Ellen Burstyn: biography, filmography

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The history of cinema knows many cases when an actor or actress, once elevated to the pinnacle of success, was content with secondary roles in subsequent years. Burstyn Ellen is one of them. This actress made her Broadway debut nearly 60 years ago and won her first Oscar in 1975. At the same time, her active social activities earned her great respect among her colleagues. Suffice it to say that in the period from 1982 to 1985, Ellen Burstyn was the president of the American Screen Actors Union, and in 2000 she, along with Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel, headed the authoritative Actors Studio.

Biography: early years

Ellen Burstyn (see photo below) was born in 1932 in Detroit (USA). Her parents divorced when she was just a baby, and she does not remember her own father, although she made unsuccessful attempts to find him. Ellen's childhood (the real name of the actress is Edna Ray Gillooly) was quite difficult due to constant conflicts with her stepfather, who was protected and supported by her mother. As a result, a girl at the age of 18 left her home and began an independentlife.

First she had to work as an acrobat in circus shows and act as a model for advertisements in second-rate magazines. Later, Ellen managed to get into the troupe of one of the Broadway musicals, and she began to be invited to episodic roles in films and television.

Success

The girl wanted to become a professional actress, and in 1964 Burstyn Ellen graduated from Lee Strasberg's theater courses. At the same time, she began working in television, starring in the series "Doctors".

Then Ellen, who, as a result of her third marriage, took the surname Burstyn, began to be invited to serious roles. So, in 1970, the actress starred in the film "Alex in Wonderland", directed by Martin Scorsese, who was then very young at her request. This picture became her triumph and brought in 1975 the Oscar. Since the actress had already been nominated for this award twice before (for the films "The Last Show" and "The Exorcist"), and both times unsuccessfully, she did not even go to the award ceremony, which she always regretted later.

In parallel with her work on the set, Ellen performed in the theater and in 1975 received the prestigious Tony Award for her role in the Broadway production of the play Same Time Next Year, which was a great success.

Ellen Burstyn Movies

During her long creative life, the actress starred in films of various genres. Among them were both recognized masterpieces of famous directors, as well as frankly weak films and serials. By the way, as already mentioned, EllenBurstyn began her career in television. Her first work was participation in the Kraft Television Theater project, which was shown from 1947 to 1958. More projects followed, including The Defenders, listed among the 50 most famous TV shows in television history.

As for film roles, in addition to those already mentioned, work in the films "Resurrection" and "Same Time Next Year", for which Ellen was nominated for an Oscar, can be considered successful. Then, for almost 20 years, the actress did not have interesting roles, and they started talking about her again only in 2000. The reason for the discussions was her work in the film "Requiem for a Dream", for which she was nominated for an Oscar. However, this award again sailed out of her hands, as the film academics considered Julia Roberts more worthy. At the same time, many critics and viewers are sure that the image created by Ellen was much more vivid and convincing than the role of her "rival" in the film "Erin Brockovich". By the way, both actresses had met 10 years earlier on the set of the film "Die Young", where they played mother and daughter.

Later, Ellen Burstyn's Emmy nomination for her role in the television movie Mrs. Harris became a real scandal, as the actress's character was on the screen for only 14 seconds and uttered only two dozen words.

Interstellar

Ellen Burstyn continues to act even today, although she is already over 80 years old. The last work of the famous actress was a small role in Christopher Nolan's film "Interstellar". She appeared on the screens2014. There, Ellen Burstyn successfully played the daughter of the protagonist Murph (Jessica Chastain) in her old age.

Awards

Ellen Burstyn has been nominated dozens of times for various prestigious awards. However, she rarely managed to become a laureate. In addition to the "Oscar" and "Tony", the actress was awarded:

• BAFTA (1976) for "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore";
• Golden Globe Awards (1979) for Same Time Next Year;
• Emmy Awards (2009 and 2013) for Law & Order and Political Animals

Some interesting facts from the life of a famous actress

Ellen Burstyn's life was eventful. And some of them can be classified as unfortunate and even tragic. For example:

• During the filming of The Exorcist, in the scene when the heroine is thrown out of bed, Ellen fell on her tailbone and suffered from severe pain in her spine for the rest of her life. By the way, the scream that is heard in this episode of the film is not simulated, because it escaped from the actress as a result of a serious injury.
• Ellen Burstyn's third husband, whose filmography is incredibly diverse, suffered from schizophrenia, and she even became a victim of violence on his part. When he committed suicide in 1978, his parents sent a letter to his ex-sister-in-law congratulating her on "winning another Oscar."
• Baptized into the Catholic Church, Ellen Burstyn today professes one of the most mysterious andmystical directions of Islam - Sufism. At the same time, she is a staunch vegetarian, practices yoga, and in 1996, together with a group of Buddhists led by the father of Hollywood actress Uma Thurman, visited the state of Bhutan, visiting temples located in the Himalayas.
• Ellen turned down the role in the cult film "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" as she was forced to care for her mentally ill husband Neil Burstyn.
• In 1999, the actress decided to spend 3 days on the streets of New York without money and documents. She had the most positive impressions of the life of an American homeless.

Now you know who the actress Ellen Burstyn is and what films she starred in.