Brad Dourif is retired from acting, except for his work as Chucky

Brad Dourif has had an incredible acting career that stretches back more than fifty years – and back in the early days of that career, he even earned a “Best Actor in a Supporting Role” Oscar nomination for his performance in the 1975 classic One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. Over a decade later, he started playing the role he is best known for, that of Charles Lee Ray, a.k.a. Chucky, a serial killer who uses voodoo to transfer his soul into the body of a doll. Dourif is now 74 years old, so when we hear that he has decided to retire from acting, it’s totally understandable… but while talking about his retirement, Dourif has also made sure to assure fans that his days of Chucky are not over. He will still continue to work on any Chucky projects that might come up.

News of Dourif’s retirement comes from JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols. Tyler interviewed a batch of Dourif’s Chucky collaborators last week and will soon be running an interview with Dourif. During their conversation, “Dourif said that he’s retired from acting. The only reason he came back for the show was because of his daughter Fiona and he considers Chucky creator Don Mancini to be family. But for non-Chucky stuff, he considers himself retired.“

Dourif first brought Chucky to life in the 1988 classic Child’s Play, which has been followed by several feature film sequels – Child’s Play 2, Child’s Play 3, Bride of Chucky, Seed of Chucky, Curse of Chucky, and Cult of Chucky – as well as a TV series, which is currently in the midst of its third season. It’s a relief to hear that Dourif is still open to bringing Chucky to life, because Don Mancini has confirmed that he has already pitched Chucky season 4 and is also working on a new Chucky movie that would “work in tandem with the TV show.”

In addition to his work as Chucky, Dourif’s long list of credits includes Eyes of Laura Mars, Dune, Blue Velvet, Fatal Beauty, Mississippi Burning, Spontaneous Combustion, The Exorcist III, Graveyard Shift, Jungle Fever, Body Parts, Critters 4, Amos & Andrew, Trauma, Color of Night, The X-Files, Death Machine, Star Trek: Voyager, Millennium, Nightwatch, Alien: Resurrection, Urban Legend, The Prophecy 3, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, Deadwood, The Wizard of Gore, Rob Zombie’s Halloween and Halloween II, Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans, Priest, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Once Upon a Time, Deadwood: The Movie, and much more.

What do you think of Brad Dourif retiring from acting, but making an exception to continue playing Chucky? Let us know by leaving a comment below.