V
Englund’s biggest breakout before Elm Street came in this sci-fi TV franchise; while not technically horror, it certainly frightened audiences (it scared the crap out of little me, for example) with its tale of Earth’s invasion by humanoid-yet-secretly-reptilian aliens known as “Visitors.” The original 1983 mini-series was so popular, it spawned a sequel the next year, followed by a weekly TV show that ran through 1985. One of few actors to appear across all three, Englund—who filmed his first outing as Freddy during a V hiatus—played good-guy alien Willie, whose antics (likes: poetry, Christmas, The Twilight Zone) and sympathetic attitude toward humans made him a fan favorite.
