Ellen Burstyn

Early life

Burstyn was born Edna Rae Gillooly on December 7, 1932, in Detroit, the daughter of Correine Marie (née Hamel) and John Austin Gillooly. She says her ancestry is "Irish, French, Pennsylvania Dutch, a little Canadian Indian". Burstyn has an older brother, Jack, and a younger brother, Steve. Her parents divorced when she was young, and she and her brothers lived with their mother and abusive stepfather.

Burstyn attended Cass Technical High School, a university-preparatory school that allowed students to choose a specific field of study. Burstyn majored in fashion illustration. In high school she was a cheerleader, a member of the student council, and president of her drama club. She dropped out of high school during her senior year after failing her classes. Soon afterward, Burstyn worked as a dancer using the name Kerri Flynn, and then a model until the age of 23. She later moved to Dallas, where she continued modeling and worked in other fashion jobs before moving to New York City.

From 1955 to 1956, Burstyn appeared as an "away we go" dancing girl on The Jackie Gleason Show under the name Erica Dean. Burstyn then decided to become an actress and chose the name "Ellen McRae" as her professional name; she later changed her surname after her 1964 marriage to Neil Burstyn.

Career

1958–1970: Early work and Broadway debut

Burstyn debuted on Broadway in 1957 and joined Lee Strasberg's The Actors Studio in New York City in 1967. Starting in the late 1950s, and throughout the 1960s, Burstyn frequently played guest roles on a number of primetime television shows, including Dr. Kildare, 77 Sunset Strip, Ben Casey, Perry Mason, Cheyenne, Wagon Train, Gunsmoke, The Big Valley, The Virginian, Laramie and The Time Tunnel. Burstyn was credited as Ellen McRae until 1967, when she and her then-husband Neil Nephew both changed their surname to Burstyn, and she began to be credited as Ellen Burstyn. In 1970, she appeared uncredited in the Joseph Strick adaptation of Henry Miller's controversial novel Tropic of Cancer. In 1975, she won a Tony Award for Best Performance by a Leading Actress in a Play for her performance in the comedy Same Time, Next Year, a role she reprised in a film adaptation in 1978.

1971–1979: Breakthrough, acclaim and awards success

After many small film roles, Burstyn gained recognition after starring in The Last Picture Show (1971), a coming-of-age story, directed by Peter Bogdanovich and adapted from a semi-autobiographical 1966 novel by Larry McMurtry. The film received critical acclaim for its nostalgia and visual style that is reminiscent of 1951, the year in which the plot takes place. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards, including Best Supporting Actress for Burstyn and her co-star Cloris Leachman, with the latter winning the award. In 1998, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry, being deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". Next she appeared in the drama The King of Marvin Gardens in 1972, with Jack Nicholson, Bruce Dern, and Scatman Crothers. A story about a daydreamer who convinces his brother to help fund a get-rich-quick scheme, the film was well received by critics.

In 1972, Burstyn sought the lead role of Chris MacNeil in the supernatural horror film The Exorcist (1973). The film studio was initially reluctant to cast her, but when no other actors were put forward, Burstyn was chosen for the part. Her co-stars were Max von Sydow, Lee J. Cobb, Kitty Winn, Jack MacGowran, Jason Miller, and Linda Blair. The Exorcist had a production budget of $12 million, and its principal photography was held in various parts of New York City. Filming proved to be challenging for the entire cast; it took "six-day weeks, twelve-hour days for nine months" to film, and director William Friedkin used a prop gun to get genuine reactions from the cast. Burstyn also injured her coccyx, which led to permanent injury to her spine. Film critic Roger Ebert praised Burstyn for her ability to capture MacNeil's "frustration" when her daughter is possessed by an evil spirit. Against expectations, The Exorcist was a major commercial success at the box-office. Adjusted for inflation, the film is the ninth highest-grossing film of all time in the U.S. and Canada and the top-grossing R-rated film of all time. It won two Academy Awards – Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Sound Mixing, and earned Burstyn her first nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

Burstyn followed up with a small role in the comedy-drama Harry and Tonto (1974). Her next major role was in Martin Scorsese's romantic drama Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974) where she played a widowed woman, raising a son and yearning to start a new life for herself as a singer. She was drawn to the script because of the character's resemblance to her own life. Burstyn was also inspired by the works of Betty Friedan and Gloria Steinem, who found that women were searching to "redefine their roles in society". Burstyn was offered to direct but turned it down to concentrate on her performance, but selected then-newcomer Scorsese as director and recalled the collaboration as "one of the best experiences I've ever had". Vincent Canby of The New York Times wrote, "Burstyn never misses the eccentric beat that distinguishes it—that makes Alice such a hugely appealing character who is both banal and very rare". Her performance in the film earned her the Academy Award for Best Actress. In 1975, she became a graduate of the first group of participants in the American Film Institute Directing Workshop for Women. In 1977, she served as a member of the jury at the 27th Berlin International Film Festival.

