P.J. Soles is one of the few scream queens who started in the horror genre and have stayed there throughout her lengthy career in Hollywood. At 64-years-old, Ms. Soles is still one of the most sought after actresses in the game. She was born in July of 1950 in Germany. When her family moved back to the US in the 70s, P.J. began to act in various commercials and model for various publications. She was one of hundreds of women who showed up for the joint audition for Carrie and Star Wars.
Obviously she didn’t land a role in the Jedi Knight film by George Lucas, but she did land a supporting role in Carrie (1976) where she played the character of Norma. In the same year she also appeared in The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and horror’s Bloodbath. The following year she booked a gig in another horror title, The Possessed, followed by the role of Lynda in Halloween (1978). In John Carpenter’s Halloween, Lynda is one of the best friends of Laurie Strode. Lynda was a ditzy cheerleader who constantly declared, “Totally!,” and, just-fully so, never realized that she was being stalked by the murderous Michael Myers on Halloween night. When their plans end up better than expected, Lynda and her boyfriend, Bob, have sex before she sends Bob downstairs for beer. He is stabbed to death, and Michael Myers dresses in a ghost costume, pretends to be Bob, and lures Lynda into a false sense of security before strangling her to death with a phone cord.
After Halloween, she continued to book noteworthy roles in titles such as Rock ‘n’ Roll High School (1979), the 3x Oscar Nominee Private Benjamin (1980) and Stripes (1981) with Bill Murray. She continued to act throughout the coming years, but she didn’t have any big roles until she started doing horror and scifi movies again with Out There (1995), Uncle Sam (1996), and Little Bigfoot (1997). Ms. Soles finishes off the last millennium with a small role in the teen-drama, Jawbreaker (1999).
So, where is P.J. Soles now?
Now regarded as a scream queen for her role in Halloween and other movies, Ms. Soles continues building her career in the horror genre with roles in Mirror Mirror IV (2000), Murder on the Yellow Brick Road (2005), Susan in The Devil’s Rejects (2005), The Tooth Fairy (2006), Dead Calling (2006), Prank (2008), Alone in the Dark II (2008), and Beg in 2011. Now with over fifteen horror credits to her name, P.J. Soles’ latest appearances can be seen in The Butterfly Room (2012) and the upcoming thriller 13 Girls in 2015.
P.J. Soles has also worked as a crew member since Halloween. These roles include singing in Rock ‘n’ Roll High School, being an associate producer on B.O.R.N. (1988), a still photographer on Halloween: A Cut Above the Rest (2003), and a composer for Cheap Rodeo: First Night in Heaven (2013).
