Edna Rae Gillooly, better known as Ellen Burstyn was born in Detroit Michigan on December 7th, 1932. When Ellen Burstyn was in High School she spent a great deal of her time dancing, cheerleading and was even on the student council. She also spent some time modeling for a local department store. She knew from a very young age that she wanted to be an actress so she devoted a lot of her time to her craft.

Ellen Burstyn eventually decided that an academic education was not in the cards for her so she quit school in 1950 to get married. This marriage only lasted five years. When the marriage was over she began to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. She eventually found work in a Montreal Nightclub as a dancer and in 1957 she landed the leading role in a play called Fair Game.

Ellen Burstyn appeared to have a natural gift for acting, her role in Fair Game was granted many positive reviews. However, stage performing was not enough for her so she went on to conquer Hollywood next and she managed to land guest roles on a couple of television series using the name Ellen McCrae. She got married to Neil Burstyn during this time and had a son with him in 1962.

Ellen Burstyn was unsure of where her career was headed at this point so she felt it was wise to move to New York to take acting lessons. While in New York she was invited to join The Actors Studio where she took acting lessons with Lee Strasberg. She was considering changing her career at this time because her confidence was low however with support from Lee Strasberg she decided to give acting another try.

In the early 70s Ellen Burstyn landed roles in many movies including the Exorcist and Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore amongst others. She was nominated for Academy Awards for her roles in The Last Picture Show and the Exorcist and she won the award for Best Actress for her role in Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore.

While her career was thriving her personal life was not doing nearly as well. She ended her marriage to Neil Burstyn in 1971. She didnt let this slow her down though, for the remainder of the 70s she went on to win a number of Golden Globes plus Emmy and Tony Awards for her roles in Same Time, Next Year and Pack of Lies.

Ellen Burstyns roles do not end here; she continues to play a role in the acting community to this day. She is currently one of the co-presidents for the Actors Studio, and she still continues to work in the film industry. She will perhaps be remembered best for her roles in the Exorcist and Requiem for a Dream which she considers to be one of the best performances she has ever given. Ellen Burstyn was given the honour of being given a career achievement award in 2001 by the National Board of Review.