Veteran actress Ellen Burstyn was presented with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement on Monday during the 83rd Venice International Film Festival. The honor, one of the most respected recognitions in world cinema, was awarded at a ceremony held in the historic Palazzo del Cinema.
Festival Board Selection and Presentation
The festival’s board chose Burstyn on the recommendation of artistic director Alberto Barbera, according to La Biennale di Venezia. Actress Maggie Gyllenhaal presented the award, adding a personal touch to the celebration.
Burstyn’s Reflections on Art and Purpose
Speaking to People magazine before the festival, Burstyn emphasized the importance of following one’s artistic calling. “If you’re an artist of any kind, whether it’s an actor or a musician or a painter, that path is going to make your life meaningful to you, and following that path is your destiny,” she said. She added that her secret to a meaningful and happy life is to find a way to earn a living doing something you would gladly do for free.
A Record‑Setting Career
Burstyn’s résumé includes an Academy Award for Best Actress in 1975 for Martin Scorsese’s Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. That same year she earned a Tony Award for the play Same Time, Next Year, becoming the third woman to win an Oscar and a Tony in the same year. She later completed acting’s so‑called Triple Crown with an Emmy for a guest appearance on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2009 and a second Emmy in 2013 for the series Political Animals.
Iconic Film Credits and Ongoing Work
Among Burstyn’s most celebrated film roles are performances in The Last Picture Show, The Exorcist, Requiem for a Dream and Interstellar. Barbera noted that she has appeared in roughly 150 films, highlighting the range and complexity of the women she has portrayed.
In addition to the lifetime‑achievement award, Burstyn appeared in two new short films premiering at Venice. The world premiere of “Flesh Impact,” a 17‑minute short written and directed by Maggie Gyllenhaal for the centenary of Marilyn Monroe’s birth, features Dakota Johnson as Monroe and Burstyn as an imagined version of Monroe at age 100. The short also includes Peter Sarsgaard and Sepideh Moafi.
She also appears alongside Taika Waititi in “Place to Be,” directed by Kornél Mundruczó, which is part of this year’s Venice program.
Future Engagements
Burstyn will lead a festival masterclass on Tuesday at 4 p.m. local time in Venice (9 a.m. Central Time). The session will be livestreamed on the festival’s website, giving fans and aspiring actors a chance to learn directly from the seasoned performer.
At 93, Burstyn remains professionally active, proving that the Golden Lion honor is more than a retrospective accolade—it celebrates a living legend who continues to contribute to the art form.
Original reporting: WBAP News/Talk (Dallas-Fort Worth) — read the source article.
