# Nancy Kyes
**Nancy Kyes** (born 1949 in [Falls Church, Virginia](https://www.edgepedia.org/falls-church-virginia)), known professionally as Nancy Loomis, is a retired American actress best known for playing Annie Brackett in [John Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carpenter)'s *Halloween* (1978) and for her supporting roles in three other [Carpenter](https://www.edgepedia.org/carpenter) films: *Assault on Precinct 13* (1976), *The Fog* (1980), and *Halloween III: Season of the Witch* (1982).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) • [2](https://www.movie-list.com/actors/nancy-kyes) After a screen career of roughly a decade, she left acting and works as a sculptor in Los Angeles.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1949, Falls Church, Virginia, USA[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) |
| Professional name | Credited as Nancy Loomis in her film roles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) |
| Breakthrough role | Julie, the secretary, in *Assault on Precinct 13* (1976); she also served as that film's wardrobe mistress[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) |
| Signature role | Annie Brackett in *Halloween* (1978), reprised in *Halloween II* (1981)[2](https://www.movie-list.com/actors/nancy-kyes) |
| Other Carpenter roles | Sandy Fadel in *The Fog* (1980); Linda Challis in *Halloween III: Season of the Witch* (1982)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) |
| Critical standing | *Halloween* is her highest-rated film on Rotten Tomatoes at 97%, and her lowest-rated is *Halloween III* at 50%[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nancy_kyes) |
| Later work | Return performance as Josephine Cashel in *Hauntology* (2024)[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nancy_kyes) |
| Current occupation | Sculptor in Los Angeles[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) |
## Early life and training
Kyes was born in Falls Church, Virginia, attended high school in [Riverside, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/riverside-california), and studied theater at [Northwestern University](https://www.edgepedia.org/northwestern-university) in [Evanston, Illinois](https://www.edgepedia.org/evanston-illinois).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) Her professional name came from her marriage to Stephen A. Loomis, whom she married in 1971; the marriage ended in divorce in March 1976, and the Loomis name remained her screen credit afterward.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/)
## Career
**Debut with John Carpenter.** Kyes made her film debut in Carpenter's low-budget urban thriller *Assault on Precinct 13* (1976), playing Julie, a secretary, while also working behind the camera as the film's wardrobe mistress.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) The collaboration with Carpenter continued: by the official *Halloween* website's count she appeared in five Carpenter-related films in seven years.[4](https://halloweenmovies.com/films/halloween-1978/halloween-cast-nancy-kyes/)
**Annie Brackett.** In *Halloween* (1978), Kyes played Annie Brackett, the sarcastic best friend of [Laurie Strode](https://www.edgepedia.org/laurie-strode) ([Jamie Lee Curtis](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-lee-curtis)) and the daughter of the town sheriff. Carpenter tailored the role to her comic delivery; in a quote recorded by IMDb she said he built the part around what he perceived as her sense of humor, and that the sarcasm "kept my nerves in check" during filming.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) While the film was made she was dating crew member Tommy Lee Wallace, who later worked on the series as well.[4](https://halloweenmovies.com/films/halloween-1978/halloween-cast-nancy-kyes/) *Halloween* became an unexpected hit, earning more than $70 million on its initial worldwide release.[5](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/halloween.pdf)
She reprised Annie in *Halloween II* (1981); in the 2021 sequel *Halloween Kills* her Annie appears in uncredited archive footage.[2](https://www.movie-list.com/actors/nancy-kyes) • [6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/nancy-kyes/)
**Later 1980s roles.** In Carpenter's *The Fog* (1980) she played Sandy Fadel, the assistant to [Janet Leigh](https://www.edgepedia.org/janet-leigh)'s character, and in the standalone *Halloween III: Season of the Witch* (1982) she had a small role as Linda Challis, the bitter ex-wife of [Tom Atkins](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-atkins-actor)'s character.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) Her remaining screen work was scattered: a reporter in the 1982 television movie *Not in Front of the Children*, a guest spot as a "Frumpy Housewife" in the *Little Boy Lost* episode of *The Twilight Zone* revival (October 18, 1985), and a doctor in the 1992 miniseries *Lady Boss*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) • [7](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/402609/nancy-kyes)
## Return to acting and life after film
Kyes left acting after the early 1990s and has since worked as a sculptor in Los Angeles, while also making appearances at horror conventions.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/) • [4](https://halloweenmovies.com/films/halloween-1978/halloween-cast-nancy-kyes/) In 2024 she returned to performance in the horror film *[Hauntology](https://www.edgepedia.org/hauntology-film)*, playing Josephine Cashel.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nancy_kyes) Documentary and retrospective projects continue to use her archive footage, including *Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies* (2025).[8](https://cinegraph.org/people/nancy-kyes)
## Reception
Critical ratings place the Carpenter collaborations at the center of her reputation. On Rotten Tomatoes, *Halloween* stands at 97% from critics and 89% from audiences, *Assault on Precinct 13* at 94% and 80%, *The Fog* at 77% and 65%, and *Halloween III* at 50% and 31%.[3](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nancy_kyes) On Metacritic, *Halloween* scores 91 and *Halloween II* 40, and her credited filmography includes a costume-department credit on *Assault on Precinct 13* alongside her acting role.[6](https://www.metacritic.com/person/nancy-kyes/)
## References
1. [Nancy Kyes, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0477341/)
2. [Nancy Kyes Movies: Full List, Trailers & Where to Watch, Movie-List](https://www.movie-list.com/actors/nancy-kyes)
3. [Nancy Kyes, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/nancy_kyes)
4. [Halloween Cast: Nancy Kyes (Loomis), HalloweenMovies.com](https://halloweenmovies.com/films/halloween-1978/halloween-cast-nancy-kyes/)
5. [Film essay for "Halloween", Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board](https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/halloween.pdf)
6. [Nancy Kyes, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/person/nancy-kyes/)
7. [Nancy Kyes, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/402609/nancy-kyes)
8. [Nancy Kyes, Cinegraph](https://cinegraph.org/people/nancy-kyes)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Film people and crafts › Film actors and performers › Character actors, B-movie and genre-circuit performers › American performers, mid era › Surnames K to Z*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license