Actor
· Acting
Ellen Burstyn
Born 1932-12-07
📍 Detroit, Michigan, USA
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.
Filmography 193
Breakdown: 1975
as Self
2025
This Ordinary Thing
as Self (voice)
2025
Duse, the Greatest
2025
E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump
as E. Jean Carroll
2024
Mother, Couch
as Mother
2024
Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist
as Self
2024
The Exorcist: Believer
as Chris MacNeil
2023
The First Lady
as Sara Delano Roosevelt
2022
Three Months
as Valerie
2022
Reframed: Marilyn Monroe
as Self
2022
Paul Newman, Behind Blue Eyes
as Herself
2021
Queen Bees
as Helen Wilson
2021
Watch on the Rhine
as Fanny
2021
Law & Order: Organized Crime
as Bernadette 'Bernie' Stabler
2021
Pieces of a Woman
as Elizabeth Weiss
2020
Delphine and Carole
as Self (archive footage)
2020
Lucy in the Sky
as Nana Holbrook
2019
American Woman
as Miss Dolly
2019
Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies
as Self
2019
The House of Tomorrow
as Josephine Prendergast
2019
Friedkin Uncut
as Self
2018
Nostalgia
as Helen Greer
2018
All I Wish
as Celia Berges
2018
The Tale
as Nettie
2018
Marilyn Monroe: Auction of a Lifetime
as Self
2017
Wiener-Dog
as Nana
2016
Custody
as Beatrice Fisher
2016
Unity
as Narrator (voice)
2015
About Scout
as Gram
2015
The Age of Adaline
as Flemming
2015
Interstellar
as Murph (older)
2014
The Calling
as Emily Micallef
2014
Petals on the Wind
as Olivia Foxworth
2014
Two Men in Town
as Mère Garnett
2014
Draft Day
as Barb Weaver
2014
River of Fundament
as Hathfertiti
2014
And the Oscar Goes To...
as Self - Interviewee
2014
Flowers in the Attic
as Grandmother
2014
Wish You Well
as Louisa Mae Cardinal
2013
Mom
as Shirley
2013
Love, Marilyn
as Self
2013
House of Cards
as Elizabeth Hale
2013
Coma
as Mrs. Emerson
2012
Political Animals
as Margaret Barrish
2012
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
as Nanette
2012
Another Happy Day
as Doris Baker
2011
The Mighty Macs
as Mother St. John
2011
Reflections of a Philosopher King
as Self
2010
BBStory: An American Film Renaissance
as Self
2010
Main Street
as Georgiana Carr
2010
According to Greta
as Katherine
2009
Lovely, Still
as Mary
2009
PoliWood
as Self
2009
The Velveteen Rabbit
as Swan (voice)
2009
W.
as Barbara Bush
2008
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
as Miss Addie
2008
Mitch Albom's For One More Day
as Pauline "Posey" Benetto
2007
The Stone Angel
as Hagar
2007
The Fountain
as Dr. Lillian Guzetti
2006
30 Days
as Maura
2006
The Wicker Man
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
Big Love
as Nancy Davis Dutton
2006
Mrs. Harris
as Former Tarnower Steady
2006
The Book of Daniel
as Bishop Beatrice Congreve
2006
Our Fathers
as Mary Ryan
2005
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
as Ruby
2004
The Madam's Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel
as Tommie
2004
A Decade Under the Influence
as Self
2003
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls: How the Sex 'n' Drugs 'n' Rock 'n' Roll Generation Saved Hollywood
as Self
2003
Brush with Fate
as Rika
2003
Red Dragon
as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited)
2002
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
as Vivi Abbott Walker
2002
Within These Walls
as Joan Thomas
2001
Memories, Dreams & Addictions
as Self
2001
The Making of Requiem for a Dream
as Self
2001
Requiem for a Dream
as Sara Goldfarb
2000
That's Life
as Dolly DeLucca
2000
Mermaid
as Trish
2000
The Yards
as Val Handler
2000
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Bernie Stabler
1999
The Last Picture Show: A Look Back
as Self
1999
Night Ride Home
as Maggie
1999
Walking Across Egypt
as Mattie Rigsbee
1999
Playing by Heart
as Mildred
1998
A Will of their Own
as Veronica Steward
1998
Marilyn in Manhattan
as Self
1998
You Can Thank Me Later
as Shirley Cooperberg
1998
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
as Self - Chris MacNeil
1998
The Patron Saint of Liars
as June Clatterbuck
