Paul Rudd, Michelle Williams and 7 Other Stars You Didn't Know Had Roles in 'Halloween' (original) (raw)

Everyone knows Jamie Lee Curtis as the final girl of the Halloween movie franchise: She’s starred in seven of the series’ 13 films as the unbreakable Laurie Strode, first surviving Michael Myers’ bloody wrath in the 1978 film that spawned it all. But Curtis isn’t the only famous actor to come face-to-face with the masked murderer, though her character is among the few who've lived to tell the tale.

Long after becoming a runway star, but just before teaching America’s next top models to “smize,” Tyra Banks appeared in the franchise — albeit her character didn’t last long. Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams also had a brush with Myers during the early years of her acting career, as did Paul Rudd.

Here are several more stars you might’ve forgotten had roles in the Halloween franchise.

Paul Rudd as Tommy Doyle in Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers

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Though it doesn't look like he's aged a day, 1995’s Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers was just Paul Rudd's second feature film (Clueless came out two months prior). Rudd played an older version of Tommy Doyle, the child Laurie Strode babysat on that infamous night in 1978.

Not only did Tommy survive the sixth installment, but he also beat Myers with a lead pipe until he believed the killer was dead.

Since Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers, the 2021 Sexiest Man Alive has eschewed horror in favor of comedy, starring in Anchorman; I Love You, Man and This Is 40. Most notably, Rudd appears in the Marvel Cinematic Universe as Ant-Man, with credits in MCU blockbusters like Ant-Man (2015), Avengers: Endgame (2019) and Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania (2023). Rudd has also made various appearances on popular TV shows over the years, including Friends, Parks and Recreation and Only Murders in the Building.

Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Jimmy Howell in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

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Though only 17 at the time of the film's release, Joseph Gordon-Levitt was no stranger to the industry when he appeared in 1998's Halloween H20: 20 Years Later. The (500) Days of Summer star had already been a professional actor for 10 years — including as a series regular on 3rd Rock from the Sun — before making his cameo appearanceas Jimmy Howell in the franchise's seventh installment.

Jimmy was Marion Whittington's (formerly Nurse Chambers) hockey-playing next-door neighbor. After Whittington's house was broken into, Jimmy investigated, not finding anything besides stolen alcohol. Unfortunately, Gordon-Levitt never had a chance to reprise his character: Jimmy was found dead, impaled by an ice skate.

Since H20, Gordon-Levitt has appeared in several acclaimed films, such as The Dark Knight Rises (2012), Snowden (2016) and The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). He’s also received Golden Globe nominations for his acting in (500) Days of Summer and 50/50 and directed and starred on the Apple TV+ series Mr. Corman in 2021.

Busta Rhymes as Freddie Harris in Halloween: Resurrection

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Busta Rhymes appeared in the eighth installment of the franchise, Halloween: Resurrection. The rapper played Freddie Harris, an entrepreneur and founder of Dangertainment who creates a reality show set in Myers’ old home. Of course, the real Myers arrives and wreaks havoc.

Though Freddie was stabbed by Myers, he ultimately survived and electrocuted the villain.

Rhymes has continued taking movie gigs since appearing in the 2002 film — albeit typically as himself — including in projects like Beats, Rhymes & Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest (2011); Can't Stop, Won't Stop: A Bad Boy Story (2017) and Another West Side Story (2023). He’s also made small-screen appearances on hit shows like Master of None, Fresh Off the Boat and The Masked Singer.

Josh Hartnett as John Tate in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

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Josh Hartnett made his film debut in 1998's Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, but he’s since gone on to land big-time roles in movies like Pearl Harbor (2001), Sin City (2005) and Oppenheimer (2023) as well as an appearance in season 6 of Black Mirror.

In his first-ever movie role, Hartnett plays John Tate, the son of the overprotective Laurie (using the alias Keri Tate), who unintentionally puts John in Myers’ path on Halloween night after refusing to allow him to attend a school trip to Yosemite.

Although Myers stabbed John, both he and his girlfriend, Molly, survived the evening. Who played Molly? (Hint: It wasn't Scarlett Johansson.) It was…

Michelle Williams as Molly Cartwell in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later

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Williams had a few films to her name before she appeared in the seventh installment of the horror franchise. Here, she plays Molly Cartwell, whose romantic plans with John (Hartnett) are interrupted by Myers. Though there were a few close calls, Molly ultimately survives the night, becoming one of the few female protagonists to do so.

Since then, Williams has gone on to have an illustrious career. She has been nominated for several Oscars — Brokeback Mountain, Blue Valentine, My Week with Marilyn, Manchester by the Sea and The Fabelmans — won an Emmy Award for Fosse/Verdon and earned two Golden Globe Awards (for My Week with Marilyn and Fosse/Verdon).

Tyra Banks as Nora Winston in Halloween: Resurrection

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One year before she became the host of America's Next Top Model, Banks appeared in 2002's Halloween: Resurrection. Banks played Nora Winston, Freddie's (Rhymes) assistant on a Myers reality TV show that was doomed from the start. Though Nora was in on Freddie's plan to dress up as the villain, she was not aware the real Myers would show up, and she was murdered.

Banks hasn’t taken on many movie roles where she’s playing someone other than herself since Resurrection, but she did return to the Life-Size universe as Eve in the long-awaited 2018 sequel, Life-Size 2. However, the supermodel has remained active on TV, namely competition TV series, having hosted seasons 12 and 13 of America’s Got Talent from 2017 to 2018 and seasons 29–31 of Dancing with the Stars from 2020 to 2022.

Sean Patrick Thomas as Rudy Grimes in Halloween: Resurrection

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Shortly after starring in 2001's Save the Last Dance, Sean Patrick Thomas portrayed Rudy Grimes in Halloween: Resurrection. Rudy was an aspiring chef and one of the college students chosen to participate in Freddie's reality show about Myers. The character had theorized that Myers turned to murder due to his diet.

Thomas has not appeared in any Halloween film since: Rudy was killed by Myers during a brief knife fight in the kitchen. Even so, the actor has continued landing film roles well beyond his short-lived run in the Halloween franchise, starring in critically acclaimed movies like 2021’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and 2022’s Till.

Dana Carvey as Barry McNichol in Halloween II

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Dana Carvey's first film with someone named Mike Myers was not Wayne's World but Halloween II. In 1981, Carvey made his feature film debut playing an assistant to Haddonfield TV reporter Debra Lane (Catherine Bergstrom). In the original screenplay, Carvey had a few scenes and some dialogue, but in the final cut, he was reduced to a nonspeaking role. Carvey survived Myers, though it seems his boss did not.

After his cameo appearance in the franchise, Carvey went on to star on Saturday Night Live for six seasons. Well, isn't that special.

Danielle Harris as Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers

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Though some may know her as the voice of Debbie Thornberry on The Wild Thornberrys, Danielle Harris got her start as a child actor in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers — she even celebrated her 11th birthday on set of the 1988 slasher. Playing Laurie's daughter and Myers’ niece, Jamie Lloyd, Harris had a substantial role in both this installment and its follow-up, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers. Harris did not reprise the role of Jamie in the sixth film, Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (J.C. Brandy starred instead), and the character was killed off.

Harris returned to the Halloween franchise in the 2007 reboot and again in 2009’s Halloween II, playing Annie Brackett. The original Annie (Nancy Kyes) was murdered in 1981’s Halloween II. Harris hasn’t strayed too far off the Halloween path, bulking her filmography with appearances in scary movies like See No Evil (2014) and Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn (2015) and portraying a member of the Manson family cult in Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019).