The history of cinema knows many cases when an actor or actress, once raised to the pinnacle of success, in subsequent years was content with secondary roles. These include Burstin Ellen. This actress made her Broadway debut almost 60 years ago and received 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 from 1982 to 1985, Ellen Burstin was president of the American Union of Film Actors, and in 2000 she, along with Al Pacino and Harvey Keitel, headed the authoritative Studio of Actors.
Biography: early years
Ellen Burstin (photo below) was born in 1932 in Detroit (USA). Parents divorced when she was just a baby, and she does not remember her father, although she made unsuccessful attempts to find him. Ellen's childhood (the actress's real name is Edna Ray Gilluli) was rather 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 independent life.
At first, she had to work as an acrobat in circus shows and act as a model for advertising 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 on television.
Success
The girl wanted to become a professional actress, and in 1964, Burstin Ellen graduated from the theater courses of Lee Strasberg. At the same time, she began working on television, starring in the series "Doctors".
Then Ellen, who, as a result of her third marriage, took the surname Burstin, was already invited to serious roles. So, in 1970, the actress starred in the film “Alex in Wonderland”, directed by a very young then Martin Scorsese, at her request . This painting became her triumph and brought the Oscar in 1975. Since before that, the actress had already been nominated for this award twice (for the films “The Last Session” and “The Exorcist”), and both times unsuccessfully, she did not even go to the presentation ceremony, which she always regretted later.
In parallel with her work on the set, Ellen performed at the theater and in 1975 won the prestigious Tony Award for her role in staging Broadway's play “At the same time, next year,” which was a great success.
Ellen Burstyn: movies
For her long creative life, the actress starred in films of various genres. Among them were recognized masterpieces of famous directors, as well as frankly weak paintings and series. By the way, as already mentioned, Ellen Burstin began her career on television. Her first work was participation in the Kraft Television Theater project, which was shown from 1947 to 1958. Other projects followed, including Defenders, one of the 50 most famous television shows in the history of television.
As for the movie roles, in addition to the ones already mentioned, the works in the paintings “Resurrection” and “At the same time, next year”, for which Ellen was nominated for the Academy Award, can be considered successful. Then, for almost 20 years, the actress had no interesting roles, and she was again talked about 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 slipped out of her hands, as 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 met 10 years before on the set of the film "Die Young", where they played a mother and daughter.
Later, the real scandal was the nomination of Ellen Burstyn on “Emmy” for her role in the television movie “Mrs. Harris”, since the heroine of the actress was on the screen for only 14 seconds and spoke only two dozen words.
Interstellar
Ellen Burstyn continues to act today, although she is already over 80 years old. The last work of the famous actress was a small role in Christopher Nolan's Interstellar. She was released in 2014. There, Ellen Burstyn successfully played the daughter of the main character Murph (Jessica Chastain) in old age.
Awards
Ellen Burstyn has been nominated for various prestigious awards several dozen times. However, she managed to become a laureate quite rarely. In addition to the Oscars and Tony, the actress was awarded:
- BAFTA Prize (1976) for the film "Alice Doesn't Live Here Any More";
- Golden Globe Awards (1979) for the painting “At the same time, next year”;
- Emmy Awards (2009 and 2013) for their roles in the series Law and Order and Political Animals.
Some interesting facts from the life of a famous actress
Ellen Burstyn's life was eventful. Moreover, some of them can be classified as unhappy and even tragic. For instance:
- During the filming of the movie “The Exorcist”, in the scene when the heroine is thrown out of bed, Ellen fell on her tailbone and suffered from severe pain in the spine for the rest of her life. By the way, the scream that is heard in this episode of the film is not played, for he escaped from the actress as a result of a serious injury.
- The third husband, Ellen Burstin, 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 their ex-daughter-in-law, in which they congratulated her on the fact that she “won another Oscar”.
- Baptized in the Catholic Church, Ellen Burstyn today professes one of the most mysterious and mystical areas of Islam - Sufism. At the same time, she is a convinced vegetarian, she practices yoga and in 1996, together with a group of Buddhists headed by the father of Hollywood actress Uma Thurman, visited the state of Bhutan, having visited temples located in the Himalayas.
- Ellen refused the role in the cult film "Flying Over the Cuckoo's Nest", as she was forced to look after the mentally ill spouse Neil Burstyn.
- In 1999, the actress decided to spend 3 days on the streets of New York without money and documents. Impressions of the life of the American homeless woman she left the most positive.
Now you know who the actress Ellen Burstin is and in which films she starred.