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.
| 2025 | Breakdown: 1975 as Self |
| 2025 | This Ordinary Thing as Self (voice) |
| 2025 | Legacy of Screams: The Evolution of Horror Movies as Self - (archive footage) |
| 2025 | Duse, the Greatest |
| 2024 | E. Jean Carroll v. Donald J. Trump as E. Jean Carroll |
| 2024 | Anne, Kalk! as Mother |
| 2024 | Fear and Love: The Story of The Exorcist as Self |
| 2024 | Martin Scorsese, l'Italo-Américain as Self |
| 2023 | Exorcist: İnançlı as Chris MacNeil |
| 2022 | Three Months as Valerie |
| 2021 | Paul Newman, derrière les yeux bleus as Herself |
| 2021 | Queen Bees as Helen Wilson |
| 2021 | Watch on the Rhine as Fanny |
| 2020 | Pieces of a Woman as Elizabeth Weiss |
| 2020 | Delphine et Carole, insoumuses as Self (archive footage) |
| 2019 | Lucy Gökyüzünde as Nana Holbrook |
| 2019 | Amerikalı Kadın as Miss Dolly |
| 2019 | Steven Arnold: Heavenly Bodies as Self |
| 2019 | Yarının Evi as Josephine Prendergast |
| 2018 | Friedkin Uncut as Self |
| 2018 | Nostalgia as Helen Greer |
| 2018 | All I Wish as Celia Berges |
| 2018 | Öykü as Nettie |
| 2017 | Marilyn Monroe: Auction of a Lifetime as Self |
| 2016 | Wiener-Dog as Nana |
| 2016 | Velayet as Beatrice Fisher |
| 2015 | Unity as Narrator (voice) |
| 2015 | About Scout as Gram |
| 2015 | Ölümsüz Aşk as Flemming |
| 2014 | Yıldızlararası as Murph (older) |
| 2014 | Haykırış as Emily Micallef |
| 2014 | Petals on the Wind as Olivia Foxworth |
| 2014 | Düşmanın Yolu as Mère Garnett |
| 2014 | Karar Günü as Barb Weaver |
| 2014 | River of Fundament as Hathfertiti |
| 2014 | And the Oscar Goes To... as Self - Interviewee |
| 2014 | Çatıdaki Çiçekler as Grandmother |
| 2013 | Wish You Well as Louisa Mae Cardinal |
| 2013 | Love, Marilyn as Self |
| 2012 | Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You as Nanette |
| 2011 | Mutlu Bir Gün as Doris Baker |
| 2011 | Büyük Makintoşlar as Mother St. John |
| 2010 | America Lost and Found: The BBS Story as Self |
| 2010 | BBStory: An American Film Renaissance as Self |
| 2010 | Reflections of a Philosopher King as Self |
| 2010 | Main Street as Georgiana Carr |
| 2009 | According to Greta as Katherine |
| 2009 | Lovely, Still as Mary |
| 2009 | PoliWood as Self |
| 2009 | The Velveteen Rabbit as Swan (voice) |
| 2008 | W. as Barbara Bush |
| 2008 | The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond as Miss Addie |
| 2007 | Mitch Albom's For One More Day as Pauline "Posey" Benetto |
| 2007 | The Stone Angel as Hagar |
| 2006 | Kaynak as Dr. Lillian Guzetti |
| 2006 | 30 Days as Maura |
| 2006 | Lanetli Ada 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 | Mrs. Harris as Former Tarnower Steady |
| 2005 | Our Fathers as Mary Ryan |
| 2004 | The Five People You Meet In Heaven as Ruby |
| 2004 | The Madam's Family: The Truth About the Canal Street Brothel as Tommie |
| 2004 | Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore: Second Chances as Self |
| 2003 | 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 |
| 2002 | Kızıl Ejder as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited) |
| 2002 | Aramızda Kalsın as Vivi Abbott Walker |
