Ask any horror fan to name the gold standard and The Exorcist usually tops the list. When it hit cinemas in 1973, audiences fainted, argued, then lined up again. The setting felt wrong in the best way. The effects still hold up. Rumors of a curse kept tabloids busy. And Linda Blair, just 14 at the time, delivered a performance that still unsettles you decades later.
Though she was really young when she starred in the most iconic horror film of all time, Blair has enjoyed a fulfilling life that has made her a cultural landmark five decades after the release of The Exorcist. From horror flicks to animal rights advocacy, Linda Blair is just getting started.
How The Exorcist Turned Linda Blair Into a Horror Icon
Featuring a rather taboo topic for a horror film of the era, The Exorcist shocked audiences with its diabolical imagery and unsettling atmosphere. To top things off, the movie’s co-star was just a child actor with limited acting experience.
Blair’s take on the possessed Regan MacNeil was praised by critics and beloved by fans. Despite the heavy makeup and special effects, everyone could see that the real star of the show was Blair’s earnest performance. Suddenly, the world knew who Linda Blair was—and that’s both a blessing and a curse for such a young performer.
Linda Blair’s Struggles After The Exorcist: Typecasting, B-Movies and Controversy
Escaping the shadow of a movie like The Exorcist is no easy feat. Before she knew it, every studio exec wanted Blair in their films—as long as those films were shocking. She was quickly typecast in exploitation B-movies, like Hell Night and Chained Heat. The massive flop of Exorcist II: The Heretic didn’t help her career, either.
Things spiraled in 1977, when she was arrested on drug-related charges. It seemed as if Blair was destined to follow the tragic path of many child stars in Hollywood. Thankfully, she was just getting ready for a surprising comeback.
How Linda Blair Embraced Her Horror Legacy in TV, Film and Pop Culture
While many child celebrities would rather hide the things that made them famous, Blair embraced her horror roots. In 2000, Blair would host Scariest Places on Earth, after having a surprising Broadway stint with Grease.
The fact that she even parodied her most iconic character in the 1990 movie Repossessed shows that Blair was comfortable embracing the cultural legacy of The Exorcist. Cameos in Married… with Children and Supernatural cemented her image as a cultural powerhouse—and she didn’t even need big blockbuster roles to do so.
Inside Linda Blair’s Animal Rescue Mission and the WorldHeart Foundation
In 2004, the actress founded the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a non-profit organization specializing in rescuing and rehabilitating abused animals. Blair also went fully vegan, and described the experience as finally finding purpose and peace after the pressure of the Hollywood lifestyle.
At her 66 years, Blair looks stunning. She stays young at heart and looks genuinely happy working with animals. After a brief return to acting in 2023’s The Exorcist: Believer, Blair has expressed interest in a possible return to Hollywood—but she’s made it clear that her beloved animals and her upcoming memoir (which promises some shocking revelations surrounding The Exorcist) come first.
Linda Blair Reveals Her Graves’ Disease Diagnosis After Life-Threatening Illness
Linda Blair spent 2023 fighting for her life, and it wasn’t a movie stunt. Parade says the 67-year-old told Billy Corgan on The Magnificent Others that pneumonia and sepsis landed her in hospital after months of sliding health. “I started feeling really bad, and getting sicker and sicker,” Blair said. Doctors ran 28 tests before a name finally showed up: Graves’ disease. “I have Graves’ disease. It attacks your immune system,” she explained.
Blair said her weight dropped to 91 pounds. “The challenge to recover, and I’m still in it, is extreme,” she added. If you’ve ever waited for answers while your body misbehaves, you know the drill, the calendar keeps moving.
Deadline notes the Exorcist franchise rolls on with Scarlett Johansson and Mike Flanagan. Could Linda Blair have a cameo?
RELATED: How Days of Our Lives Delivered The Last Great Exorcist Story
