Charles "Charlie"[1] Belardinelli is a stuntman, actor, and special effects expert who had a hand in the production of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film as a special effects assistant and film mechanical effects worker. He is credited for portraying Freddy Krueger as a stunt double.
Belardinelli was given the role of Freddy for the film's intro since he was the only one in the film crew who can properly create the character's signature glove and even cut it and insert the blades, since he was a former carpenter and had helped in designing the glove.[2]
Trivia[]
- Belardinelli is the owner of his own special effects company called Redroad Effects, which worked on several well-known Hollywood films.[3]
- Following his stunt role as Freddy, in the following years, Belardinelli would go on to have a hand in special effects for many other shows and films, such as The Mask, Jason goes to Hell: The Final Friday, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre III, Tales from the Crypt presents Demon Knight, House on Haunted Hill, Iron Man, etc.
- Despite his performance as Freddy at the beginning of A Nightmare on Elm Street, however, Robert Englund was given full credit for portraying the character.