Ellen Burstyn

Ellen Burstyn

Born 1932-12-07 (age 93) Detroit, Michigan, USA
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Biography

Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she has received numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards, making her one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". She has also received a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Burstyn made her acting debut on Broadway in Fair Game in 1957 before winning the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Same Time, Next Year (1975). She earned the Academy Award for Best Actress as the widow Alice Hyatt in Martin Scorsese's romantic drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). Her other Oscar-nominated roles were in The Last Picture Show (1971), The Exorcist (1973), Same Time, Next Year (1978), Resurrection (1980), and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Her other notable films include Harry and Tonto (1974), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), W. (2008), Interstellar (2014), The Age of Adaline (2015), and Pieces of a Woman (2020).

She won Primetime Emmy Awards for her guest role in the NBC legal drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2009) and supporting role in the USA Network political miniseries Political Animals (2013). Her other Emmy-nominated roles include Pack of Lies (1988), Mrs. Harris (2005), Big Love (2008), Draft Day, Flowers in the Attic (both 2014), and House of Cards (2016). Since 2000, she has been co-president of the Actors Studio, a drama school in New York City. In 2013, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame for her work onstage.

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Known For

Interstellar
Interstellar

2014

as Murph (older)

The Exorcist
The Exorcist

1973

as Chris MacNeil

The Age of Adaline
The Age of Adaline

2015

as Flemming

Requiem for a Dream
Requiem for a Dream

2000

as Sara Goldfarb

The Exorcist: Believer
The Exorcist: Believer

2023

as Chris MacNeil

The Fountain
The Fountain

2006

as Dr. Lillian Guzetti

Dying Young
Dying Young

1991

as Mrs. O'Neil

Unity
Unity

2015

as Narrator (voice)

The Wicker Man
The Wicker Man

2006

as Sister Summersisle

The Yards
The Yards

2000

as Val Handler

The Tale
The Tale

2018

as Nettie

Flowers in the Attic
Flowers in the Attic

2014

as Grandmother

When a Man Loves a Woman
The Last Picture Show
The Last Picture Show

1971

as Lois Farrow

Breakdown: 1975
Breakdown: 1975

2025

as Self

Draft Day
Draft Day

2014

as Barb Weaver

Playing by Heart
Playing by Heart

1998

as Mildred

W.
W.

2008

as Barbara Bush

Pieces of a Woman
Pieces of a Woman

2020

as Elizabeth Weiss