Linda Blair - Details

Biography

From the age of six, Linda Blair had to get used to the spotlight, both as a model and in motion pictures, when she out of 600 applicants got chosen to the role of Regan - the possessed child in Exorcist, The (1973). Linda was about set to take the Academy Award for that role, but when it leaked how little of the possessed child she actually had been (dubbed voice by Mercedes McCambridge, and substantial use of a dummy) that dream broke, and with that disappointment probably came the first blow to what should have been a sure road to stardom. Over the next few years she had no trouble finding leading roles in a number of pictures, mostly as some kind of abused child (13-year old alcoholic, rape-victim, just to mention a couple), but the early attention brought with it the life in the fast lane and Linda, as quite a few others, in recent years, hadn't had the time to learn how to handle it, and drugs, a bunch of unsteady relationships etc. almost brought her career to an end.

Events

  • 22nd January 1959 - Birth