Since his first film, Buster and Billie, in 1974, Englund has appeared in nearly 70 movies and TV series. In his early career, he was usually typecast as a nerd or a redneck. He also guest starred in a 4th season episode of the TV series Knight Rider starring David Hasselhoff, (titled "Fright Knight") where he played a phantom haunting a film studio.

Before the Nightmare on Elm Street series, his most notable role was that of Willie, the lovably innocent alien in the 1983 miniseries V, the 1984 sequel V: The Final Battle, and V: The Series. He has said that he enjoys playing the part of Freddy Krueger as it give him a break from always playing the nice guy. Englund also made a cameo appearance on the science fiction series, Babylon 5. He also provided the voice of magician Felix Faust in Justice League, and guest starred on the show Charmed in the episode "Size Matters" where he played a demon who used the services of a lackey to lure people into a decrepit household (of which he lived in the walls) and shrank them down to action figure size.

After the huge success of Elm Street, Englund became the first new horror movie star since Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in the 1960s. His association with the genre led him to top-billed roles in The Phantom of the Opera (1989) and The Mangler (1995). While no longer a headliner, today he is regarded by fans as an elder statesman of the genre, much like Vincent Price in the 1970s.

Englund's biggest starring role since Freddy vs. Jason was that of Mayor Buckman in the direct to video release 2001 Maniacs (2005).

Englund's directorial début was the 1989 horror film 976-EVIL. He is currently directing his second feature titled Killer Pad, a horror-comedy about three friends who use money from an insurance claim to move out of their parents' homes. They score a place in Hollywood Hills and refuse to believe that the house is actually a portal to hell.

Englund has been married twice, but he has not had any children. He currently resides in Laguna Beach, California.