20 Actors Who Had To Wait DECADES Before Hitting Big

10. Lin Shaye

Lin Shaye became known to millions of horror fans through her incredible, show-stealing performance as psychic Elise Rainier in 2010's Insidious - a part which she's reprised in some form in most of the series' sequels.

Shaye was actually in her late sixties by the time she broke out, by which point she'd actually already been acting for the better part of 40 years.

As the sister of New Line Cinema founder Robert Shaye, she was a regular fixture in the studio's horror films for many years, including the likes of Alone in the Dark, A Nightmare on Elm Street, Critters, and Wes Craven's New Nightmare.

But nepotism be-damned - she also had the acting chops to back it up, and was a somewhat recognisable character actress throughout the '80s, '90s, and aughts, most memorably in comedies Dumb and Dumber and There's Something About Mary.

Yet Insidious made Shaye a genuine icon in her own right, and for all of the franchise's ups and downs, Shaye's work has been a consistent point of critical praise, ensuring she's enjoyed genuine scream queen status ever since.