Photo: David Shankbone / CC BY 3.0 (source: Wikimedia Commons)
My Take
Ellen Burstyn belongs to that tiny club of actors I would watch in anything, because she never plays a scene the easy way. The seventies run alone, from The Last Picture Show through The Exorcist to her Oscar for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, would secure most careers, but she kept going, completing the Triple Crown of Acting and adding an Emmy as late as 2013. What moves me is her origin: a girl from Detroit's Cass Tech who built herself into American cinema's great chronicler of ordinary women under pressure. She makes endurance look like an art form, and she is still working past ninety.
Overview
Ellen Burstyn (born Edna Rae Gillooly; December 7, 1932) is an American actress. Known for her portrayals of complex women in dramas, she is the recipient of numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Tony Award, and two Primetime Emmy Awards. Burstyn is one of the few performers to achieve the "Triple Crown of Acting". She has also received a BAFTA Award and a Golden Globe Award.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.
1. Profile
- Name (English)
- Ellen Burstyn
- Name (Japanese)
- エレン・バースティン
- Reading
- えれん・ばーすてぃん
- Born
- December 7, 1932 (age 93)
- Zodiac / Chinese zodiac
- Sagittarius / Monkey
- Origin
- Detroit, Michigan, United States
- Blood type
- Private
- Height
- 2 cm
- Agency
- Private
- Occupation
- actor / character actor / stage actor / television actor / film actor
2. Background
- Elementary school
- Private
- Junior high
- Private
- High school
- Cass Technical High School
- University
- Private
Awards & achievements
- 1975 Academy Award for Best Actress
- 1975 Tony Award for Best Actress in a Play
- 1997 Michigan Women's Hall of Fame
- 1979 Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy
- Film Independent Spirit Awards
- 2009 Genie Awards
- 1976 BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role
- 2013 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or a Movie
3. Relationships
- Spouse
- Private
- Children
- Private
- Parents
- Private
- Siblings
- Private
4. Personality
Motto
Private
5. Works & records
| Category | Title | Role | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notable work | The Last Picture Show | — | |
| Notable work | The Exorcist | — | |
| Notable work | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore | — | |
| Notable work | Same Time, Next Year | — | |
| Notable work | Resurrection | — | |
| Notable work | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | — |
6. Links
Actor — see all → · Character actor — see all → · More people from United States →
7. About this entry
Tags
- Last updated
- 2026-06-11
Facts are limited to publicly available information up to 2024; non-public items are marked "Private / Unknown". English text is machine-assisted (facts translated by Sonnet, "My Take" written by Opus 4.8). The Japanese page is the source of record.