Biography
One of the most popular actresses in film and television during the 1970s and 1980s, Ellen Burstyn wowed critics and audiences alike with her enormously skilled and sympathetic performances as strong and complex women who struggle against what seem like insurmountable challenges in such films as "The Last Picture Show" (1971), "The Exorcist" (1973) and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," which earned her an Academy Award in 1974. Despite her …
Ellen Burstyn SlideShow
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Career Milestones
2012 | Played the head of a futuristic rest home in A&E miniseries "Coma," based on 1978 film | |
2012 | Co-starred with Sigourney Weaver in USA Network miniseries "Political Animals" | |
2011 | Co-starred in the ensemble family drama "Another Happy Day" | |
2011 | Cast opposite Colin Firth and Orlando Bloom in the small-town drama "Main Street" | |
2008 | Earned an Emmy nomination for her guest starring role on NBC's "Law & Order: SVU" as the bipolar estranged mother of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) | |
2008 | Portrayed former first lady Barbara Bush in Oliver Stone's controversial biopic "W." | |
2008 | Cast in Stephen Adly Guirgis' "The Little Flower of East Orange" directed by Philip Seymour Hoffman in a joint production of LAByrinth Theater Company and the Public Theater | |
2007 | Landed a recurring role on HBO's "Big Love," playing the mother of Polygamist wife Barbara Henrickson; earned an Emmy nomination in 2008 for Guest Actress in a Drama Series | |
2007 | Cast in the TV-movie "Mitch Albom's For One More Day" (ABC); earned a SAG nomination for Outstanding Female Actor in a Television Movie | |
2006 | Played a key role as Lilian in Darren Aronofsky's "The Fountain" | |
2006 | Earned an Emmy nomination for her role in "Mrs. Harris" (HBO); her nomination created controversy because her entire performance consisted of two lines of dialogue and a total of thirty-eight words, which resulted in fourteen seconds of screen time | |
2005 | Cast in Showtime's "Our Fathers," an adaptation of David France's epic book about the sex scandals in the Roman Catholic Church | |
2004 | Cast in the CBS TV-movie "Canal Street Brothel," about a family of women who ran a bordello out of their New Orleans home | |
2004 | Cast in the ABC TV-movie "The Five People You Meet in Heaven" | |
2002 | Portrayed an elder Viviane 'Vivi' Abbott Walker in "The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood"; based on the best-selling novel by Rebecca Wells | |
2000 | Cast in the CBS series "That's Life" as the meddling mother of the central character (Heather Paige Kent) | |
2000 | Played a woman addicted to diet pills who fantasizes about competing on a game show in Darren Aronofsky's "Requiem For a Dream"; received Best Actress Oscar nomination | |
1999 | Co-starred as the matriarch of a troubled family in the CBS TV-movie "Night Ride Home" | |
1998 | Played a woman coming to terms with her grown son's batlle with AIDS in "Playing by Heart" | |
1998 | Played the mysterious subject of a town legend in the CBS movie "The Patron Saint of Liars" | |
1996 | Played the owner of "The Spitfire Grill," a restaurant that serves as a troubled young woman's ticket to a new life | |
1995 | Featured in "How to Make an American Quilt" as Finn's (Winona Ryder) grandmother and one of the women who share their coming-of-age stories with the aimless bride-to-be while crafting the titular gift | |
1995 | Starred on Broadway as Sister Grace in "Sacrilege" | |
1993 | Played a widow in "The Cemetary Club" | |
1992 | Acted in the short-lived Broadway production "Shimada" | |
1992 | Featured in "Grand Isle" (TNT), the TV-movie adaptation of Kate Chopin's The Awakening | |
1991 | Played the titular woman on the run from authorities with her grandchild in "Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love" (CBS) | |
1989 | Succeeded Pauline Collins as the titular heroine in the one-person show "Shirley Valentine" | |
1987 | Starred in the TV-movie "Pack of Lies" (CBS), an adaptation of Hugh Whitmore's hit play about a London couple who allow British intelligence to use their home to spy on their longtime friends and neighbors; earned second Emmy nomination | |
1986 | Appeared in own comedy series "The Ellen Burstyn Show" (ABC) | |
1986 | Starred in the fact-based TV-movies "Into Thin Air" (CBS) and "Act of Vengeance" (HBO) | |
