Ellen Burstyn

Acting

Personal Info

gender

Female

birthday

December 7, 1932 (93 yrs)

place of birth

Detroit, Michigan, USA

also known as

Ellen McRae · Edna Rae Gilhooley

total credits

50 movies

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

Filmography

50 credits · sorted by popularity · swipe or use arrows

Interstellar
8.5

Interstellar

2014as Murph (older)
The Exorcist
7.7

The Exorcist

1973as Chris MacNeil
The Age of Adaline
7.5

The Age of Adaline

2015as Flemming
Flowers in the Attic
6.7

Flowers in the Attic

2014as Grandmother
Requiem for a Dream
8.0

Requiem for a Dream

2000as Sara Goldfarb
Wish You Well
6.3

Wish You Well

2013as Louisa Mae Cardinal
The Wicker Man
4.4

The Wicker Man

2006as Sister Summersisle
The Fountain
6.9

The Fountain

2006as Dr. Lillian Guzetti
The Exorcist: Believer
5.8

The Exorcist: Believer

2023as Chris MacNeil
Dying Young
6.7

Dying Young

1991as Mrs. O'Neil
Petals on the Wind
6.6

Petals on the Wind

2014as Olivia Foxworth
Draft Day
6.7

Draft Day

2014as Barb Weaver
Pieces of a Woman
7.0

Pieces of a Woman

2020as Elizabeth Weiss
The Last Picture Show
7.6

The Last Picture Show

1971as Lois Farrow
The Tale
7.1

The Tale

2018as Nettie
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
7.0

Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore

1974as Alice Hyatt
The Yards
6.2

The Yards

2000as Val Handler
W.
6.2

W.

2008as Barbara Bush
Unity
7.5

Unity

2015as Narrator (voice)
Breakdown: 1975
6.8

Breakdown: 1975

2025as Self
When a Man Loves a Woman
6.6

When a Man Loves a Woman

1994as Emily
Wiener-Dog
5.6

Wiener-Dog

2016as Nana
Playing by Heart
6.6

Playing by Heart

1998as Mildred
How to Make an American Quilt
6.4

How to Make an American Quilt

1995as Hy Dodd
Mrs. Harris
5.8

Mrs. Harris

2006as Former Tarnower Steady
Deceiver
6.0

Deceiver

1997as Mook
And the Oscar Goes To...
6.8

And the Oscar Goes To...

2014as Self - Interviewee
Red Dragon
7.0

Red Dragon

2002as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited)
Love, Marilyn
6.6

Love, Marilyn

2013as Self
Another Happy Day
5.5

Another Happy Day

2011as Doris Baker
Night of 100 Stars II
8.0

Night of 100 Stars II

1985as Self
Lucy in the Sky
5.0

Lucy in the Sky

2019as Nana Holbrook
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
6.1

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood

2002as Vivi
All I Wish
5.5

All I Wish

2018as Celia Berges
Nostalgia
5.4

Nostalgia

2018as Helen Greer
Hanna's War
5.3

Hanna's War

1988as Katalin
The Baby-Sitters Club
5.4

The Baby-Sitters Club

1995as Mrs. Haberman
The Calling
5.9

The Calling

2014as Emily Micallef
Three Months
7.0

Three Months

2022as Valerie
This Ordinary Thing

This Ordinary Thing

2025as Self (voice)
The Mighty Macs
5.2

The Mighty Macs

2011as Mother St. John
The House of Tomorrow
6.8

The House of Tomorrow

2019as Josephine Prendergast
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
5.3

The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond

2008as Miss Addie
Mother, Couch
5.5

Mother, Couch

2024as Mother
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
7.1

Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam

1987as Mrs. Stocks (voice)
Queen Bees
6.0

Queen Bees

2021as Helen Wilson
Grand Isle
4.6

Grand Isle

1991as Mademoiselle Reisz
Custody
6.9

Custody

2016as Beatrice Fisher
Pit Stop
6.8

Pit Stop

1969as Ellen McCleod
Our Fathers
6.5

Our Fathers

2005as Mary Ryan