Linda Blair gained international fame for her iconic role as Regan MacNeil in “The Exorcist” (1973). Her compelling performance in the horror classic earned her a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award nomination.
It was always very strange for me when I was young and would meet someone who geniunely seemed to be afraid of me. They couldn’t separate me from the monster I became in a movie. You wouldn’t believe how often people ask me to make my head spin around.
Linda Blair
Linda Denise Blair was born on January 22, 1959, in St. Louis, Missouri. She was the youngest of three children born to James Frederick Blair, a Navy test pilot turned executive recruiter, and Elinore (née Leitch) Blair, a real estate agent. When Linda was two years old, her family moved to Westport, Connecticut, where she grew up. From a young age, Blair was involved in modeling.She appeared in catalogs for Sears, J.C. Penney, and Macy’s and in over 70 commercials for various companies.
Blair began her acting career on TV with Hidden Faces (1968–69), a daytime soap opera, followed by her first film, The Way We Live Now (1970). In 1972, Blair audition for a role in the upcoming adaptation of William Peter Blatty’s novel The Exorcist.
The Exorcist
Linda Blair was selected from 600 applicants for the role of Regan, the possessed daughter of an actress, in William Friedkin’s The Exorcist (1973). She terrified a generation of filmgoers as a schoolgirl who spits obscenities and masturbates with a crucifix after being possessed by the Devil. Her chilling portrayal of a young girl possessed by a demon earned her a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress and an Academy Award nomination. The movie defined her early career and remains a landmark in horror cinema.
The shooting of the film was not without issues. Linda Blair was tied to a mechanical bed to create the effect of violent shaking. Due to a mechanical failure while filming the scene, she sustained a slight fracture of the spine that later developed into scoliosis. The shot was used in the final film, and her screams of pain were real.
The Aftermath
The Exorcist became an instant rage on release and was a huge critical and commercial success. “Whatever one’s reaction may be to the film, Linda’s performance has to be considered the most powerful and moving ever given by a young actress in her first role,” reads an article in The New York Times from 1974.
“When the movie came out, the amount of media pressure that came down on me wasn’t anything I was prepared for,”
Linda Blair
The success of “The Exorcist” brought Blair immense fame, but it also came with its share of struggles. The intense media attention and the controversial nature of the film led to significant stress and public scrutiny. People accused the film of glorifying Satan. They also criticized the scenes, graphics and language of the film. Linda started to receive so much hate mail and death threats that she had to get police protection. Producers also arranged a bodyguard for her safety.
That was not the end of it; on press tours, people asked all sorts of uncomfortable questions. Journalists intensely questioned her about faith, God, the Devil, evil, and the state of religion. They do this without acknowledging that she is merely a 14-year-old child. They also forget that she is not in any way responsible for the writing of the film. “When the movie came out, the amount of media pressure that came down on me wasn’t anything I was prepared for,” she later said in an interview.
Linda Blair – The Later Career
With the success came the perks of it, as she gets typecast as a helpless teen. In 1974 she starred in the controversial “Born Innocent,” where she plays a sexually abused teenager. She then acted in Richard Donner’s “Sarah T: Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975),” with Mark Hamill and Larry Hagman.
In 1979, her starring role in Mark L. Lester’s musical drama “Roller Boogie” established her as a sex symbol. The film, although a commercial success, was a critical disaster. The film has since developed a loyal following and is considered a cult classic. She did a lot of her own skating in the film and developed bursitis in her hip as a result.
After the success of Roller Boogie, she starred in several B-movies, such as Hell Night (1981), Chained Heat (1983), and Savage Streets (1984). Blair was the first choice for the role of Vasquez in “Aliens” (1986), but scheduling conflicts prevented her from taking the role
Later Years
Her story is an example of “how kids in the film industry are treated and used.” It also raises the issue of how this early success can ruin their lives if not handled with care. From a sweet kid to a criminal, her life came full circle when, in 1977, when she was arrested. She was charged with the sale and possession of cocaine.
Later, she improved her lifestyle and went on to do a lot of work in films and TV, but the promise she showed in The Exorcist never materialized fully.
Now, after more than 50 years of her breakthrough role, Linda Blair is known for her advocacy work. In 2004, she founded the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a nonprofit organisation that serves to rehabilitate and adopt rescue animals. After Hurricane Katrina, Blair personally rescued and transported 51 displaced dogs.
Linda Blair on IMDB