1985 | With Marsha Mason, starred as mothers whose teenage children fulfill a suicide pact in "Surviving" (ABC) | |
| Succeeded Lee Strasberg as co-artistic director (with Al Pacino, who served 1982-84) of the Actors Studio | ||
| Starred on Broadway in "84 Charing Cross Road" | ||
1982 | Named first female President of Actor's Equity Association (resigned in 1985) | |
1981 | Earned Emmy nomination for her work in the fact-based NBC miniseries "The People vs. Jean Harris" | |
1980 | Gave an Oscar-nominated performance in "Resurrection" | |
1980 | Stage directing debut, "Judgement" | |
1978 | Reprised role in the film version of "Same Time, Next Year" opposite Alan Alda; earned fourth Oscar nomination | |
1975 | Starred on Broadway with Charles Grodin in "Same Time, Next Year"; won a Tony Award | |
1974 | Starred in "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore"; also produced; hired then relatively unknown director Martin Scorsese to direct | |
1973 | Played the mother of a possessed young girl in "The Exorcist"; earned second Oscar nomination, this time as Best Actress | |
1972 | Offered a memorably performance as an aging beauty in "The King of Marvin Gardens" co-starring Jack Nicholson | |
1971 | Breakthrough screen performance, as Lois Farrow in "The Last Picture Show"; nominated for Best Supporting Actress Oscar | |
1970 | Changed billing to Ellen Burstyn for "Alex in Wonderland" | |
1967 | Joined the Actors Studio | |
1967 | Starred on the ABC Western series "Iron Horse" as a freight line operator; credited as Ellen McRae | |
1965 | Played Doctor Kate Bartok on NBC daytime drama "The Doctors"; credited as Ellen McRae | |
1964 | Moved to NYC | |
1964 | Feature acting debut in "Goodbye, Charlie"; billed as Ellen McRae | |
1963 | Had lead in TV series pilot "The Big Brain" (CBS) | |
| Lived in L.A. | ||
1957 | Broadway debut in "Fair Game" | |
1956 | Debut as a TV regular as a dancer on "The Jackie Gleason Show" (CBS); billed as Erica Dean | |
| Acted in commercials using the name Keri Flynn | ||
| Worked as a model in Texas and NYC | ||
Awards
2009 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |
2008 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress In a Drama Series in Big Love |
2008 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries in For One More Day |
2006 | Hamptons International Film Festival for GOLDEN STARFISH CAREER ACHIEVEMENT IN ACTING AWARD |
2006 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress In a Miniseries or Movie in Mrs. Harris |
2001 | Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead in Requiem for A Dream |
2001 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role in Requiem for A Dream |
2000 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Requiem for A Dream |
2000 | Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Actress in Requiem for A Dream |
2000 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in Requiem for A Dream |
1996 | Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture in How to Make An American Quilt |
1988 | Berlin International Film Festival for Berlinale Camera |
1981 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Mini-Series or Motion Picture Made for Television in People vs. Jean Harris |
1981 | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress In a Limited Series or a Special in People vs. Jean Harris |
1980 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Resurrection |
1980 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in Resurrection |
1978 | Academy Award for Actress In a Leading Role in Same Time, Next Year |
1978 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Comedy Or Musical in Same Time, Next Year |
1975 | Tony Award for Actress (Dramatic) |
1975 | Tony Award for Actress (Dramatic) |
1975 | BAFTA Award for Actress in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore |
1974 | Academy Award for Actress in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore |
1974 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore |
1973 | Academy Award for Actress in The Exorcist |
1973 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture - Drama in The Exorcist |
1971 | Academy Award for Actress In a Supporting Role in The Last Picture Show |
1971 | Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture in The Last Picture Show |
1971 | New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Last Picture Show |
1971 | National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actress in The Last Picture Show |