Actor

Ellen Burstyn

Acting

Career Snapshot

Explained

These indicators come from TMDB. They are relative signals, not review ratings.

Acting credits

185

Prolific

Very extensive acting filmography.

TMDB popularity

3.9

Moderate attention

TMDB internal trend index. Higher usually means more searches and page activity now.

Movies: 141Series: 44Crew credits: 2

TMDB ID: 9560

IMDb ID: nm0000995

Known for: Acting

Born: December 7, 1932

Age: 93

Place of birth: Detroit, Michigan, USA

Gender: Female

Adult content flag: No

Career span: 1944 - 2025

Years active: 82

Average TMDB rating: 6.48

Wikidata: Q211144

Also known as

Ellen McRae • 엘렌 버스틴 • Эллен Бёрстин • Edna Rae Gilhooley • الن برستین

Other jobs

Executive Producer (2)

TMDB TMDB IMDb IMDb W Wikidata

Biography

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.