Ellen Burstyn profile
Actor profile

Ellen Burstyn

7th December 1932 Detroit, Michigan, USA Acting

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.

138 Movies 58 TV Shows 1 In Production 208 Credits
Filmography

Movies & TV Shows

Custody poster
Custody 17th April 2016 as Beatrice Fisher
Unity poster
Unity 12th August 2015 as Narrator (voice)
W. poster
W. 17th October 2008 as Barbara Bush
Red Dragon poster
Red Dragon 2nd October 2002 as Grandma Dolarhyde (voice) (uncredited)
Flash poster
Flash 21st December 1997 as Laura Strong
Mom poster
Mom 23rd September 2013 as Shirley
Coma poster
Coma 3rd September 2012 as Mrs. Emerson
Big Love poster
Big Love 12th March 2006 as Nancy Davis Dutton
Bus Stop poster
Bus Stop 1st October 1961 as Phyllis Dunning
Checkmate poster
Checkmate 17th September 1960 as Margo as Ellen McRae
Place to Be poster Coming soon
Place to Be 9th September 2026 as Brooke