Linda Blair’s Journey: From ‘The Exorcist’ Star to B-Movie Queen and Animal Activist

If you’ve seen the 1973 horror classic The Exorcist, you know that Linda Blair is a powerhouse performer. In the trailblazing and controversial film, Blair played Regan MacNeil, a 12-year-old possessed by a demon, and her go-for-broke performance as a sweet young girl transformed into a vessel for unspeakably disgusting things earned the actress an Oscar nomination at just 14—a rarity for a horror movie, and a feat that set her up for a long and fascinating screen career.

Here’s a look at how Linda Blair became the most unconventional of child stars—and what she’s been up to since her exorcism.

Linda Blair’s early Hollywood career and breakout in ‘The Exorcist’

Blair got her start as a child model at 5 years old and appeared in a number of commercials. She came into The Exorcist with only a couple of bit parts to her name and was handpicked by director William Friedkin from a pool of over 500 actresses.

Friedkin immediately recognized Blair’s talents, recalling, “She came in to meet with me, and I had a feeling about her as soon as I met her. She was extremely bright. She was a straight-A student, and she was a champion horse woman at the time . . . She was an extraordinarily gifted, natural actress.” Clearly, the director made the right choice, as Blair’s performance still haunts viewers over 50 years after the movie was released.

While The Exorcist was not initially anticipated to be a hit given its difficult subject matter, it ended up becoming a sensation and setting records at the box office, and Blair went from an unknown teen to an A-lister. She reprised her most famous role in Exorcist II: The Heretic in 1977, and again many years later in the 2023 sequel The Exorcist: Believer.

Life After ‘The Exorcist’: B-movies, TV appearances and fame

Blair had a complicated relationship with her character Regan, as the success of the film meant she received a sometimes uncomfortable amount of publicity at a very young age, and the provocative nature of her character led people to harass her and even send death threats. In a 2006 interview, Blair reflected on The Exorcist, saying, “I’m proud of it . . . but it has nothing to do with what I am as an adult. I think I have been extremely polite about answering questions about The Exorcist almost every single day of my life.”

After The Exorcist, Blair had a supporting role in Airport 1975 and starred as troubled teens in a variety of ’70s TV movies. She then starred in Roller Boogie, a 1979 film released at the height of the roller disco craze. In the ’80s, she acted in B-movies including Hell Night (1981), a slasher; Chained Heat (1983) and Red Heat (1985), women-in-prison movies; and Savage Streets (1984), a rape-revenge movie that went on to become a cult favorite.

Blair also received quite a bit of media attention for her personal life after The Exorcist, as she dated many popular musicians of the day, including Rick Springfield and Rick James. In 1983, James wrote his funky hit song “Cold Blooded” about her.

Linda Blair’s cameo in ‘The Exorcist: Believer’ and mentoring young stars

Like many actors who have their breakout in horror, Blair continued to appear in dozens of genre films throughout her career, none of which made quite as much of an impact as The Exorcist. Many of her films in the ’80s and ’90s were of the low-budget and straight-to-video variety, but her presence inevitably gave them a boost and upped their horror cred considerably.

In the ’90s and ’00s, Blair made appearances in many TV shows, including MacGyver (1990), Married . . . With Children (1992), Chicken Soup for the Soul (2000), S Club 7 in L.A. (2000) and Supernatural (2006). She most recently provided voices for the animated series JJ Villard’s Fairy Tales in 2020 and returned to her roots with her cameo as Regan in the 2023 film The Exorcist: Believer.

Blair also served as a safety advisor and mentor to the young stars of the latest Exorcist movie, saying, “I wanted to make sure that they had any tools available on the set that they may have needed—whether it be religious or psychological. We had everything available to them in case they needed or wanted to talk to anybody. I knew following in my footsteps [would be] a difficult journey and I wanted them to have their own journey. I just wanted them to be taken care of.”

How Linda Blair found a new passion as an animal rights advocate

Now 65, Blair doesn’t act as much as she used to, and has dedicated much of her time to her passion for working with animals. As she described it in a 2023 NBC interview, “I kind of unknowingly left the business because I gave my word to the animals. I’m still a performer. I miss working, but I won’t leave my animal friends. I can’t. Spiritually, emotionally, I am unable to stop trying to help and change the laws and stop the unnecessary euthanasia and pet overpopulation.” In 2003 she started the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, an organization dedicated to helping animals that have been abused and neglected.

While Blair may not be onscreen regularly, she’s been keeping busy with her charitable work and remains an icon of the horror genre.