Ellen Burstyn facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts

Quick facts for kids Ellen Burstyn
Burstyn in 2009
Born	Edna Rae Gillooly (1932-12-07) December 7, 1932 (age 92) Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Other names	Ellen McRae
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1955–present
Works	Full list
Spouse(s)	William Alexander (m. 1950; div. 1957) Paul Roberts (m. 1958; div. 1961) Neil Burstyn (m. 1964; div. 1972)
Children	1
Awards	Full list


10th President of the Actors' Equity Association
In office 1982–1985
Preceded by	Theodore Bikel
Succeeded by	Colleen Dewhurst

Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly on December 7, 1932) is a famous American actress. She is known for playing strong and interesting women in movies and plays. Ellen Burstyn has won many important awards. These include an Academy Award (Oscar), a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. This makes her one of the few actors to win the "Triple Crown of Acting" – meaning she has won all three major acting awards. She has also won a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.

Burstyn first acted on Broadway in 1957. She won a Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play for Same Time, Next Year in 1975. She also won an Academy Award for Best Actress for her role as Alice Hyatt in the movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). Other movies she was nominated for an Oscar include The Last Picture Show (1971), The Exorcist (1973), and Requiem for a Dream (2000). Some of her other well-known films are Interstellar (2014) and The Age of Adaline (2015).

She won Primetime Emmy Awards for her roles in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2009) and Political Animals (2013). Since 2000, she has been a co-president of the Actors Studio. This is a famous drama school in New York City. In 2013, she was honored in the American Theatre Hall of Fame for her amazing work on stage.

Growing Up and Early Career
Acting Career Highlights
Personal Life
Acting credits
Awards and nominations
Images for kids
See also

Growing Up and Early Career

Ellen Burstyn was born Edna Rae Gillooly on December 7, 1932. She grew up in Detroit, Michigan. Her parents were Correine Marie and John Austin Gillooly. She has an older brother, Jack, and a younger brother, Steve. Her parents divorced when she was young. She and her brothers lived with their mother and stepfather.

Burstyn went to Cass Technical High School. This school let students choose a special field of study. Burstyn studied fashion illustration. In high school, she was a cheerleader and president of her drama club. She left high school before finishing her last year. After that, Burstyn worked as a dancer and a model. She used the name Kerri Flynn for a while.

She later moved to Dallas and then to New York City. From 1955 to 1956, she was a dancer on The Jackie Gleason Show. She used the name Erica Dean then. Burstyn decided to become an actress and chose "Ellen McRae" as her professional name. She later changed it to Burstyn after marrying Neil Burstyn in 1964.

Acting Career Highlights

Starting Out on Stage and TV

Burstyn made her Broadway debut in 1957. In 1967, she joined Lee Strasberg's Actors Studio in New York City. During the late 1950s and 1960s, Burstyn often appeared as a guest star on many TV shows. These included Dr. Kildare, Perry Mason, and Gunsmoke. She was known as Ellen McRae until 1967. After she and her husband Neil changed their last name to Burstyn, she started using Ellen Burstyn.

In 1975, she won a Tony Award for her role in the play Same Time, Next Year. She later played the same role in the movie version in 1978.

Becoming a Star in the 1970s

After many small movie roles, Burstyn became well-known. This happened after she starred in The Last Picture Show (1971). This movie was about growing up in a small town. It was praised for its look and feeling of the past. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards. Burstyn was nominated for Best Supporting Actress. In 1998, the movie was chosen to be saved in the United States National Film Registry. This means it was seen as very important.

Burstyn and Blair in The Exorcist (1973)

In 1972, Burstyn really wanted to play Chris MacNeil in the horror movie The Exorcist (1973). The movie studio wasn't sure about casting her at first. But Burstyn got the part. The movie was very difficult to film. Burstyn even hurt her spine during filming. Critics praised Burstyn for showing her character's feelings when her daughter was possessed. The Exorcist was a huge success at the box office. It is one of the highest-earning films of all time. Burstyn earned her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress for this role.

Burstyn then had a small role in Harry and Tonto (1974). Her next big role was in Martin Scorsese's movie Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974). She played a widow who was raising a son and wanted to become a singer. Burstyn liked the script because the character was like her own life. She also chose Martin Scorsese to direct the film. Critics loved her performance. She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for this movie.

In 1978, Burstyn starred in Same Time, Next Year with Alan Alda. This romantic comedy was about two people who meet once a year for a romantic visit. The movie was based on a play. Burstyn's performance was praised for its "warmth and grace." The film received four Academy Award nominations. Burstyn earned her third Best Actress nomination. She also won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Comedy or Musical.