1998
Flash
as Laura Strong
1997
Deceiver
as Mook
1997
The View
as Self
1997
A Deadly Vision
as Yvette Watson
1997
HARDtalk
1997
Timepiece
as Maud Gannon
1996
The Spitfire Grill
as Hannah Ferguson
1996
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
as Self - Guest
1996
How to Make an American Quilt
as Hy Dodd
1995
The Baby-Sitters Club
as Mrs. Haberman
1995
Follow The River
as Gretel
1995
Roommates
as Judith
1995
Trick of the Eye
as Frances Griffin
1994
Inside the Actors Studio
as Self
1994
Getting Gotti
as Jo Giacalone
1994
When a Man Loves a Woman
as Emily
1994
Getting Out
as Arlie's Mother
1994
Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story
as Joan Delvecchio
1993
The Cemetery Club
as Esther Moskowitz
1993
Earth and the American Dream
as Reader (voice)
1992
When It Was a Game 2
as Passage Narrator (voice)
1992
Taking Back My Life: The Nancy Ziegenmeyer Story
as Wilma
1992
Picture This
as Self
1991
Grand Isle
as Mademoiselle Reisz
1991
Dying Young
as Mrs. O'Neil
1991
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
as Lillian "Lil" Lambert
1991
When You Remember Me
as Nurse Cooder
1990
The Color of Evening
as Kate O'Rielly
1990
Hello Actors Studio
as Self
1988
American Experience
as Narrator (voice)
1988
Hanna's War
as Katalin
1988
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
as Mrs. Stocks (voice)
1987
Pack of Lies
as Barbara Jackson
1987
Something in Common
as Lynn Hollander
1986
The Ellen Burstyn Show
as Ellen Brewer
1986
Act of Vengeance
as Margaret Yablonski
1986
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
1985
I Love Liberty
as Self
1982
Night of 100 Stars
as Self
1982
Silence of the North
as Olive Frederickson
1981
People vs. Jean Harris
as Jean Harris
1981
Be Pretty and Shut Up!
as Self
1981
Resurrection
as Edna
1980
A Dream of Passion
as Brenda Collins
1978
Same Time, Next Year
as Doris
1978
Providence
as Sonia Langham
1977
Saturday Night Live
as Self - Host
1975
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
as Self
1975
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
as Alice Hyatt
1974
Dinah!
as Self
1974
Harry and Tonto
as Shirley Mallard
1974
Thursday's Game
as Lynne Evers
1974
The Exorcist
as Chris MacNeil
1973
The King of Marvin Gardens
as Sally
1972
The Last Picture Show
as Lois Farrow
1971
Alex in Wonderland
as Beth Morrison
1970
Tropic of Cancer
as Mona (uncredited)
1970
Pit Stop
as Ellen McCleod
1969
The Time Tunnel
as Eve Holland
1966
The Big Valley
as Sister Sarah Jacob
1965
Goodbye Charlie
as Franny Salzman
1964
For Those Who Think Young
as Dr. Pauline Swenson
1964
Kraft Suspense Theatre
as Barbara Sherwood / Lucille Benton
1963
Going My Way
as Louise
1962
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
as Self
1962
I'm Dickens, He's Fenster
as Joan
1962
The Virginian
as Kate Burden
1962
Ricochet
as Rose Maxon
1961
Ben Casey
as Dr. Leslie Fraser
1961
Ben Casey
as Connie
1961
Bus Stop
as Phyllis Dunning
1961
Dr. Kildare
as Anne Garner
1961
The Defenders
as Hilda Wesley
1961
Surfside 6
as Wandra Drake
1960
Checkmate
as Margo as Ellen McRae
1960
The Detectives
as Nora
1959
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
as Donna Whittaker
1959
77 Sunset Strip
as Betty Benson
1958
77 Sunset Strip
as Sandra Keene
1958
Perry Mason
as Mona Winthrope White
1957
Tony Awards
as Self - Host
1956
Tony Awards
as Self - Winner
1956
Tony Awards
as Self - Presenter
1956
Tony Awards
as Self - Host/Presenter
1956
Tony Awards
as Self - Audience Member
1956
Cheyenne
as Emmy Mae
1955
Gunsmoke
as Polly
1955
Gunsmoke
as Amy Waters
1955
Letter to Loretta
as Ann Walters
1953
The Oscars
as Self
1953
Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Elizabeth
1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Barbara Jackson
1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Maggie
1951
Hallmark Hall of Fame
as Rika
1951
Easy Out?
as Mary
1948
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Presenter
1944
Golden Globe Awards
as Self - Nominee
1944