1980–1998: Established actress

Burstyn hosted NBC's Saturday Night Live, a popular late-night sketch comedy and variety show, in December 1980. That year, Burstyn starred in the drama Resurrection, a story about a woman who possesses strange powers after a surviving an automobile crash. Her performance in the film earned her a fourth nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress and a third nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Motion Picture Drama. In 1981, she starred in the biographical television film The People vs. Jean Harris (1981), based on the real life murder of Herman Tarnower, a well-known cardiologist and author of the best-selling book The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet. Burstyn's portrayal of the murderer, Jean Harris, earned her nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or Movie and the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Miniseries or Television Film. In 1981, Burstyn recorded "The Ballad of the Nazi Soldier's Wife" for Ben Bagley's album Kurt Weill Revisited, Vol. 2.

In the mid-1980s, Burstyn starred in several television films, including The Ambassador (1984), Surviving (1985), Into Thin Air (1985), Act of Vengeance (1986), Something in Common (1986) and a 1987 adaptation of the play Pack of Lies, which was nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards, including another for Burstyn as Outstanding Actress in a Mini-Series or Movie. For the theatrical release Twice in a Lifetime (1985), co-starring Gene Hackman and Ann-Margret, she portrayed Kate, the wife whom Hackman's character divorces when he falls in love with another woman.

In 1986, Burstyn starred in an ABC television sitcom, The Ellen Burstyn Show, with co-stars Megan Mullally as her daughter and Elaine Stritch as her mother. Created by David Frankel it ran only for one season. In 1987, she appeared in Hanna's War (1987), and the television movies Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam and Look Away. In 1988, she then participated again as a member of the jury for the 38th Berlin International Film Festival.

In 1990, Burstyn won the Sarah Siddons Award for her work in Chicago theatre. A variety of acting performances followed suit, including in the dramas When You Remember Me (1990), Dying Young (1991) and Grand Isle (1991). In addition to television movies, Burstyn appeared in When a Man Loves a Woman (1994) with co-stars Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan.

1999–2009: Dramas and television work

In 1999, director Darren Aronofsky offered Burstyn the role of Sara Goldfarb in the psychological drama Requiem for a Dream (2000). She initially rejected the part, objecting to the depressive nature of the story; however, she changed her mind after seeing Aronofsky's previous work. The film is based on the novel of the same name by Hubert Selby Jr, which tells the story of four New Yorkers whose lives are affected by drug addictions. To prepare for the role, Burstyn had to research troubled women in Brooklyn, "to get their speech patterns and outlook on life—and how narrow that is [...] their life is about getting enough money to put food on the table to feed their children, and that's it". She had to wear fat suits and lose about 10-pounds (4½ kg) to showcase her character's weight-loss. Burstyn and her co-stars Jennifer Connelly, Jared Leto, and Marlon Wayans, found the filming schedule of forty days challenging and intense. Requiem for a Dream premiered at the 2000 Cannes Film Festival and was released to theaters on October 6, 2000. The film was well received and praised for its visual style and depiction of drug abuse. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone writes, "Burstyn gives an award-caliber performance that is as raw and riveting as the movie that contains it". Burstyn's performance earned her a fifth nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actress.

From 2000 to 2002, Burstyn starred in the CBS television series That's Life. The series, set in suburban New Jersey, ran for two seasons. Burstyn appeared in several more films, including Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (2002), Brush with Fate (2003) and The Five People You Meet in Heaven (2004). Burstyn starred in the Broadway production of Martin Tahse's Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, based upon the novel of the same title by Allan Gurganus. The show played 19 previews and officially opened November 17, 2003. Due to unfavorable reviews, all performances after the opening night were cancelled.

She provided a supporting role as the mother of two sons in the 2006 romantic drama The Elephant King. The film originally premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival, and opened in U.S. theaters October 2008. In January 2006, she starred as an Episcopal bishop in the NBC comedy-drama series The Book of Daniel. The series, which also starred Aidan Quinn as a drug-addicted Episcopal priest married to an alcoholic wife, was met with controversy from religious and spiritual leaders due to its unconventional portrayals of religious figures. Conservative groups including American Family Association and Focus on the Family urged supporters to complain to NBC affiliates that carried the show. NBC removed the series from its line-up after four episodes, but did not publicly provide a reason.

2010–present

Throughout the early 2010s, Burstyn starred in various independent films such as Main Street (2010), Another Happy Day (2011), and The Mighty Macs (2011). In 2012, she joined the cast of Political Animals, a television series about the life of a divorced former First Lady, serving as Secretary of State. Political Animals received generally favorable reviews from critics according to Metacritic. The series was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Limited or Anthology Series or Television Film, with Burstyn winning the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.

