a sendoff to the incredible scene from the 1994 action comedy True Lies, Jamie Lee was part of one of the most elaborate bits ever pulled off at the Academy Awards live show.

1996: Autographing Her Book 'Tell Me Again About The Night I was Born'

Jamie Lee Curtis has been writing children's books, with illustrations by Laura Cornell, since 1993 under contract with HarperCollins. She also wrote a new graphic novel, and had a blog for years on The Huffington Post.

1998: Getting Honored on the Hollywood Walk of Fame

Jamie Lee got her much-deserved star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1998. She was busy that year with a role in the dark-comedy thriller Homegrown and returned to the Halloween franchise in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later.

2003: At the 'Freaky Friday' Premiere with Lindsay Lohan

This Disney classic featured Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee's mom and daughter characters switching bodies, and it is actually the third adaptation of the 1972 children's novel by Mary Rodgers. The movie mother and daughter are reportedly in talks to star in a sequel.

2005: In Costume for the Dream Halloween Fundraiser

Jamie Lee is the permanent host of this fundraiser by the Children Affected by AIDS foundation, and has worn tons of great costumes for it over the years.

2008: Premiering 'Beverly Hills Chihuahua'

Why don't we have talking animal movies anymore? Let's bring them back! Jamie Lee was a human cast member of Beverly Hills Chihuahua, playing the rich owner pampering the titular chihuahua.

2010: Chatting with Jay Leno on 'The Tonight Show'

Jamie Lee Curtis is obviously a talk show veteran from her many years in Hollywood, and she has made many appearances on Jay Leno's version of The Tonight Show.

2012: Speaking at a Children's Hospital of Los Angeles Gala

Jamie Lee is a longtime supporter and board member at CHLA, frequently hosting fundraisers for the hospital. She even launched the business My Hand in Yours in 2020, a store where all the proceeds benefit CHLA.

2014: At a Q&A With John Carpenter

Jamie Lee and John Carpenter collaborated not just on the first Halloween, but soon afterwards in his supernatural horror film The Fog. Curtis reminisced in 2022 that while she got a great break with Halloween, she was very grateful to land The Fog because she was having trouble getting more work afterwards.

2015: Curtis in Ryan Murphy's 'Scream Queens'

Scream Queens, Ryan Murphy's satirical slasher comedy show, basically would have been fined by the Horror Committee if Jamie Lee Curtis didn't have at least a featuring role, and they got her as the main character! The show debuted to mixed reviews and was canceled after its second season, though Murphy has said he was interested in bringing it back as recently as 2020.

2016: Donning Cosplay for the 'Warcraft' Premiere

She wasn't in the movie, but Jamie Lee is always down for a costume, and dressed as an orc shaman for the premiere of the Warcraft film and brought her son along with his own costume, too. Curtis is a gamer and fan of the World of Warcraft MMO franchise.

2017: In the 'New Girl' Series Finale

Jamie Lee Curtis had an amazing recurring role on New Girl as protagonist Jess' mom Joan Day, with Rob Reiner playing Joan's ex-husband Bob Day. This is definitely a top-tier TV family that not enough people appreciate.

2018: Returning to 'Halloween'

After 2022's Halloween Ends, Jamie Lee has been in seven films of the Halloween mega-franchise, in case you thought her scream queen royalty status was in question all these years later.

2019: At the Premiere of 'Knives Out'

Jamie Lee joined the ensemble Whodunit film Knives Out, which was an immaculately crafted callback to classic mystery stories by writers like Agatha Christie. Curtis played a member of a wealthy, dysfunctional family thrown into disarray when its patriarch mysteriously dies.

2023: Getting her Name Engraved on her Oscar

Jamie Lee was in shock after seeing her name officially engraved on her Supporting Actress Oscar for her amazing performance in Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's well-deserved validation for a long career, though her excellent acting in this film and those before it speaks for itself as well!

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