How ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ Saved Freddy Krueger Actor Robert Englund From Being Stuck as ‘the Sidekick’
Robert Englund is a veteran actor who has well over 100 acting credits under his belt. His most iconic role is that of blade-gloved Freddy Krueger in A Nightmare on Elm Street. This horror film reoriented his career in genre movies. Though he’s such a mainstay in the horror genre, Englund was once on track to play the sidekick character. He explained that A Nightmare on Elm Street set him on a different path.
Robert Englund started his career as the best friend character
After five years of struggling in theater roles, Englund moved to California, where he quickly scored a role in the 1974 film Buster and Billie. In the crime film, Englund played a friend of lead Jan-Michael Vincent.
He picked up a number of roles after this part, including parts in Charlie’s Angels, Stay Hungry, and Hart to Hart. On Englund’s official website, he notes that he’s worked with Academy Award-winning actors like Susan Sarandon, Henry Fonda, Jeff Bridges, and Barbara Streisand.
The ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ cast member values his iconic role
Englund was seeing success in his career. Still, he wasn’t on track to be the iconic horror villain that audiences know today. Though he’d acted in horror films before, he was frequently cast in sidekick parts, playing second to another male star. It took A Nightmare on Elm Street for him to really establish his career.
“I was going to be Strother Martin or Warren Oates,” he told Vulture. “I was going to be the best friend, the sidekick for Jan Michael Vincent or for Henry Fonda or for Peter Strauss or Jeff Bridges. Those are the parts I was playing: the buddy, the sidekick.”
Englund eventually got a substantial role in the science-fiction series V. On a hiatus from the show, he auditioned for “hot young director” Wes Craven, who was quickly establishing himself as a giant in the horror genre.
“I did A Nightmare on Elm Street and it became an international hit overnight,” he said. “And I went from being just a utility character actor to being an internationally recognized actor, overnight. It was like a one-two punch. That’s a class they don’t teach anywhere.”
Robert Englund’s net worth shows the value of his ‘A Nightmare on Elm Street’ role
After appearing as Freddy Krueger in the first A Nightmare on Elm Street film, Englund went on to reprise the part multiple times, appearing in the seven films in the Elm Street series. He also acted in the anthology series Freddy’s Nightmares, Freddy vs. Jason, and has guest-starred as the villain in several unaffiliated TV series.
With all this Freddy Krueger work on top of other roles, it’s no surprise that Englund’s net worth reflects all his major parts. According to Celebrity Net Worth, Englund’s net worth is approximately $16 million. By establishing himself as one of the most iconic horror movie villains in history, Englund set himself up for this considerable number.
