A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame honoring Robert Englund, best known for his portrayal of "A Nightmare on Elm Street" villain Freddy Krueger, was unveiled Friday -- fittingly, on Halloween.
Heather Langenkamp and Eli Roth joined Englund in speaking at ceremony at 6644 Hollywood Blvd., in front of Larry Edmunds Bookshop, near Cherokee Avenue. The location was chosen because the bookstore focused on film and theater history is Englund's favorite bookstore.
"My roommates -- my Hollywood roommates -- worked here at Larry Edmunds. ... Their salary checks actually probably helped pay my rent for a while," Englund said at the ceremony, where he received the 2,826th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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He also took a moment to thank his longtime fans for their support over the years, acknowledging the loyal following that has sustained his career.
"I wouldn't be here without the fans ... thanks for coming, and thanks for supporting me, thanks for going down rabbit holes on the internet, finding my old movies," Englund said.
Langenkamp, who starred opposite Englund as Nancy Thompson in the original 1984 film, recalled the chilling power of his voice that helped define the Freddy Krueger character.
"Not only did he have this voice. It was gravely. It was sneering. There was a little spittle involved. ... It set your teeth on edge the minute Robert took on Freddy's voice," Langenkamp said.
Roth, who worked with Englund as a producer and co-star in the 2005 comedy-horror film "2001 Maniacs," spoke about the actor's ability to bring depth to even the darkest characters.
"He buried himself in the makeup so much so that he took the most monstrous figure of our nightmares and turned him into a beloved icon that warmed our hearts," Roth said during the ceremony.
"Robert is not just a horror royalty, he's truly a gem in every way -- a cinematic and theatrical treasure, a force of nature, and someone who intuitively finds that part of ourselves in any character, no matter how monstrous," Roth added.
Born June 6, 1947, in Glendale, Englund stumbled into his first acting class through a friend when he was 12 years old, and fell in love with the craft, according to a biography supplied by the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which administers the Walk of Fame.
Englund received most of his training with the American branch of the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts at Oakland University outside Detroit and in regional theater.
After five years performing in classic plays on the East Coast, Englund returned to California and landed the first role he auditioned for, a friend of popular high school senior Buster Lane (Jan-Michael Vincent) in the 1974 neo-noir crime film, "Buster and Billie."
Englund's other early films included the 1976 comedy-drama "Stay Hungry," whose cast included Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sally Field; the 1976 Barbra Streisand-starring musical romantic drama, "A Star is Born"; the 1978 comedy road film, "The Great Smokey Roadblock," which starred Henry Fonda; and the 1978 coming-of-age surfing film, "Big Wednesday."
Englund's breakout role came in the 1983 NBC science fiction miniseries, "V" as Visitor technician and resistance fighter, Willie. He reprised the role when "V" became a series in the 1984-85 season.
After the ratings success of the "V" miniseries -- its opening night was second in the weekly prime-time ratings -- Englund said he feared he might be forever typecast as a sweet and lovable alien and looked for a role that would allow him to showcase a different side of his talents.
During a hiatus from filming the "V" series, Englund auditioned for what was described as "a little horror movie directed by Wes Craven," "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Craven had intended to cast a hulking stuntman in the role, but took a chance on Englund, who brought his classical theatrical training to the role.
Englund would go on to portray Krueger in seven entries in the "A Nightmare on Elm Street" film franchise, the crossover with the "Friday the 13th" franchise, "Freddy vs. Jason," and host -- and occasionally star -- in the television anthology series, "Freddy's Nightmares."
Englund also portrayed the character in a 2018 episode of the ABC comedy, "The Goldbergs" and supplied his 'voice in a 1998 episode of "The Simpsons."
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