Ellen Burstyn
Known for Acting · 197 credits
- Born
- 1932-12-07 (age 93)
- Place of birth
- Detroit, Michigan, USA
- Also known as
- Ellen McRae · Edna Rae Gilhooley
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
TV Shows (50)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
1999
as Bernie Stabler
The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson
1962
as Self
The Kelly Clarkson Show
2019
as Self
Perry Mason
1957
as Mona Winthrope White
Saturday Night Live
1975
as Self - Host
The View
1997
as Self
Golden Globe Awards
1944
as Self - Presenter / Self - Nominee
Tony Awards
1956
as Self - Host / Self - Winner / Self - Presenter / Self - Host/Presenter / Self - Audience Member
Mom
2013
as Shirley
Bob Hope Presents the Chrysler Theatre
1963
as Eva Laurelton
American Experience
1988
as Narrator (voice)
The Virginian
1962
as Kate Burden
Cheyenne
1955
as Emmy Mae
House of Cards
2013
as Elizabeth Hale
Dr. Kildare
1961
as Anne Garner
Law & Order: Organized Crime
2021
as Bernadette 'Bernie' Stabler
Les Rendez-vous du dimanche
1975
as Self
The Big Valley
1965
as Sister Sarah Jacob
Gunsmoke
1955
as Polly / Amy Waters
The Oscars
1953
as Self
Big Love
2006
as Nancy Davis Dutton
The Defenders
1961
as Hilda Wesley
Ben Casey
1961
as Dr. Leslie Fraser / Connie
Dinah!
1974
as Self
77 Sunset Strip
1958
as Betty Benson / Sandra Keene
The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis
1959
as Donna Whittaker
The Time Tunnel
1966
as Eve Holland
Surfside 6
1960
as Wandra Drake
The Detectives
1959
as Nora
Kraft Suspense Theatre
1963
as Barbara Sherwood / Lucille Benton
Checkmate
1960
as Margo as Ellen McRae
HARDtalk
1997
Vacation Playhouse
1963
as Ellen
Bus Stop
1961
as Phyllis Dunning
The Greatest Show on Earth
1963
as Susan Mason
Going My Way
1962
as Louise
The Rosie O'Donnell Show
1996
as Self - Guest
That's Life
2000
as Dolly DeLucca
The First Lady
2022
as Sara Delano Roosevelt
Letter to Loretta
1953
as Ann Walters
Hallmark Hall of Fame
1951
as Elizabeth / Barbara Jackson / Maggie / Rika
The Book of Daniel
2006
as Bishop Beatrice Congreve
Political Animals
2012
as Margaret Barrish
Coma
2012
as Mrs. Emerson
Kraft Mystery Theatre
1961
as Greta Dryden
I'm Dickens, He's Fenster
1962
as Joan
A Will of their Own
1998
as Veronica Steward
The Ellen Burstyn Show
1986
as Ellen Brewer
Reframed: Marilyn Monroe
2022
as Self
Inside the Actors Studio
1994
as Self
Movies (147)
Interstellar
2014
as Murph (older)
The Exorcist
1973
as Chris MacNeil
The Exorcist: Believer
2023
as Chris MacNeil
The Age of Adaline
2015
as Flemming
Flowers in the Attic
2014
as Grandmother
Requiem for a Dream
2000
as Sara Goldfarb
Pieces of a Woman
2020
as Elizabeth Weiss
The House of Tomorrow
2019
as Josephine Prendergast
Petals on the Wind
2014
as Olivia Foxworth
The Wicker Man
2006
as Sister Summersisle
The Fountain
2006
as Dr. Lillian Guzetti
Draft Day
2014
as Barb Weaver
Main Street
2010
as Georgiana Carr
And the Oscar Goes To...
2014
as Self - Interviewee
30 Days
2006
as Maura
Lovely, Still
2009
as Mary
The Tale
2018
as Nettie
Custody
2016
as Beatrice Fisher
Breakdown: 1975
2025
as Self
The Last Picture Show
1971
as Lois Farrow
Love, Marilyn
2013
as Self
Another Happy Day
2011
as Doris Baker
Two Men in Town
2014
as Mère Garnett
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
1974
as Alice Hyatt
The Patron Saint of Liars
1998
as June Clatterbuck
Twice in a Lifetime
1985
as Kate MacKenzie
The Yards
2000
as Val Handler
When a Man Loves a Woman
1994
as Emily
Thursday's Game
1974
as Lynne Evers
People vs. Jean Harris
1981
as Jean Harris
Marilyn in Manhattan
1998
as Self
Providence
1977
as Sonia Langham
River of Fundament
2014
as Hathfertiti
Night of 100 Stars II
1985
as Self
Roommates
1995
as Judith
All I Wish
2018
as Celia Berges
Tropic of Cancer
1970
as Mona (uncredited)
Mother, Couch
2024
as Mother
When It Was a Game 2
1992
as Passage Narrator (voice)
The Calling
2014
as Emily Micallef
Pit Stop
1969
as Ellen McCleod
The Cemetery Club
1993
as Esther Moskowitz
Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam
1987
as Mrs. Stocks (voice)
Earth and the American Dream
1992
as Reader (voice)
Duse, the Greatest
2025
Goodbye Charlie
1964
as Franny Salzman
Picture This
1991
as Self
Dying Young
1991
as Mrs. O'Neil
Queen Bees
2021
as Helen Wilson
Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You
2012
as Nanette
The Baby-Sitters Club
1995
as Mrs. Haberman
Flash
1997
as Laura Strong
Wiener-Dog
2016
as Nana
Our Fathers
2005
as Mary Ryan
W.
