Oscar winner Ellen Burstyn to get Venice Lifetime award
ROME, Italy — US actress Ellen Burstyn, best known for her roles in "The Exorcist" and "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," will receive a lifetime achievement award at this year's Venice film festival, organizers said Tuesday.
The 93-year-old, who has starred in over 150 films, said she was "so honored" by the decision to award her the Golden Lion.
"Wow! I not only get to travel to one of my top most favorite cities in the whole world. I get to return home carrying a Golden Lion in my arms!" she was quoted by the festival as saying.
This year's edition will run between September 2 and 12 and the jury will be led by US actress Maggie Gyllenhaal.
Related: Maggie Gyllenhaal to lead Venice Film Festival jury
Burstyn was elevated to global stardom by the success of William Friedkin's 1973 film "The Exorcist," in which she played the mother of a pre-teen girl possessed by demonic forces.
She went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress for Martin Scorsese's 1974 "Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore," and her 60-year acting career has since seen her win accolades for performances on film, stage, and television.
The Venice Festival's Artistic Director Alberto Barbera said Burstyn was "an actress of rare intensity and truth."
She has brought "depth and complexity to unforgettable female characters embodying the contradictions and transformations in the contemporary woman," he said.
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