Jamie Lee Curtis

In the 1980s, she got engaged to J. Michael Riva, a Hollywood production designer. He is the grandson of yesteryear diva Marlene Dietrich.

On December 18, 1984, she got married to actor Christopher Guest.

She adopted two children with Christopher Guest - Annie (b. 1986) and Thomas (b. 1996).

Jamie Lee Curtis was born on On November 22, 1958, in Santa Monica, California, to Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Both her parents were screen legends who got divorced in 1962.

Actress Kelly Curtis is her older sister. Her other half-siblings were from her father’s side.

She studied at the all-girl’s ‘Westlake School’ (presently ‘Harvard-Westlake School’) in Los Angeles and remained a cheerleader in the school along with Gigi Garner who went on to become a film producer. Thereafter, Jamie Lee Curtis attended the ‘Beverly Hills High School’.

In 1976, she completed her graduation from ‘Choate Rosemary Hall’, Connecticut. Following her graduation she enrolled in the ‘University of the Pacific’ located at Stockton in California. She wanted to take social work as her major but after a semester she dropped out to pursue acting.

She started her acting career in television doing single episodes in series like ‘Columbo’ (1977), ‘The Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries’ (1977) and ‘Charlie's Angels’ (1978).

In 1978, she essayed Lt. Barbara Duran, a nurse in a 23 episodes military comedy ‘Operation Petticoat’ based on a 1959 movie that featured his father Tony Curtis. The same year she made her debut with the classic horror film ‘Halloween’ which went on to become a major hit and deemed to have garnered maximum profit as an independent film during that period.

Her portrayal of Laurie Strode in ‘Halloween’ earned her accolades and fetched her several other horror films for the next couple of years. These films include ‘The Fog’, ‘Terror Train’ and ‘Prom Night’ in 1980 and ‘Roadgames’ and ‘Halloween II’ in 1981. Her popularity in the genre tagged her as the ‘scream queen’.

During the 1980s she made several television movies like ‘She's in the Army Now’ (1981), ‘Money on the Side’ (1982) and ‘As Summers Die’ (1986).

On a more versatile move, she switched from the horror genre and played Ophelia in the 1983 film ‘Trading Places’ that reflected her comic talents. The film won her ‘BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role’ and propelled her career ahead to the next level.

In 2003, she was the guest of honor of the Venice-California based non-profit organisation ’Women in Recovery’. It was the organisation’s 11th annual gala and fundraising program.

She is an ardent proponent of children’s hospital and hold a prominent role for the organisation ‘Children’s Hospital Los Angeles’. She also serves as the host of the ‘Dream Halloween’ event organised by ‘Children Affected by AIDS Foundation’ which is held every October.

In March 2012, she featured with Brad Pitt and Martin Sheen in ‘8’, a play by Dustin Lance Black. It was staged at the ‘Wilshire Ebell Theatre’ and shown on ‘YouTube’ for raising fund for the ‘American Foundation for Equal Rights’.