Later Career and TV Work

In 1980, Burstyn starred in the movie Resurrection. She played a woman with strange powers after a car crash. This role earned her a fourth Academy Award nomination. In 1981, she starred in the TV movie The People vs. Jean Harris. She played a real-life person accused of murder. Burstyn was nominated for an Emmy and a Golden Globe for this role.

In the mid-1980s, Burstyn appeared in several TV films. She also starred in the movie Twice in a Lifetime (1985). She played Kate, a wife whose husband falls in love with another woman. In 1986, Burstyn had her own TV show, The Ellen Burstyn Show. It was a comedy with Megan Mullally and Elaine Stritch. It ran for one season.

In the 1990s, Burstyn continued to act in many films. These included When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) with Meg Ryan. In 1995, she appeared in How to Make an American Quilt. This movie was about several generations of women who were part of a quilting group. The cast was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award.

In 1999, director Darren Aronofsky offered Burstyn a role in Requiem for a Dream (2000). She played Sara Goldfarb. To prepare, she researched women in Brooklyn to understand their lives. The filming was very challenging. The movie was released in 2000. Critics praised Burstyn's performance. She earned her fifth nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Burstyn at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival

From 2000 to 2002, Burstyn starred in the TV series That's Life. She also appeared in movies like Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002). In 2006, Burstyn worked with Darren Aronofsky again in The Fountain. She played Dr. Lillian Guzetti. The film was about a scientist trying to save his wife from cancer.

In 2006, Burstyn was nominated for an Emmy for her small role in Mrs. Harris. Some people questioned the nomination because her role was very short. Burstyn joked about it, saying she wanted to be nominated for even shorter roles. The Emmy rules were later changed because of this.

Burstyn at the 2009 Creative Arts Emmy Awards

Between 2007 and 2011, Burstyn had a role on the TV series Big Love. She played the mother of a polygamist wife. In 2008, she played former First Lady Barbara Bush in the movie W.. In 2009, Burstyn won an Emmy for her guest role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. She played the mother of Detective Elliot Stabler.

Recent Work

In the early 2010s, Burstyn starred in independent films like Another Happy Day (2011). In 2012, she joined the cast of Political Animals. This TV series was about a former First Lady who became Secretary of State. Burstyn won an Emmy for her role in this series.

In 2014, Burstyn and Mackenzie Foy worked together in Christopher Nolan's science fiction film Interstellar. The movie is set in a future where humanity is struggling to survive. Astronauts travel through a wormhole to find a new home. The film earned over $700 million at the box office.

In 2015, Burstyn played Flemming in the romantic fantasy film The Age of Adaline. She played the daughter of an immortal character. In 2016, Burstyn guest starred in five episodes of House of Cards. Her performance earned her an Emmy nomination.

In 2020, Burstyn appeared in the drama Pieces of a Woman. Her performance was highly praised. She received several award nominations for it. In 2021, she played Bernadette Stabler in Law & Order: Organized Crime. She also played Sara Roosevelt in the series The First Lady.

In 2021, it was announced that Burstyn would play Chris MacNeil again. This was her role from The Exorcist (1973). She will appear in a new trilogy of sequels, starting with The Exorcist: Believer. In 2024, she also discussed her work on the original Exorcist film in a documentary called Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist.

Personal Life

Ellen Burstyn has been married three times. She married Bill Alexander in 1950 and they divorced in 1957. In 1958, she married Paul Roberts. They adopted a son named Jefferson in 1961. They divorced that same year. In 1964, she married actor Neil Nephew, who later changed his name to Neil Burstyn. They divorced in 1972.

Burstyn was raised Catholic. Now, she connects with many different religious faiths. She follows a form of Sufism. She says she prays to "Spirit" but sometimes to the Goddess, Jesus, or Ganesha. She also likes Guan Yin, who represents compassion. In her late 30s, she started learning about spirituality. Her teacher gave her the spiritual name Hadiya, which means "she who is guided" in Arabic.

During the 1970s, Burstyn helped try to free boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter from jail. She supports the Democratic Party. She was president of the Actors' Equity Association from 1982 to 1985. This group helps actors. Since 2000, she has been a co-president of the Actors Studio with Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin. In 1997, she was honored in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. In 2013, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame.

Acting credits

Awards and nominations

Ellen Burstyn is one of the few living actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting. This means she has won an Oscar, an Emmy, and a Tony. She won the Oscar in 1975 for her role in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. In the same year, she won the Tony Award for Same Time, Next Year. She completed the Triple Crown over 30 years later. This was with a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest role on Law and Order: SVU in 2009.