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Ellen Burstyn Biography and Full Filmography - MovieWise

Quick Facts

Born:
1932-12-07

Birthplace:
Detroit, Michigan, USA

Credits:
207 Total Roles

Ellen Burstyn

Acting

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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.

Known For

Full Filmography

Year Title Role
2025 Breakdown: 1975 MOVIE Self
2025 This Ordinary Thing MOVIE Self (voice)
2025 Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies MOVIE Self - (archive footage)
2025 Duse, the Greatest MOVIE Self
2024 E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump MOVIE E. Jean Carroll
2024 Mother, Couch MOVIE Mother
2024 Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist MOVIE Self
2024 Martin Scorsese, the Italian-American Master MOVIE Self
2023 The Exorcist: Believer MOVIE Chris MacNeil
2022 The First Lady TV Sara Delano Roosevelt

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