Occupation Actress, producer Role Actress Years active 1968–present Height 1.52 m | Website www.lindablair.com Name Linda Blair | |
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Full Name Linda Denise Blair Parents James Blair, Elinore Blair Movies The Exorcist, Exorcist II: The Heretic, Savage Streets, Born Innocent, Chained Heat Similar People Ellen Burstyn, Jason Miller, Max von Sydow, William Friedkin, William Peter Blatty Nationality American Ethnicity White Education Hollywood Professional School Profiles | ||
Siblings Debbie Blair, Jimmy Blair | ||
Linda blair intimate portrait part 1 4
Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress. Blair is best known for her role as the possessed child, Regan, in the film The Exorcist (1973), for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and won a Golden Globe. She reprised her role in Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award.
Contents
- Linda blair intimate portrait part 1 4
- The exorcist exclusive linda blair interview
- Early life
- Later career
- Other interests
- Legal problems
- Honors
- References
After The Exorcist she remained active in film, usually lower-budget b-movies and exploitation films, as well as supporting charitable causes.
The exorcist exclusive linda blair interview
Early life
The youngest of three children, Blair was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and was raised in Westport, Connecticut. Her birthplace of St. Louis was where the exorcism of a young boy "Roland Doe" took place that later inspired the book and the film The Exorcist.
She began her career as a 4-year-old child model and started acting with a regular role on the short-lived Hidden Faces (1968–69) daytime soap opera. Her first theatrical film appearance was in The Way We Live Now (1970). Blair was selected from a field of 600 applicants for her most notable role as Regan in The Exorcist (1973). The role earned her a Golden Globe and People's Choice Award for Best Supporting Actress as well as an Academy Award nomination. She reprised her role in the sequel, Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977), garnering a Saturn Award nomination for Best Actress of 1978. Between these two films, she appeared in Born Innocent (1974), Airport 1975 (1974), Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975) and Sweet Hostage (1975) opposite Martin Sheen.
Later career
Blair's career took a new turn in the 1980s, as she starred in a film in 1980 entitled Ruckus along with actor Dirk Benedict. She also starred in a number of successful low-budget horror and exploitation films, including Hell Night (1981), Chained Heat (1983) and Savage Streets (1984).
Blair later worked in numerous films, mostly comedies, including the Exorcist send-up Repossessed in 1990, and a cameo role in Scream (1996). In 1997, she appeared in a Broadway revival of Grease. She was cast as a regular in the BBC television show, L.A. 7 (2000). She hosted Fox Family's Scariest Places on Earth (2000–06).
In 2006, she guest starred on the TV Series Supernatural playing the part of Detective Diana Ballard as she aids Sam & Dean Winchester in the Episode: "The Usual Suspects" which aired November 9th, 2006.
In 2013 Blair accepted a role in the comedy webseries Whoa! and has since appeared in the 2016 feature The Green Fairy, as well as the upcoming Surge of Power: Revenge of the Sequel.
Other interests
Blair also became an animal rights activist and humanitarian, working with PETA, Feed the Children, Variety, the Children's Charity, and other organizations. Blair also devotes time to a non-profit organization she organized, the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, which works to rescue abused, neglected and mistreated animals. She commenced to follow a vegan diet, and was a co-author of the book Going Vegan!
Legal problems
In the late 1970s, Blair faced legal issues when she was charged with drug possession and the intent to distribute. She entered a guilty plea to a lesser charge of conspiracy to possess cocaine, which resulted in her being sentenced to three years of probation. Additionally, as part of her sentencing, Blair was mandated to conduct a minimum of 12 significant public engagements aimed at educating the youth on the risks associated with drug abuse.
Honors
In 1997, she appeared in a documentary for Channel 4 in the UK entitled "Didn't You Used to be Satan?", which served as a biography of her life to that point and how the film The Exorcist had dominated her career and life.
She also appeared in critic Mark Kermode's 1998 BBC documentary "The Fear of God" (which Kermode directed and hosted), included as a special feature on the DVD of The Exorcist. Most of Kermode's linking scenes to camera were removed from the DVD version to shorten the running time. The version shown on BBC TV in 1998 was shown intact.
In 2008, she appeared at the 18th annual Malaga Fantasy and Horror Film Festival to accept a lifetime achievement award for her work in the horror genre.
She appeared in the 2009 documentary Confessions of a Teenage Vigilante, discussing her role as Brenda in Savage Streets (1984). The documentary was included as a bonus feature on the 2009 DVD release of the film.
In 2010 she appeared as herself on the cable series Pit Boss and Jury Duty. She appeared in the 2011 Rick Springfield documentary Affair of the Heart, and was a panelist in a 2011 episode of The Joy Behar Show.
In 2012 Blair appeared at a pre-taped 84th Academy Awards ceremony honoring makeup artist Dick Smith, who had created the iconic makeup for Blair in The Exorcist.