The Exorcist (1973)
William Friedkin's 1973 demonic possession drama. Linda Blair as Regan, Max von Sydow as Father Merrin.
Actor: Ellen Burstyn
Ellen Burstyn won Best Actress for Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore, a film she personally chose Martin Scorsese to direct after seeing Mean Streets.
The Exorcist gave her a mother whose disbelief is the audience’s, and Requiem for a Dream gave her Sara Goldfarb, whose amphetamine decline is among the most harrowing things in American cinema. Her loss that year is frequently cited as an Academy failure. She has served as president of the Actors Studio.
