Born Edna Rae Gillooly, Ellen Burstyn is a multi-talented American actress who has amassed a $20 million fortune via her work in film, television, and the stage. Known for her roles in films including “The Last Picture Show,” “The Exorcist,” “Resurrection,” “Requiem for a Dream,” and “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” for which she earned an Oscar for Best Actress, Ellen Burstyn is a veteran of both the big and small screens.
She received a Tony Award for her performance in “Same Time, Next Year” on stage. Burstyn has been on several popular TV shows, including “That’s Life,” “Political Animals,” “House of Cards,” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
In 1971, Burstyn’s performance in the critically acclaimed drama “The Last Picture” earned her an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Her second nomination occurred not long after her breakout role in “The Exorcist” in 1973. In 1974, she won the Academy Award for her portrayal of Alice Hyatt in Martin Scorsese’s film “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore.”
For her work in the film adaptation of the Broadway production “Same Time, Next Year,” Burstyn received a Golden Globe Award and her fourth nomination for an Academy Award, adding to her already impressive list of accolades from the Tony Award she won in 1975 for her leading role in the play.
Contents
What is Ellen Burstyn’s Net Worth and Salary?
| Net Worth: | $20 Million |
| Date of Birth: | Dec 7, 1932 (89 years old) |
| Place of Birth: | Detroit |
| Gender: | Female |
| Height: | 5 ft 6 in (1.7 m) |
| Profession: | Actor, Voice Actor, Model, Minister |
| Nationality: | United States of America |
Ellen Burstyn’s Early Life and Education.
The daughter of John and Corrine Gillooly, Ellen Burstyn was born Edna Rae Gillooly on December 7, 1932, in Detroit. She has two brothers, Jack, who is her older brother, and Steve, who is her younger brother. Burstyn was raised by her mother and stepfather when her parents divorced when she was young.
Cass Technical High School was where she learned the fashion illustration trade. Unfortunately, Burstyn’s academic performance was so poor that she had to abandon her senior year of high school.
#WCW I have been crushing on Ellen Burstyn these days. She’s only 84, and did you know her net worth is $15,000,000? pic.twitter.com/ci6VXgDlOF
— Leonard Vole (@leonardthemole) November 13, 2017
Ellen Burstyn’s Career Beginnings.
Burstyn, who did not finish high school, began her professional career as a dancer known by her stage name, Kerri Flynn, and continued in that field until she was 23 years old. Before settling in New York City, Burstyn spent some time in Dallas, Texas.
Film Career, Part 1
Burstyn’s earliest film roles were as Ellen McRae in 1964’s “Goodbye Charlie” and “For Those Who Think Young.” She subsequently had appearances in “Pit Stop,” “Alex in Wonderland,” and “Tropic of Cancer.” Burstyn’s breakout role was in Peter Bogdanovich’s coming-of-age film “The Last Picture Show” in 1971, for which she received an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress.
She then appeared in “The King of Marvin Gardens,” directed by Bob Rafelson in 1972. She had her biggest box office triumph the following year with “The Exorcist,” a horror picture directed by William Friedkin that went on to become one of the highest-grossing movies of all time in the United States.
Furthermore, Burstyn was nominated for an Academy Award for her role as Chris MacNeil, the mother of a demonically afflicted girl. For her role as the titular widow in Martin Scorsese’s “Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore,” she won the Academy Award in 1974.
In the same year, Burstyn also appeared in “Harry and Tonto,” for which Art Carney was later awarded the Academy Award for Best Actor. Later in the decade, she was in the film adaptations of the plays “Providence” “A Dream of Passion” and “Same Time, Next Year.”
In the first film of the 1980s, “Resurrection,” Burstyn played the role of a seemingly divine healer and was nominated for an Oscar for the fifth time. She went on to star in films like “Hanna’s War,” “Twice in a Lifetime,” “The Ambassador,” and “Silence of the North.” Burstyn had a busy 90s, with roles in films like “You Can Thank Me Later,” “Walking Across Egypt,” “Roommates,” “The Spitfire Grill,” and “You Can Thank Me Later.”
Film Career, Part 2
Burstyn began the new millennium with a bang, delivering a career-best performance in Darren Aronofsky’s psychological drama “Requiem for a Dream.” She was nominated for an Oscar for her portrayal of amphetamine-addicted Sara Goldfarb, mom to a heroin addict.
A majority of Burstyn’s filmography from the 1970s through the 1990s consists of television movies like “Thursday’s Game,” “The People vs. Jean Harris,” “Act of Vengeance,” “Pack of Lies,” “Trick of the Eye,” “Getting Gotti,” and “Flash.” Her sitcom, “The Ellen Burstyn Show,” starred her from 1986 to 1987 on ABC.
From 2000 to 2002, Burstyn starred in the CBS sitcom “That’s Life,” which was her longest-running performance to date. And around the same time, she was the lead in the televised adaptation of “The Little Mermaid.” Burstyn went on to star in other TV movies like “The Five People You Meet in Heaven,” “For One More Day,” and “Mrs. Harris,” the latter of which was nominated for an Emmy.
Later, she became a series regular on the canceled NBC drama The Book of Daniel. Burstyn was nominated for yet another Emmy for her recurring role as Nancy Davis Dutton in the show “Big Love” from 2007 to 2011. In 2008, for her role as a guest star on “Law & Order:
Special Victims Unit,” she received her first Emmy Award. From 2021 until 2022, Burstyn appeared as a recurrent character in this position on “Law & Order: Organized Crime.” She also appeared in the Lifetime TV movies “Flowers in the Attic” and “Petals on the Wind,” and she had regular parts in “Political Animals,” “House of Cards,” “Louie,” and “The First Lady.”
Ellen Burstyn’s Theater Career.
Burstyn made his Broadway debut in the play “Fair Game” in 1958. The play “Same Time, Next Year,” in which she starred, did not open on Broadway again until 1975 when she earned a Tony Award for her performance. From “84 Charing Cross Road” to “Shirley Valentine” to “Sacrilege” to “Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All” to “Picnic,” Burstyn was a mainstay on Broadway for decades.
Ellen Burstyn’s Personal Life.
There have been several marriages and divorces for Burstyn. Her first marriage was to William Alexander, and it lasted from 1950 until 1957. She then married Paul Roberts the following year, and they adopted a son they named Jefferson. In short order, they were no longer a couple. In 1964, Burstyn wed actor Neil Nephew for the third time. He eventually broke up with her and they got a divorce in 1972 because he was violent and schizophrenic. Sadly, in 1978, the nephew took his own life.
Burstyn, who was brought up Catholic, now follows a kind of Sufism that incorporates many other philosophies. She has been co-president of the Actors Studio since the year 2000 along with Alec Baldwin and Al Pacino.
Ellen Burstyn’s Real Estate.
In 1989, Ellen spent $750,000 on a 3,000-square-foot home in New York’s Hudson Valley region. She allegedly invested several million dollars into the renovations. Properties in the same price range sell frequently in the area.
