Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayal of complicated women in dramas, Burstyn was the recipient of various accolades, and was among the few performers to have won an Oscar, Emmy, and Tony (Triple Crown of Acting).
Born in Detroit, Michigan, Burstyn left school and worked as a dancer and model. She made her stage debut on Broadway in 1957 and soon started to make appearances in television shows. Stardom followed several years later with her acclaimed role in The Last Picture Show (1971), which earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her next appearance in The Exorcist (1973), earned her a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress. The film has remained popular and several publications have regarded it as one of the greatest horror films of all time. She followed this with Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974), which won her the Academy Award for Best Actress.
She appeared in numerous television films and gained further recognition from her performances in Same Time, Next Year (1978), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and Resurrection (1980), How to Make an American Quilt (1995), and Requiem For a Dream (2000). For playing a lonely drug-addicted woman in the last one of these, she was again nominated for an Academy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award. In the 2010s, she made appearances in television series including the political dramas, Political Animals and House of Cards, which have earned her Emmy Award nominations. From 2000 till her death, she had 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 on stage.
| 2024 | Mother, Couch! as Mother |
| 2024 | Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist as Herself |
| 2023 | Martin Scorsese, l'Italo-Américain as Self |
| 2023 | Leap of Faith: William Friedkin on The Exorcist as Self (archive footage) |
| 2023 | Exorcist: İnançlı as Chris MacNeil |
| 2022 | Three Months as Valerie |
| 2021 | Queen Bees as Helen Wilson |
| 2021 | Watch on the Rhine as Fanny |
| 2020 | Bir Kadının Parçaları as Elizabeth Weiss |
| 2020 | Delphine et Carole, insoumuses as Self (archive footage) |
| 2019 | Lucy Gökyüzünde as Nana Holbrook |
| 2019 | Amerikalı Kadın as Miss Dolly |
| 2019 | Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies as Self |
| 2018 | Friedkin Uncut as Self |
| 2018 | Nostalgia as Helen Greer |
| 2018 | All I Wish as Celia Berges |
| 2018 | Öykü as Nettie |
| 2017 | Yarının Evi as Josephine Prendergast |
| 2017 | Marilyn Monroe: Auction of a Lifetime as Self |
| 2016 | Wiener-Dog as Nana |
| 2016 | Velayet as Beatrice Fisher |
| 2015 | Unity as Narrator (voice) |
| 2015 | About Scout as Gram |
| 2015 | Ölümsüz Aşk as Flemming |
| 2014 | Yıldızlararası as Old Murph |
| 2014 | Haykırış as Emily Micallef |
| 2014 | Petals on the Wind as Olivia Foxworth |
| 2014 | Düşmanın Yolu as Mère Garnett |
| 2014 | Karar Günü as Barb Weaver |
| 2014 | River of Fundament as Hathfertiti |
| 2014 | And the Oscar Goes To... as Self - Interviewee |
| 2014 | Çatıdaki Çiçekler as Olivia Foxworth |
| 2013 | Wish You Well as Louisa Mae Cardinal |
| 2013 | Love, Marilyn as Self |
| 2012 | Lovely, Still as Mary |
| 2012 | Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You as Nanette |
| 2011 | Mutlu Bir Gün as Doris Baker |
| 2010 | America Lost and Found: The BBS Story as Self |
| 2010 | BBStory: An American Film Renaissance as Self |
| 2010 | Reflections of a Philosopher King as Self |
| 2010 | Main Street as Georgiana Carr |
| 2009 | According to Greta as Katherine |
| 2009 | Büyük Makintoşlar as Mother St. John |
| 2009 | PoliWood as Self |
| 2009 | The Velveteen Rabbit as Swan (voice) |
| 2008 | W. as Barbara Bush |
| 2008 | The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond as Miss Addie |
| 2007 | Mitch Albom's For One More Day as Pauline "Posey" Benetto |
| 2007 | The Stone Angel as Hagar |
| 2006 | Kaynak as Dr. Lillian Guzetti |
| 2006 | 30 Days as Maura |
| 2006 | Lanetli ada as Sister Summersisle |
| 2006 | Hubert Selby Jr: It/ll Be Better Tomorrow as Self |
| 2006 | Stardust: The Bette Davis Story as Self |
| 2006 | The Elephant King as Diana Hunt |
| 2006 | Mrs. Harris as Former Tarnower Steady |
