Linda Blair - wikipedia Linda Blair Linda Blair Blair in 2015 Linda Denise Blair ( 1959 - 01 - 22 ) January 22, 1959 ( age 58 ) St. Louis, Missouri, U.S. Residence Coto de Caza, California, U.S. Occupation Actress, producer Years active 1962 -- present Website www.lindablair.com 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. After The Exorcist she remained active in film, usually lower - budget b - movies and exploitation films, as well as supporting charitable causes. Contents 1 Early life 2 Later career 2.1 Other interests 3 Legal problems 4 Honors 4.1 Awards and nominations 5 Filmography 5.1 Film 5.2 Television 6 References 7 External links 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 Towards the end of the 1970s, Blair encountered trouble with law enforcement authorities as she was charged with drug possession and conspiracy to sell drugs. She pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of conspiracy to possess cocaine, in exchange for three years ' probation. Blair was also required to make at least 12 major public appearances to tell young people about the dangers of drug abuse. Honors In 1997, she appeared in a documentary for Channel 4 in the UK entitled `` Did n'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. Awards and nominations Year Association Nominated work Result 1973 Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress The Exorcist Nominated Golden Globe Awards Best Supporting Actress -- Motion Picture The Exorcist Won Golden Globe Awards New Star of the Year -- Actress The Exorcist Nominated 1978 Saturn Awards Best Actress Exorcist II : The Heretic Nominated 1982 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Actress Hell Night Nominated 1984 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Actress Chained Heat Nominated 1985 Golden Raspberry Awards Scream Queen Herself Won 1986 Golden Raspberry Awards Worst Actress Night Patrol, Savage Island, and Savage Streets Won Filmography Linda Blair in Los Angeles ( 2012 ) Film Year Title Role Notes 1970 The Way We Live Now Sara Aldridge 1971 The Sporting Club Barby 1973 The Exorcist Regan MacNeil Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress -- Motion Picture Nominated -- Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress Nominated -- Golden Globe Award for New Star of the Year -- Actress Born Innocent Chris Parker Television movie Airport 1975 Janice Abbott Sarah T. -- Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic Sarah Travis Television movie Sweet Hostage Doris Mae Withers Television movie 1976 Victory at Entebbe Chana Vilnofsky Television movie 1977 Exorcist II : The Heretic Regan MacNeil Nominated -- Saturn Award for Best Actress 1978 Stranger in Our House Rachel Bryant Television movie 1979 Wild Horse Hank Hank Bradford 1979 Roller Boogie Terry Barkley 1980 Ruckus Jenny Bellows 1981 Hell Night Marti Gaines Nominated -- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress Chained Heat Carol Henderson Nominated -- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress 1984 Night Patrol Officer Sue Perman Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress 1984 Savage Streets Brenda Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress 1984 Terror in the Aisles Regan MacNeil Archive footage 1985 Red Heat Christine Carlson 1985 Savage Island Daly Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Actress SFX Retaliator Doris Nightforce Carla 1988 Moving Target Sally Tyler 1988 Grotesque Lisa 1988 Silent Assassins Sara 1988 Witchery Jane Brooks 1989 Up Your Alley Vickie Adderly 1989 The Chilling Mary Hampton 1989 Aunt Millie 's Will Unknown Short film 1989 W.B., Blue and the Bean Annette Ridgeway 1990 Zapped Again ! Miss Mitchell 1990 Repossessed Nancy Aglet 1991 Bedroom Eyes II Sophie Stevens 1992 Fatal Bond Leonie Stevens 1992 Dead Sleep Maggie Healey 1992 Calendar Girl, Cop, Killer ? : The Bambi Bembenek Story Jane Mder Television movie 1992 Perry Mason : The Case of the Heartbroken Bride Hannah Hawkes Television movie 1993 Bad Blood Evie Barners 1993 Phone Unknown Short film 1994 Skins Maggie Joiner 1994 Double Blast Claudia 1995 Sorceress Amelia Reynolds Prey of the Jaguar Cody Johnson Scream Obnoxious Reporter Uncredited 1997 Marina Marina Short film 2003 Monster Makers Shelly Stoker Television movie 2005 Diva Dog : Pit Bull on Wheels Unknown Short film 2005 Hitters Anonymous Brenda 2006 All Is Normal Barbara 2006 The Powder Puff Principle School Board President Short film 2009 Imps * Jamie 2012 An Affair of the Heart Herself Television Year Title Role Notes 1968 -- 1969 Hidden Faces Allyn Jaffe Unknown episodes 1982 The Love Boat Muffy Episode : `` Isaac Gets Physical '' 1985 Murder, She Wrote Jane Pascal Episode : `` Murder Takes the Bus '' 1989 Monsters La Strega Episode : `` La Strega '' 1990 MacGyver Jenny Larson Episode : `` Jenny 's Chance '' 1992 Married... with Children Ida Mae Episode : `` The Magnificent Seven '' Renegade Teddy Rae Thompson Episode : `` Self Defense '' 1997 The RuPaul Show Herself Episode : `` 13 December 1997 '' 1999 Godzilla : The Series Alexandra Springer Episode : `` S.C.A.L.E. '' 2000 L.A. 7 Joni Witherspoon 9 episodes 2000 -- 2003 Hollywood Squares Herself 10 episodes 2001 -- 2006 Scariest Places on Earth Host 15 episodes 2006 Supernatural Detective Diana Ballard Episode : `` The Usual Suspects '' 2010 -- 2012 Pit Boss Herself 12 episodes 2012 Celebrity Ghost Stories Herself Episode : `` Victoria Rowell / Dot Jones / Carlos Mencia / Linda Blair '' 2014 RuPaul 's Drag Race Herself Episode : `` Scream Queens '' References Jump up ^ Skin ( 1 January 2005 ). Mr. Skin 's Skincyclopedia : The A-to - Z Guide to Finding Your Favorite Actresses Naked. St. Martin 's Press. p. 67. ISBN 978 - 0 - 312 - 33144 - 3. ^ Jump up to : Official website for `` The Exorcist ''. Warner Brothers, `` Cast, Linda Blair ''. Accessed 18 March 2010. ^ Jump up to : `` Linda Blair ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Part I - The Haunted Boy : the Inspiration for the Exorcist ''. Strangemag.com. Retrieved 2014 - 03 - 31. Jump up ^ `` The Way We Live Now ( 1970 ) ''. The New York Times. Retrieved July 16, 2012. Jump up ^ `` Born Innocent ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Sarah T. -- Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Scream ''. The New York Times. Jump up ^ `` Actress Linda Blair Gets Probation in Drug Case ''. Lakeland Ledger. September 6, 1979. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to Linda Blair. 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Question: who played the little girl in the original exorcist
Answer: Linda Denise Blair