Heather Langenkamp
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
This attractive, youthful leading lady of film and TV effectively conveys strength and intelligence while compelling audience sympathy. Langenkamp gained some small measure of fame and a place in genre film history playing Nancy Thompson, the determined and resourceful heroine of Wes Craven's "Nightmare on Elm Street" series (beginning in 1984), battling dream monster Freddy Krueger. Though she had starred in one previous feature--playing a rural, unwed teenaged mother in the little-seen "Nickel Mountain" (1983)--horror auteur Craven proved central to her slight film career. Langenkamp starred in the Craven co-scripted "A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors" (1987), played the victim in Craven's "Shocker" (1989) and starred as herself in "Wes Craven's New Nightmare" (1994).
The Oklahoma-born Langenkamp was a copy girl for the Tulsa TRIBUNE when she learned of auditions for a film being lensed in the area. She debuted as an extra in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders" and landed a speaking bit in his immediate follow-up "Rumble Fish" (both 1983). By 1985, she was appearing in series guest spots, TV-movies, and youth-oriented programs like "Have You Tried Talking to Patty?" (a 1986 "CBS Schoolbreak Special") and "Can a Guy Say No?" (a 1986 "ABC Afterschool Special"). Langenkamp became a sitcom regular on "Just the Ten of Us" (ABC's spin-off of "Growing Pains," 1988-90) playing Marie, the model elder daughter of a large Catholic family.
Finding the transition between juvenile and adult roles difficult, Langenkamp took time off to complete her college education and concentrate on marriage and child-rearing. Craven lured her back to films in 1994, playing herself in the well-received postmodern exercise "Wes Craven's New Nightmare." Renewed by the experience, Langenkamp starred as ice princess Nancy Kerrigan in the trashy telepic "Tonya and Nancy: The Inside Story" (NBC, 1994). Since then, she has had the occasional guest role on TV, but more or less has concentrated on motherhood and her own chewing gum business.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Film Production - Main (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Life Events
1983
Played first substantial feature role, starring in the romantic drama "Nickel Mountain"
1983
Saw an ad seeking film extras while working as a copy girl for the <i>Tulsa Tribune</i> (date approximate)
1983
Cast as an extra in Francis Ford Coppola's "The Outsiders"
1983
Enrolled in Stanford University
1983
Contacted by producer Fred Roos ("The Outsiders", "Rumble Fish") during Christmas break; urged to move to L.A. and get an agent (date approximate)
1983
Landed a small (uncredited) speaking part in Coppola's "Rumble Fish"
1984
TV-movie debut, "Passions", playing the daughter of Richard Crenna and Joanne Woodward
1984
Starred as Nancy Thompson in Wes Craven's "A Nightmare on Elm Street"
1985
Co-starred in "Suburban Beat", a busted pilot about four concerned housewives who fight crime
1987
Reprised the role of Nancy Thompson in "A Nightmare on Elm Street III: Dream Warriors"
1988
Cast as a regular on the ABC family sitcom, "Just the Ten of Us", a spin-off from "Growing Pains"
1994
Starred as ice skater Nancy Kerrigan in the TV-movie, "Tonya and Nancy: The Inside Story"
1994
Played herself as the star of "Wes Craven's New Nightmare"
2001
Began operating Malibu Gum Co., which packages chewing gum with trading cards of local surfing personalities; shoots photographs of the surfers
Family
Companions
