**Ellen Burstyn** (born Edna Rae Gillooly) is an American actress of great prestige and versatility. She rose to prominence in the 1970s with complex roles, earning her first Academy Award nominations for *The Last Picture Show* (1971) and *The Exorcist* (1973).

She won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her intense performance in Martin Scorsese's *Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore* (1974). Her career is studded with memorable performances, such as in *Same Time, Next Year* (1978) and, later, in the unsettling *Requiem for a Dream* (2000), which earned her another nomination.

Burstyn is renowned for her ability to embody strong, resilient, and profoundly human women, often grappling with complex emotional challenges, characterized by a poignant authenticity and vulnerability.