Jamie Lee Curtis continues to have an extremely fascinating career. As the offspring of Hollywood royalty, Janet Leigh and Tony Curtis, Jamie Lee rose to superstardom after starring in the surprise horror-hit Halloween in 1978. Yet after becoming known as a generational scream queen in the late 70s and early 80s, Curtis also demonstrated her undeniable sense of humor in some of the most celebrated comedies of all time.
As Curtis is set to show both her comedic and dramatic acumen in the new whodunit Knives Out, due in theaters November 27th, it’s time to assess her best work to date. Here are Jamie Lee Curtis’ 10 best roles in TV and movies, ranked!
Jude Madigan (Mother’s Boys)
Since Curtis often plays a heroine, her psychotic role as Jude Madigan in the devious erotic thriller Mother’s Boys is unlike any we’ve ever seen her play. And she’s downright terrifying!
Three years after suddenly abandoning her family, Jude returns home without warning. When she finds her husband Robert (Peter Gallagher) shacked up with another woman, Jude goes on a smear campaign of harassment, mistruths, and ultimately, lethal violence. She even co-opts her children to commit heinous acts on her behalf. It’s a juicy role and fine performance in an underrated movie.
Shelly DeVoto (My Girl)
Curtis reunites with her Trading Places costar Dan Aykroyd not once, but twice, as Shelly DeVoto in both My Girl movies. The sweet, easygoing chemistry between the two is so effortless that it’s not hard to see why the characters tied the knot. Shelly Sultenfuss sounds better anyway!
Of course, playing one character over the course of two movies allows for a richer, more nuanced performance. Curtis showcases her performative range in both films, calling on her funny bone as well as her dramatic talent to give one of her most well-rounded turns to date.
Cathy Munch (Scream Queens)
While she guest-starred on a few series here and there, Scream Queens marked Curtis’ return to the small screen as series regular for the first time since Anything But Love in 1992. And it was worth the wait!
Riffing on her screen persona as the definitive Scream Queen, Curtis plays Dean Cathy Munch in the collegiate slasher series. She oversees a sorority house where a spate of unsuspecting students become savagely slaughtered by a mysterious murder dressed in a red (season 1) and green (season 2) devil/goblin costume. Hilariously satirical and self-reflexive, Curtis has rarely had this much fun!
Tess Coleman (Freaky Friday)
In a role perfectly suited for her trademark physical comedy, Curtis was wisely cast opposite Lindsay Lohan in the raucous body-swapping remake of Freaky Friday. Curtis is always Trading Places, huh?
When a fortune cookie causes Tess Coleman to switch places with her daughter Anna (Lohan), the uptight mother is thrown back into high-school as a teenager. With their roles changing and responsibilities shifting, the time spent in the other’s body allows Tess and Anna to grow closer and understand each other’s problems.
Ophelia (Trading Places)
Speaking of Trading Places, who can forget Curtis’ hilarious role opposite Eddy Murphy and Dan Aykroyd in the classic 1983 comedy?
When upscale investor Louis Winthorpe (Aykroyd) is pranked by his bosses into switching places with poor conman Billy Ray Valentine (Murphy), hilarity ensues. Curtis plays Ophelia, a hooker with a heart of gold who is hired to seduce Winthorpe as part of the plan. But when Ophelia sees Winthorpe’s true colors, she begins to fall in love with him for real. Curtis has rarely been this cool, sexy, and carefree on film.
Megan Turner (Blue Steel)
In 1990, Curtis teamed with Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) for the intense police drama Blue Steel, in which she gives one of her toughest yet most vulnerable performances of all.
Curtis plays Megan Turner in the film, a rookie NYPD officer who becomes the obsessive target of a psychotic serial killer. When a bullet with her name engraved on it is traced to a murder, Turner is transferred to the homicide division. As the killer continues to torment Turner, she must outwit her assailant and bring him to justice.
Hannah Miller (Anything But Love)
Also in 1990, Curtis won her first Golden Globe for her recurring role of Hannah Miller on the TV series Anything But Love. Spoiler alert, she’d win her second just five years later for another role altogether.
Starring opposite Richard Lewis, the series follows Marty and Hannah, two professional coworkers who cannot deny the romantic feelings they have for one another. And yet, together they want Anything But Love. Curtis reprised her role for 3 years from 1989-1992, appearing in all 56 episodes of the series. It’s the second time Curtis appeared in a TV series following Operation Petticoat in 1978.
Helen Tasker (True Lies)
As alluded to before, Curtis earned her second Golden Globe win for her stunning work in James Cameron’s hit action extravaganza, True Lies.
As Helen Tasker, Curtis plays a bored housewife desperate for excitement while living in the shadow of her staid hubby, Harry (Arnold Schwarzenegger). When Helen finally learns Harry leads a secret double-life as a government agent, her wish is granted in ways she never could have imagined. Curtis showcases her charming wit and physical prowess as a woman who gets way more than she bargained for.
Wanda Gershwitz (A Fish Called Wanda)
Curtis has never been funnier, sexier, or more commanding of the screen than as Wanda Gershwitz in A Fish Called Wanda. As a result, Curtis earned the first Golden Globe nomination of her illustrious career.
Costarring Monty Python alums John Cleese and Michael Palin, not to mention Kevin Kline (who won an Oscar for his role), the comedy of errors concerns four bumbling acquaintances who plot the perfect crime. When the foursome steals priceless diamonds, a series of backstabbings and comedic double-cross ensues.
Laurie Strode (Halloween)
Given the monumental impact it’s had on her career, and given the breadth of the character played over multiple Halloween films, Laurie Strode is head and shoulders Curtis’ best role to date.
First introduced in 1978, Curtis’ performance in John Carpenter’s Halloween instantly shot her into superstardom. She became hailed as the definitive Scream Queen of her generation as the star of several subsequent horror movies, including The Fog, Prom Night, Terror Train, etc. 40 years later, Curtis continues to play the role of her lifetime in Laurie Strode via the Halloween reboot and upcoming sequels Halloween Kills and Halloween Ends.