| 2001 | Within These Walls as Joan Thomas |
| 2001 | Memories, Dreams & Addictions as Self |
| 2001 | The Making of Requiem for a Dream as Self |
| 2000 | Bir Rüya İçin Ağıt as Sara Goldfarb |
| 2000 | Mermaid as Trish |
| 2000 | Çeteler Savaşı as Val Handler |
| 1999 | Die letzte Vorstellung: Ein Rückblick as Self |
| 1999 | Night Ride Home as Maggie |
| 1999 | Walking Across Egypt as Mattie Rigsbee |
| 1998 | Çapraz Hayatlar as Mildred |
| 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 |
| 1997 | Flash as Laura Strong |
| 1997 | Yalancı as Mook |
| 1997 | A Deadly Vision as Yvette Watson |
| 1996 | Timepiece as Maud Gannon |
| 1996 | The Spitfire Grill as Hannah Ferguson |
| 1995 | How to Make an American Quilt as Hy Dodd |
| 1995 | The Baby-Sitters Club as Mrs. Haberman |
| 1995 | Follow The River as Gretel |
| 1995 | My Brother's Keeper as Helen |
| 1995 | Roommates as Judith |
| 1994 | Trick of the Eye as Frances Griffin |
| 1994 | Getting Gotti as Jo Giacalone |
| 1994 | Erkek Severse as Emily |
| 1994 | Getting Out as Arlie's Mother |
| 1993 | Roots of Roe as Narrator (voice) |
| 1993 | Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story as Joan Delvecchio |
| 1993 | The Cemetery Club as Esther Moskowitz |
| 1992 | 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 |
| 1991 | Picture This as Self |
| 1991 | Grand Isle as Mademoiselle Reisz |
| 1991 | Genç Ölmek as Mrs. O'Neil |
| 1991 | Mrs. Lambert Remembers Love as Lillian "Lil" Lambert |
| 1990 | When You Remember Me as Nurse Cooder |
| 1990 | The Color of Evening as Kate O'Rielly |
| 1989 | Broadway's Dreamers: The Legacy of the Group Theatre as Self |
| 1988 | Hello Actors Studio as Self |
| 1988 | Hanna'nın Kaderi as Katalin |
| 1987 | Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam as Mrs. Stocks (voice) |
| 1987 | Pack of Lies as Barbara Jackson |
| 1986 | Something in Common as Lynn Hollander |
| 1986 | Act of Vengeance as Margaret Yablonski |
| 1985 | 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 |
| 1982 | I Love Liberty as Self |
| 1982 | Night of 100 Stars as Self |
| 1981 | Silence of the North as Olive Frederickson |
| 1981 | People vs. Jean Harris as Jean Harris |
| 1981 | Sois belle et tais-toi ! as Self |
| 1980 | Resurrection as Edna |
| 1978 | Κραυγή Γυναικών as Brenda Collins |
| 1978 | Same Time, Next Year as Doris |
| 1977 | Tedbir as Sonia Langham |
| 1974 | Alice Artık Burada Oturmuyor as Alice Hyatt |
| 1974 | Harry and Tonto as Shirley Mallard |
| 1974 | Thursday's Game as Lynne Evers |
| 1974 | The Horror Hall of Fame: A Monster Salute as Self (archive footage) |
| 1973 | Şeytan as Chris MacNeil |
| 1972 | The King of Marvin Gardens as Sally |
| 1971 | Son Gösteri as Lois Farrow |
| 1970 | Alex in Wonderland as Beth Morrison |
| 1970 | Tropic of Cancer as Mona (uncredited) |
| 1969 | Pit Stop as Ellen McCleod |
| 1964 | Goodbye Charlie as Franny Salzman |
| 1964 | For Those Who Think Young as Dr. Pauline Swenson |
| 1961 | Ricochet as Rose Maxon |
| 1958 | The Christmas Tree as Elizabeth |
| 1948 | Easy Out? as Mary |
| Bathing Flo |
| Place To Be as Brooke |
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