2008
as Barbara Bush
The King of Marvin Gardens
1972
as Sally
Act of Vengeance
1986
as Margaret Yablonski
Resurrection
1980
as Edna
Three Months
2022
as Valerie
I Love Liberty
1982
as Self
When You Remember Me
1990
as Nurse Cooder
Playing by Heart
1998
as Mildred
The Ambassador
1985
as Alex Hacker
Pack of Lies
1987
as Barbara Jackson
How to Make an American Quilt
1995
as Hy Dodd
American Woman
2019
as Miss Dolly
For Those Who Think Young
1964
as Dr. Pauline Swenson
The Fear of God: 25 Years of The Exorcist
1998
as Self - Chris MacNeil
Lucy in the Sky
2019
as Nana Holbrook
Nostalgia
2018
as Helen Greer
You Can Thank Me Later
1998
as Shirley Cooperberg
Getting Gotti
1994
as Jo Giacalone
Harry and Tonto
1974
as Shirley Mallard
Night Ride Home
1999
as Maggie
This Ordinary Thing
2025
as Self (voice)
According to Greta
2009
as Katherine
Mermaid
2000
as Trish
My Brother's Keeper
1995
as Helen
Into Thin Air
1985
as Joan Walker
The Stone Angel
2007
as Hagar
The Last Picture Show: A Look Back
1999
as Self
Red Dragon
2002
as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited)
The Color of Evening
1990
as Kate O'Rielly
Watch on the Rhine
2021
as Fanny
Within These Walls
2001
as Joan Thomas
Follow The River
1995
as Gretel
Night of 100 Stars
1982
as Self
Stardust: The Bette Davis Story
2006
as Self
Bathing Flo
PoliWood
2009
as Self
Hello Actors Studio
1988
as Self
Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love
1991
as Lillian "Lil" Lambert
Brush with Fate
2003
as Rika
The Spitfire Grill
1996
as Hannah Ferguson
Walking Across Egypt
1999
as Mattie Rigsbee
Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
2002
as Vivi
Second Chances: The Making of "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"
2004
as Self
Same Time, Next Year
1978
as Doris
Timepiece
1996
as Maud Gannon
The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond
2008
as Miss Addie
The Elephant King
2006
as Diana Hunt
Getting Out
1994
as Arlie's Mother
Flesh Impact
as Marilyn Monroe
The Velveteen Rabbit
2009
as Swan (voice)
Be Pretty and Shut Up!
1981
as Self
Mrs. Harris
2006
as Former Tarnower Steady
The Mighty Macs
2011
as Mother St. John
Memories, Dreams & Addictions
2001
as Self
Unity
2015
as Narrator (voice)
Surviving
1985
as Tina Brogan
The Making of Requiem for a Dream
2001
as Self
Friedkin Uncut
2018
as Self
The Five People You Meet In Heaven
2004
as Ruby
Trick of the Eye
1994
as Frances Griffin
Wish You Well
2013
as Louisa Mae Cardinal
The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute
1974
as Self (archive footage)
Alex in Wonderland
1970
as Beth Morrison
Grand Isle
1991
as Mademoiselle Reisz
Silence of the North
1981
as Olive Frederickson
Delphine and Carole
2020
as Self (archive footage)
About Ellen Burstyn
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 t… With 197 credits spanning from 1944 to 2025, Ellen Burstyn has appeared in 147 films and 50 TV shows.
Fans searching for Ellen Burstyn movies, Ellen Burstyn filmography, or the latest projects starring Ellen Burstyn can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Ellen Burstyn Movies
- Interstellar (2014) — as Murph (older)
- The Exorcist (1973) — as Chris MacNeil
- The Exorcist: Believer (2023) — as Chris MacNeil
- The Age of Adaline (2015) — as Flemming
- Flowers in the Attic (2014) — as Grandmother
Where to Watch Ellen Burstyn Films
Most Ellen Burstyn movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Ellen Burstyn, check our movies catalogue and browse page.