| 2005 | Our Fathers as Mary Ryan |
| 2004 | The Five People You Meet In Heaven as Ruby |
| 2004 | The Madam's Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel as Tommie |
| 2004 | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore: Second Chances as Self |
| 2003 | A Decade Under the Influence as Self |
| 2003 | Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex, Drugs and Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood as Self |
| 2003 | Brush with Fate as Rika |
| 2002 | Hannibal: Kızıl Ejder as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited) |
| 2002 | Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood as Vivi Abbott Walker |
| 2001 | Within These Walls as Joan Thomas |
| 2001 | Memories, Dreams & Addictions as Self |
| 2001 | The Making of Requiem for a Dream as Self |
| 2000 | Bir Rüya için Ağıt as Sara Goldfarb |
| 2000 | Mermaid as Trish |
| 2000 | Çeteler Savaşı as Val Handler |
| 1999 | The Last Picture Show: A Look Back as Self |
| 1999 | Night Ride Home as Maggie |
| 1999 | Walking Across Egypt as Mattie Rigsbee |
| 1998 | Çapraz Hayatlar as Mildred |
| 1998 | Marilyn in Manhattan as Self |
| 1998 | The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist as Self / Chris MacNeil |
| 1998 | You Can Thank Me Later as Shirley Cooperberg |
| 1998 | The Patron Saint of Liars as June Clatterbuck |
| 1997 | Flash as Laura Strong |
| 1997 | Yalancı as Mook |
| 1997 | A Deadly Vision as Yvette Watson |
| 1996 | Timepiece as Maud Gannon |
| 1996 | The Spitfire Grill as Hannah Ferguson |
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt as Hy Dodd |
| 1995 | The Baby-Sitters Club as Mrs. Haberman |
| 1995 | Follow The River as Gretel |
| 1995 | My Brother's Keeper as Helen |
| 1995 | Roommates as Judith |
| 1994 | Trick of the Eye as Frances Griffin |
| 1994 | Getting Gotti as Jo Giacalone |
| 1994 | Erkek Severse as Emily |
| 1994 | Getting Out as Arlie's Mother |
| 1993 | The Cemetery Club as Esther Moskowitz |
| 1992 | Earth and the American Dream as Reader (voice) |
| 1992 | Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story as Wilma |
| 1991 | Picture This: The Times of Peter Bogdanovich in Archer City, Texas as Self |
| 1991 | Grand Isle as Mademoiselle Reisz |
| 1991 | Genç Ölmek as Mrs. O'Neil |
| 1991 | Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Lillian "Lil" Lambert |
| 1990 | When You Remember Me as Nurse Cooder |
| 1990 | The Color of Evening as Kate O'Rielly |
| 1989 | Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre as Self |
| 1988 | Hello Actors Studio as Self |
| 1988 | Hanna's War as Katalin |
| 1987 | Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as Mrs. Stocks (voice) |
| 1987 | Pack of Lies as Barbara Jackson |
| 1986 | Something In Common as Lynn Hollander |
| 1986 | Act of Vengeance as Margaret Yablonski |
| 1985 | Into Thin Air as Joan Walker |
| 1985 | Twice in a Lifetime as Kate MacKenzie |
| 1985 | Night of 100 Stars II as Self |
| 1985 | Surviving as Tina Brogan |
| 1985 | The Ambassador as Alex Hacker |
| 1982 | I Love Liberty as Self |
| 1982 | Night of 100 Stars as Self |
| 1981 | Silence of the North as Olive Frederickson |
| 1981 | People vs. Jean Harris as Jean Harris |
| 1981 | Sois belle et tais-toi ! as Self |
| 1980 | Resurrection as Edna |
| 1978 | Κραυγή Γυναικών as Brenda Collins |
| 1978 | Same Time, Next Year as Doris |
| 1977 | Tedbir as Sonia Langham |
| 1974 | Alice Artık Burada Oturmuyor as Alice Hyatt |
| 1974 | Harry and Tonto as Shirley Mallard |
| 1974 | Thursday's Game as Lynne Evers |
| 1974 | The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute as Self (archive footage) |
| 1973 | Şeytan as Chris MacNeil |
| 1972 | The King of Marvin Gardens as Sally |
| 1971 | Son Gösteri as Lois Farrow |
| 1970 | Alex in Wonderland as Beth Morrison |
| 1970 | Tropic of Cancer as Mona |
| 1969 | Pit Stop as Ellen McCleod |
| 1964 | Goodbye Charlie as Franny Salzman |
| 1964 | For Those Who Think Young as Dr. Pauline Swenson |
| 1961 | Ricochet as Rose Maxon |
| 1958 | The Christmas Tree as Elizabeth |
| 1948 | Easy Out? as Mary |
| Bathing Flo |
| Fuddy Meers as Gertie |
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