Linda Blair Linda Blair Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress, film producer and animal rights activist. 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 "" (1977), for which she was nominated for a Saturn Award. Blair would go on to star in numerous controversial dramatic television films, such as "Born Innocent" (1974) and "Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic" (1975) before establishing herself as a sex
The Exorcist (film) detail. Friedkin has said that he does not believe that the "head-spinning" actually occurred, but this has been disputed. Friedkin is secular, despite coming from a Jewish family. Although the agency representing Blair did not send her for the role, Blair's mother took her to meet with Warner's casting department and then with Friedkin. Pamelyn Ferdin, a veteran of science fiction and supernatural drama, was a candidate for the role of Regan, but was ultimately turned down because her career thus far had made her too familiar to the public. April Winchell was considered, until she developed pyelonephritis, which caused