Burstyn, Ellen 1932-

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Burstyn, Ellen 1932-

PERSONAL:

Born December 7, 1932, in Detroit, MI; daughter of John Austin (a building contractor) and Correine Marie Gillooly; married William C. Alexander (a poet), 1950 (divorced, 1955); married Paul Roberts (a director), 1957 (divorced, 1959); married Neil Burstyn (an actor), 1960 (divorced, 1971); children: Jefferson, (third marriage) a son (deceased). Education: Attended Actors Studio, New York, NY, and the American Film Institute.

ADDRESSES:

Agent—Donna Daniels Public Relations, 1375 Broadway, Ste. 403, New York, New York 10018.

CAREER:

Actor, model, educator, and author. Model in New York and Texas, 1951-57; worked as a dancer in a Montreal, Ontario, Canada, club, and as a "Glee Girl" on The Jackie Gleason Show, 1957; Actors Studio, New York, NY, co-artist director, beginning 1979, president, beginning 2000; has also worked as a teacher. Has appeared in numerous films, initially as Ellen McRae in For Those Who Think Young, 1964, Goodbye Charlie, 1964; and Pit Stop, 1969; then as Ellen Burstyn in Alex in Wonderland, 1970; Tropic of Cancer, 1970; The Last Picture Show, 1971; The King of Marvin Gardens, 1972; The Exorcist, 1973; Harry and Tonto, 1974; Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore, 1974; Thursday's Game (television), 1974; Providence, 1977; A Dream of Passion, 1978; Same Time Next Year, 1978; Resurrection, 1980; The Silence of the North, 1981; The Ambassador, 1984; Twice in a Lifetime, 1985; Surviving (television), 1985; Into Thin Air (television), 1985; Something in Common (television), 1986; Pack of Lies (television), 1987; Hello Actors Studio, 1987; Look Away, 1987; Hanna's War, 1988; Act of Vengeance … A True Story (television, 1989); The Color of Evening, 1990; When You Remember Me (television), 1990; Dying Young, 1991; Mrs. Lambert Remembers (television), 1991; Taking Back My Life (television), 1992; Grand Isle (television), 1992; Shattered Trust: The Shari Karney Story (television), 1993; The Cemetery Club, 1993; Getting Gotti (television), 1994; Trick of the Eye (television), 1994; When a Man Loves a Woman, 1994; Getting Out (television), 1994; The Baby-Sitter's Club, 1995; Roommates, 1995; How to Make an American Quilt, 1995; My Brother's Keeper (television), 1995; Follow the River (television), 1995; The Spitfire Grill, 1996; Deceiver, 1997; A Deadly Vision, 1997; You Can Thank Me Later, 1998; Playing by Heart, 1998; Flash (television), 1998; The Patron Saint of Liars (television), 1998; A Will of Their Own (television), 1998; Night Ride Home, 1999; The Yards, 2000; Requiem for a Dream, 2000; Mermaid (television), 2000; Walking across Egypt, 2000; Dodson's Journey (television), 2001; Within These Walls (television), 2001; Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, 2001; Distance, 2002; Red Dragon, 2002; Brush with Fate (television), 2003; The Madam's Family: The Truth about the Canal Street Brothel (television), 2004; The Five People You Meet in Heaven (television), 2004; Our Fathers (television), 2005; The Elephant King, 2006; The Wicker Man, 2006; The Fountain, 2006; 30 Days, 2006; Charlotte's Web, 2006; The Stone Angel, c. 2007; and The Loss of a Teardrop Diamond, c. 2008. Also appeared in television series, including That's Life, 2000-02, and The Book of Daniel, 2006. Has appeared in plays on Broadway, including Fair Game (as Ellen McRae), 1957; Same Time Next Year, 1973; Three Sisters, 1977; Charing Cross Road, 1982; and Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All, 2003. Also narrator for documentaries and other films, including Increase & Multiply?, WTBS-TV, 1987; Dear America (Letters Home from Vietnam), 1987; and The American Experience: Telegrams from the Dead, Public Broadcasting Service, 1994. Also actress and/or narrator for audio recordings, including Communion with God, HighBridge Company, 2000; and Tomorrow's God, Simon & Schuster Audio, 2004.

MEMBER:

Actors' Equity Association (president, 1982-85).

AWARDS, HONORS:

New York Film Critics Award for best supporting actress, 1971, for The Last PictureShow; National Film Society of Film Critics award for best supporting actress, 1971, for The Last Picture Show; Academy Award for best actress, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, 1974, for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; Antoinette Perry "Tony" Award for best actress in a play, League of American Theaters and Producers and the American Theatre Wing, 1975, for Same Time, Next Year; best actress award, British Academy of Film and Television Arts, 1975, for Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore; Golden Globe Award for best actress in a motion picture, Hollywood Foreign Press Association, 1978, for Same Time, Next Year; National Board of Review award for career achievement, 2000; Golden Satellite Award for best actress in a motion picture, International Press Academy, and Academy Award nomination, both 2000, both for Requiem for a Dream. Honorary doctorate of fine arts, New York City School of Visual Arts, 1983; also honorary doctorates from the School of Visual Arts, Dowling College, and the New School.

WRITINGS:

Lessons in Becoming Myself (memoir), Riverhead Books (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS:

Ellen Burstyn is an award-winning actress and author of Lessons in Becoming Myself. In this memoir, Burstyn begins with her childhood and her demanding mother and then writes about her early career. She struck out on her own at eighteen years of age to become a model and then a young stage actress, as well as a dancer on the The Jackie Gleason Show. Burstyn also writes about studying acting under Lee Strasberg and her initial success in films such as The Exorcist and Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. In the process of describing her film career, Burstyn details her commitment to acting and how she finds authenticity in her roles. Furthermore, she discusses her three failed marriages and her search for spiritual guidance and fulfillment, which took Burstyn, a former Catholic, to the Himalayas and led to her belief in Sufi mysticism. "Candid and unassuming, Burstyn's intuitive memoir is a balanced mix of insider theatrical anecdotes and inspired philosophical revelations," related Carol Haggas in Booklist. Writing in Entertainment Weekly, Karen Valby commented that Burstyn has produced "an unhurried, dreamlike narrative."