The Birds Star Tippi Hedren Makes Rare Spotlight Return at 93

A legendary name from horror cinema stepped back into the limelight in dazzling style at the Venice Film Festival on Monday.

The celebrated actress, who belongs to the rare group of performers to achieve acting’s coveted Triple Crown — an Oscar, a Tony and two Primetime Emmy Awards — was honored with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement during the prestigious festival.

Now 93, she is taking on the role of Marilyn Monroe in her latest screen project, appearing opposite Dakota Johnson.

Her most unforgettable performance came in a landmark 1973 horror classic, where she played a terrified mother desperately searching for a way to save her possessed daughter — a film often described as one of the scariest ever made.

Across her remarkable Hollywood career, she has shared the screen with major stars including Al Pacino, Anne Hathaway and Jared Leto.

So, have you worked out which screen legend this is?

It’s The Exorcist star Ellen Burstyn! The legendary star looked incredible as she made a stunning appearance at the prestigious festival, before receiving the glittering accolade.

Burstyn wowed in a green watercolor suit, before donning a vibrant orange ensemble for her tearful acceptance speech. 

In her 90s, Burstyn’s career remains as vibrant as ever. In her latest role in short film, Flesh Impact, she plays a 100-year-old version of Marilyn Monroe, in the project, which was both written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal.

The short film is described as ‘a love letter’ to Monroe, starring Dakota Johnson as a young Marilyn, and is set to premiere at the Venice Film Festival in September, just three months after what would have been the late actress’s 100th birthday. 

Receiving her award at Venice, a tearful Burstyn said, ‘ You’re making me cry! You’re overwhelming me, you know! I don’t know how to recover from that generous greeting.

‘You can’t imagine how meaningful this is to me. It’s one thing to win an Oscar, a Tony or an Emmy – all of which I’ve won. But this … it’s a lot.

‘At 93, it means you have a fair amount of lifetime to look back on, I thought, maybe it’s not just a record of what you’ve accomplished, but what you’ve learned.’

Burstyn has starred in films such as The Exorcist (1973), Requiem For A Dream (2000), Interstellar (2014) and Pieces Of A Woman (2020). 

She received an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore (1974). 

The Exorcist debuted in December 1973, following Burstyn’s Chris MacNeil as she enlists the help of two priests (Max Von Sydow and William O’Malley) to exorcise a demon, named Pazuzu, from her daughter Regan.

William Friedkin (The French Connection) directed the original, with The Exorcist author William Peter Blatty writing the screenplay adaptation based on his book.

Based on a book of the same name by William Peter Blatty – who adapted it for screen himself – the film was beset by problems during production.

An unexplained fire at one point burnt down most of the set — delaying filming by six weeks — but curiously spared the bedroom where Blair’s character, Regan, endures her demonic possession.

Meanwhile both Linda Blair and Burstyn suffered painful back injuries during filming. Their real screams of pain can be heard in the film.

Linda reportedly developed a long term spinal injury after landing on her coccyx.

In addition to the many controversies that have plagued The Exorcist, some claim a series of fatal events associated with the film’s cast amounts to a ‘curse’.

The film is still considered to be one of the scariest of all time. Burstyn reprised her role in 2023 sequel, The Exorcist: Believer.