Burstyn portrayed the grandmother of Lou (played by Mackenzie Foy) in Wish You Well (2013). A year later, Burstyn and Foy worked together again in Christopher Nolan's epic science fiction film Interstellar. Set in a dystopian future where humanity is struggling to survive, the film follows a group of astronauts who travel through a wormhole in search of a new home for humanity. The film grossed over $700 million at the box-office.

In 2014, Burstyn made a guest appearance in five episodes of Louis C.K's critically acclaimed FX series Louie. She portrayed an elderly Hungarian neighbor of Louis C.K. in season four. Critic Emily St. James of The A.V. Club described Burstyn's performance as "marvelous". Despite not receiving an Emmy nomination, she garnered awards buzz for her performance. In an interview with The New York Times, Burstyn was asked about her reaction to the accusations of sexual misconduct against Louis C.K. She responded by saying, "Louis just broke my heart because I love him. When I worked with him, I had such admiration for his talent and his person, his being. I know he's a good person, but even good people have sexual hang-ups that hurt other people. I just wish he had gone to therapy or whatever so it didn't have to ruin his life."

In 2014, she also starred in a thriller, The Calling, and the television film Flowers in the Attic. In 2015, Burstyn played Flemming, the daughter of Blake Lively's immortal character in the romantic fantasy film The Age of Adaline. Production started in March 2014, and the film was released in April 2015.

In 2016, Burstyn guest starred in five episodes of the critically acclaimed political thriller House of Cards. The New York Times praised Burstyn's character for adding "vitality and heart"; her performance in the series earned her a nomination for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series. She acted in a succession of low-budget films, including Custody (2016), The House of Tomorrow (2017), All I Wish (2017), and Nostalgia (2018). Burstyn also starred in Jennifer Fox's mystery drama The Tale, which premiered on HBO on May 26, 2018. Burstyn served as an executive producer for Peter Livolsi's film The House of Tomorrow (2017), about her friend R. Buckminster Fuller, in which she also starred. In 2019, she appeared in the drama film American Woman and the space drama Lucy in the Sky; both films were met with mixed reviews.

Personal life

Burstyn married Bill Alexander in 1950 and divorced in 1957. The next year, she married Paul Roberts, a play director with whom she adopted a son named Jefferson in 1961. The couple divorced that same year, due in part to Roberts' alcoholism. In 1964, she married actor Neil Nephew, who later changed his name to Neil Burstyn. She described Neil Burstyn as "charming and funny and bright and talented and eccentric", but schizophrenia made him violent and he eventually left her. He attempted to reconcile but they divorced in 1972. In her autobiography, Lessons in Becoming Myself, Burstyn revealed that he had stalked her for six years after their divorce, and once raped her while they were still married. No charges were filed, as spousal rape was not yet a crime. He died by suicide in 1978 by jumping from the window of his ninth-floor Manhattan apartment.

Burstyn was raised Catholic, but now affiliates herself with all religious faiths. She follows a form of Sufism, explaining "I am a spirit opening to the truth that lives in all of these religions... I always pray to Spirit, but sometimes, it's to the Goddess. Sometimes, it's to Jesus... Sometimes, I pray to Ganesha if I need an obstacle removed. Guan Yin is one of my favorite manifestations of the divine, the embodiment of compassion... So, I have Guan Yin with me all the time." In her late 30s she began to learn about spirituality, under the instruction of Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, who gave her the spiritual name Hadiya, which means "she who is guided" in Arabic.

During the 1970s, Burstyn was active in the movement to free convicted boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter from jail. She is a supporter of the Democratic Party, and appeared in the 2009 documentary PoliWood. She served as president of the Actors' Equity Association from 1982 to 1985. Burstyn is also on the Board of Selectors of Jefferson Awards for Public Service. In 1997, she was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame. Since 2000, she has been co-president of the Actors Studio alongside Al Pacino and Alec Baldwin. In 2013, she was inducted into the American Theatre Hall of Fame for her work on stage.

Accolades

Burstyn is one of the few living actors to have won the Triple Crown of Acting which is the Oscar, Emmy, and Tony. She won the Academy Award in 1975 for her performance in Martin Scorsese's Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; in the same year, she won the Tony Award for Same Time, Next Year (she would reprise her role in the film version in 1978). Burstyn completed the triple crown more than 30 years later, with a Primetime Emmy Award for her guest starring role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (2009).

Works

Burstyn, Ellen (2006). Lessons in Becoming Myself. Riverhead Books (New York City, New York). ISBN 978-1-59448-929-7.

Burstyn, Ellen (2026). Poetry Says It Better. HarperOne (New York City, New York). ISBN 978-0063387683