The Life and Struggles of Hollywood Legend Ellen Burstyn

In 1995, she appeared in How to Make an American Quilt, joining an ensemble cast that included Winona Ryder, Anne Bancroft, and Maya Angelou. The film followed women whose personal histories are woven together through stories, memory, and a wedding quilt.

Her role placed her among several generations of actresses and performers, showing how her career now connected the New Hollywood era to younger stars of the 1990s. She was no longer only a leading lady of the 1970s. She was becoming part of Hollywood’s living memory.