Ellen Burstyn

Born Edna Rae Gillooly in 1932, Burstyn is a Detroit native. She left home at age 18 to work as a model in Texas, then moved to New York and became a showgirl. Burstyn was a regular dancer on "The Jackie Gleason Show" (1956-57). She made her Broadway debut in 1957 in the play "Fair Game." Her original stage name was Ellen McRae.

She later took the name "Burstyn" from her first husband Neil. Burstyn worked steadily in TV throughout the 1960s. She played Dr. Kate Bartok (1964) on the daytime drama "The Doctors" (1963-82) and Julie Parsons (1966-67) on the Western "Iron Horse" (1966-68). Burstyn made guest appearances on "The Time Tunnel," "Maverick" and "Gunsmoke." She also began studying at the Actors Studio in New York, where she would later serve as co-artistic director in the 1980s.

Her big break into films came with Peter Bogdanovich’s acclaimed "The Last Picture Show," which earned Burstyn her first Oscar^® nomination for Best Supporting Actress. Burstyn would go on to earn four Best Actress Oscar^® nominations for The Exorcist, "Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore," "Same Time, Next Year" and "Resurrection," winning for "Alice." She won a Best Actress Tony for the Broadway hit "Same Time, Next Year," just a couple of months following her Oscar^®.

Burstyn moved back to TV in the 1980s, earning Emmy^® nominations for the telefilms "The People vs. Jean Harris" and "Surviving." She starred in her own comedy series "The Ellen Burstyn Show" (1986-87). In 1985, Burstyn became the first female president of Actor’s Equity, the stage acting union.

Max Von Sydow

Born Carl Adolf von Sydow in Lund, Sweden, in 1929, he was the son of an ethnologist. While in high school, von Sydow and some classmates started a theatre club. He went on to study acting at the Royal Dramatic Theater School in Stockholm.

Von Sydow made his screen debut in Alf Sjoberg’s "Only a Mother." However, he first made his mark on the Swedish stage, starring in such plays as "Peer Gynt," "Faust" and adaptations of "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" and "Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" Von Sydow’s stage work brought him to the attention of director Ingmar Bergman. They would become one of the most acclaimed actor/director teams in film history, making 11 films together — including the classics "The Seventh Seal" and "The Virgin Spring."

After turning down the villainous title role in the first James Bond film "Dr. No," von Sydow made his US film debut playing Jesus Christ in George Stevens’ epic "The Greatest Story Ever Told."

Von Sydow then became a familiar face on the international film scene, starring in productions throughout the world. He reprised his role as Father Merrin for flashback scenes in Exorcist II: The Heretic. Von Sydow played memorable villains in "Three Days of the Condor," "Flash Gordon" — and actually portrayed the Devil himself in "Needful Things." He made his directorial debut with "Katinka" in 1988. That same year, von Sydow earned his first Oscar^® nomination as Best Actor for his performance in "Pelle the Conqueror," which won for Best Foreign Film.

Lee J. Cobb

A native of New York City, he was born as Leo Jacob in 1911. Cobb was a child prodigy violinist. But his budding musical career was cut short by a broken wrist. He left home and moved to Hollywood at age 17 to pursue a movie career. After meeting with little success, Cobb returned to New York and acted in radio dramas while studying accounting at City College of New York.

In 1935, he joined the famous Group Theatre, appearing in the plays "Waiting for Lefty" and "Golden Boy." Over the next 40 years, Cobb carved out a memorable career on stage, screen and TV. He created the role of Willy Loman in "Death of a Salesman" on Broadway, reprising it in a 1966 telefilm.

Cobb played Judge Henry Garth (1962-66) in the Western series "The Virginian" (1962-71) and was David Barrett on the drama "The Young Lawyers" (1970-71). Cobb was also the producers’ first choice for the role of "Columbo." His unavailability allowed Peter Falk to immortalize the part. He earned Best Supporting Actor Oscar^® nominations for "On the Waterfront" and "The Brothers Karamazov." Cobb died on February 11, 1976.

Jack MacGowran

Born in Ireland in 1916, MacGowran made his name during the Golden Age of Irish Theatre. He was a close friend of playwright Samuel Beckett. His 1970 one-man show called "MacGowran in the Work of Beckett" earned him an Obie Award for Best Actor.

MacGowran transitioned into films in 1952 with "The Gentle Gunman" and John Ford’s classic "The Quiet Man," opposite John Wayne. MacGowran played supporting roles, often angry, unsympathetic characters. He guest starred in such hit British TV series as "The Avengers" and "Danger Man."

After completing work on The Exorcist, MacGowran opened a stage revival of "The Plough and the Stars" — which was cut short by his untimely death in 1973.

Jason Miller

Born in Long Island, NY, in 1939, Miller attended Catholic University in Washington, DC, and the University of Scranton in Pennsylvania. He wrote "That Championship Season," which won the 1973 Tony and New York Drama Critics Circle Awards for Best Play as well as the Pulitzer Prize.

The Exorcist marked Miller’s film debut as an actor and earned him an Oscar^® nomination for Best Supporting Actor. He later reprised his role as Father Karras in William Peter Blatty’s sequel The Exorcist III. Miller wrote and directed the big screen version of "That Championship Season." He wrote the telefilms "Reward" (1980) and "A Mother’s Courage: The Mary Thomas Story" (1989). Miller also wrote the teleplay for the 1999 telefilm version of "That Championship Season."

Miller has portrayed fellow writers F. Scott Fitzgerald and Arthur Miller in telefilms. He is the father of actor Jason Patric ("Sleepers" [1996]).

Linda Blair
http://www.lindablair.com
http://www.thealternet.com

A native of Westport, CT, Blair was born in 1959. After beginning a career as a child model at the age of six, she moved into acting as a regular on the daytime drama "Hidden Faces" (1968-69). Although many presume The Exorcist was Blair's first film, she debuted in 1971’s "The Sporting Club." Blair won out over 600 child actresses for the role of Regan in The Exorcist

Her performance earned her an Oscar^® nomination and a Golden Globe^® Award for Best Supporting Actress. Blair returned as Regan in the 1977 sequel Exorcist II: The Heretic, opposite Richard Burton. She later received acclaim for the telefilms "Sarah T. — Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic" and "Born Innocent."

As an adult, Blair has worked steadily in starring and supporting roles in numerous films. In 1990, she spoofed her "Exorcist" fame in the comedy-horror film "Repossessed," opposite Leslie Nielsen as a befuddled exorcist.

Blair had a cameo role as an obnoxious reporter in the 1996 horror hit "Scream." She made her Broadway debut in 1997 in the hit Broadway revival of "Grease."

In recent years, Linda has become an animal rights activist and humanitarian worldwide renown. Some of the charities she serves are: Actors & Others For Animals, Last Chance For Animals, PETA and Ark Trust. In addition, Linda has worked for the past several years with Feed The Children, aiding those left homeless from natural disasters and Variety, the children's charity.

Linda was recently cast as a series regular and is currently shooting 13 episodes for the hit BBC television show, LA-7. Her new production company, Falcon/Wolf is dedicated to developing comedies and programming that will raise awareness of the problems effecting the quality of life. Her projects have recently been optioned by Tri-Star Television and Fred Silverman Productions.