Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn
Biography
Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly, December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she receives 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. Description above from the Wikipedia article Ellen Burstyn, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Known For
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
207
Gender
Female
Birthday
1932-12-07 (92 years old)
Place of Birth
Detroit, Michigan, USA
Acting

2025

Duse, the Greatest as Not available

2024

Mother, Couch as Mother

2024

E. Jean Carroll V. Donald J. Trump as E. Jean Carroll

2023

The Exorcist: Believer as Chris MacNeil

2022

The First Lady as Sara Delano Roosevelt

2022

Three Months as Valerie

2021

Law & Order: Organized Crime as Bernadette 'Bernie' Stabler

2021

Queen Bees as Helen Wilson

2021

Watch on the Rhine as Fanny

2020

Pieces of a Woman as Elizabeth Weiss

2020

Delphine and Carole as Self (archive footage)

2019

Lucy in the Sky as Nana Holbrook

2019

The House of Tomorrow as Josephine Prendergast

2019

American Woman as Miss Dolly

2018

The Tale as Nettie

2018

Nostalgia as Helen Greer

2018

All I Wish as Celia Berges

2018

Friedkin Uncut as Self

2016

Wiener-Dog as Nana

2016

Custody as Beatrice Fisher

2015

The Age of Adaline as Flemming

2015

Unity as Narrator (voice)

2015

About Scout as Gram

2014

Interstellar as Murph (older)

2014

Draft Day as Barb Weaver

2014

Flowers in the Attic as Grandmother

2014

And the Oscar Goes To... as Self - Interviewee

2014

Petals on the Wind as Olivia Foxworth

2014

The Calling as Emily Micallef

2014

River of Fundament as Hathfertiti

2014

Two Men in Town as Mère Garnett

2013

Mom as Shirley

2013

House of Cards as Elizabeth Hale

2013

Love, Marilyn as Self

2013

Wish You Well as Louisa Mae Cardinal

2012

Political Animals as Margaret Barrish

2012

Coma as Mrs. Emerson

2012

Lovely, Still as Mary

2011

Another Happy Day as Doris Baker

2011

The Mighty Macs as Mother St. John

2010

Main Street as Georgiana Carr

2009

PoliWood as Self

2009

According to Greta as Katherine

2009

The Velveteen Rabbit as Swan (voice)

2008

W. as Barbara Bush

2007

The Stone Angel as Hagar

2007

Mitch Albom's For One More Day as Pauline "Posey" Benetto

2006

Big Love as Nancy Davis Dutton

2006

The Wicker Man as Sister Summersisle

2006

Mrs. Harris as Former Tarnower Steady

2006

The Fountain as Dr. Lillian Guzetti

2006

The Book of Daniel as Bishop Beatrice Congreve

2006

30 Days as Maura

2006

The Elephant King as Diana Hunt

2005

Our Fathers as Mary Ryan

2003

Brush with Fate as Rika

2002

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood as Vivi Abbott Walker

2002

Red Dragon as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited)

2001

Within These Walls as Joan Thomas

2000

Requiem for a Dream as Sara Goldfarb

2000

That's Life as Dolly DeLucca

2000

Mermaid as Trish

2000

The Yards as Val Handler

1999

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Bernie Stabler

1999

Walking Across Egypt as Mattie Rigsbee

1999

Night Ride Home as Maggie

1998

Playing by Heart as Mildred

1998

The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist as Self - Chris MacNeil

1998

The Patron Saint of Liars as June Clatterbuck

1998

A Will of their Own as Veronica Steward

1998

You Can Thank Me Later as Shirley Cooperberg

1997

The View as Self

1997

A Deadly Vision as Yvette Watson

1997

Deceiver as Mook

1997

Flash as Laura Strong

1996

The Rosie O'Donnell Show as Self - Guest

1996

The Spitfire Grill as Hannah Ferguson

1996

Timepiece as Maud Gannon

1995

The Baby-Sitters Club as Mrs. Haberman

1995

My Brother's Keeper as Helen

1995

Roommates as Judith

1995

Follow The River as Gretel

1994

Getting Gotti as Jo Giacalone

1994

Getting Out as Arlie's Mother

1994

Trick of the Eye as Frances Griffin

1993

The Cemetery Club as Esther Moskowitz

1992

Earth and the American Dream as Reader (voice)

1992

When It Was a Game 2 as Passage Narrator (voice)

1991

Dying Young as Mrs. O'Neil

1991

Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Lillian "Lil" Lambert

1991

Grand Isle as Mademoiselle Reisz

1990

When You Remember Me as Nurse Cooder

1990

The Color of Evening as Kate O'Rielly

1988

American Experience as Narrator (voice)

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

Act of Vengeance as Margaret Yablonski

1986

The Ellen Burstyn Show as Ellen Brewer

1986

Something in Common as Lynn Hollander

1985

Into Thin Air as Joan Walker

1985

Twice in a Lifetime as Kate MacKenzie

1985

Surviving as Tina Brogan

1985

The Ambassador as Alex Hacker

1982

Night of 100 Stars as Self

1982

I Love Liberty as Self

1981

Silence of the North as Olive Frederickson

1981

People vs. Jean Harris as Jean Harris

1980

Resurrection as Edna

1978

Same Time, Next Year as Doris

1978

A Dream of Passion as Brenda Collins

1977

Providence as Sonia Langham

1975

Saturday Night Live as Self - Host

1974

Dinah! as Self

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

The Exorcist as Chris MacNeil

1971

The Last Picture Show as Lois Farrow

1970

Alex in Wonderland as Beth Morrison

1966

The Time Tunnel as Eve Holland

1965

The Big Valley as Sister Sarah Jacob

1964

Goodbye Charlie as Franny Salzman

1963

Kraft Suspense Theatre as Barbara Sherwood / Lucille Benton

1963

The Greatest Show on Earth as Susan Mason

1963

Vacation Playhouse as Ellen

1962

Going My Way as Louise

1961

Dr. Kildare as Anne Garner

1961

Ben Casey as Dr. Leslie Fraser

1961

Ben Casey as Connie

1961

The Defenders as Hilda Wesley

1961

Bus Stop as Phyllis Dunning

1960

Surfside 6 as Wandra Drake

1960

Checkmate as Margo as Ellen McRae

1959

The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis as Donna Whittaker

1959

The Detectives as Nora

1958

77 Sunset Strip as Betty Benson

1958

77 Sunset Strip as Sandra Keene

1957

Perry Mason as Mona Winthrope White

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Host/Presenter

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Winner

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Presenter

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Host

1956

Tony Awards as Self - Audience Member

1955

Cheyenne as Emmy Mae

1955

Gunsmoke as Polly

1955

Gunsmoke as Amy Waters

1953

The Oscars as Self

1953

Letter to Loretta as Ann Walters

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Elizabeth

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Barbara Jackson

1951

Hallmark Hall of Fame as Maggie

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Presenter

1944

Golden Globe Awards as Self - Nominee

NaN

Place To Be as Brooke

1970

Tropic of Cancer as Mona (uncredited)

1969

Pit Stop as Ellen McCleod

1964

For Those Who Think Young as Dr. Pauline Swenson

1961

Ricochet as Rose Maxon

1958

The Christmas Tree as Elizabeth

NaN

Fuddy Meers as Gertie

NaN

Bathing Flo as Not available

1948

Easy Out? as Mary
Crew

2001

Within These Walls Executive Producer

NaN

Bathing Flo Director

2019

The House of Tomorrow Executive Producer