Eileen Dietz is an American actress who is best known for her appearances in many horror films such as the face of the demon in The Exorcist and for her portrayal of characters on the soap operas Guiding Light and General Hospital.
Eileen Dietz | |
|---|---|
 Dietz in 2017 | |
| Other names | Eileen Dietz Elber Eileen Scott |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1963–present |
| Height | 157 cm (5 ft 1 in) |
| Website | http://www.eileendietz.com |
Early life and career
editAs a child, Dietz appeared in commercials with her twin sister Marianne DeFossey, and beginning at the age of 12 she started studying acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse. She made her television debut in 1963 in a small guest role on The Doctors. Shortly thereafter she landed a recurring role on the soap opera Love of Life. She made her film debut starring in the 1966 movie Teenage Gang Debs as Ellie. The following year she portrayed Penny Wohl in the critically acclaimed independent film David Holzman's Diary. The film never got much in the way of theatrical distribution despite having Dietz's nude scene featured in Life Magazine's photo spread and in the book of the film. She did not recall if she auditioned for the role of Penny but she added, "it was a fun shoot."[1]
Dietz spent much of the late 1960s and early 1970s appearing in theatre productions. She notably appeared Off-Broadway as the Young Girl in the premiere of Bruce Jay Friedman's Steambath at the Truck and Warehouse Theater in 1970. In 1972, she portrayed an androgynous runaway in the premiere of Joyce Carol Oates' Ontological Proof of My Existence. Her portrayal in the play led to an invitation to do a screen test for The Exorcist. She was cast in two memorable roles in the film: Pazuzu the demon (better known as the face of death), and the 'possessed Regan' (the Linda Blair character) in some scenes. She performed in scenes that were too violent or disturbing for Blair to perform, including the crucifix scene and the fistfight with Father Karras.[2] [3] She recalled that director William Friedkin gave her no notes and said, "I wasn't playing a little girl, I was playing the demon that possessed a little girl." Blair, who recalls Friedkin telling her the film would not succeed if she was not in as many shots as possible, estimates that Dietz is in 17 seconds of the film. Dietz, angry that her contribution to the film had been minimized, claimed in the media to have performed all the possession scenes. Warners ultimately measured her screen presence at 28.25 seconds, but denied that her contribution was dramatically significant.[4]: 75
After The Exorcist, Dietz had a highly active career on television during the 1970s, appearing as a guest star on such shows as Planet of the Apes, Korg: 70,000 B.C., Barnaby Jones, and Happy Days among others. She also portrayed the recurring role of Linette Waterman in the soap opera The Guiding Light and appeared in the films You Light Up My Life (1977) and Parts: The Clonus Horror (1979).
In 1980, Dietz joined the cast of General Hospital as Sarah Abbott, a role she played for several years. She also appeared as a guest star on Trapper John, M.D. (1982) and in the horror film Freeway Maniac (1989). More recent film credits include Naked in the Cold Sun (1997), Hurricane Festival (1997), Bad Guys (2000), Exorcism (2003), The Mojo Cafe (2004), Neighborhood Watch (2005), Constantine (2005), Karla (2006), Creepshow III (2006), Dog Lover's Symphony (2006), and Tracing Cowboys (2008).
Dietz appeared as Winnie Gilmore in Halloween II (2009) in an uncredited role.
Dietz was cast in the thriller Eden Falls, co-written by Victor Miller, creator of Friday the 13th, and then slated for a 2017 release.[citation needed] However, as of August 2020[update], the project was still in development.
Filmography
edit| Film | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1966 | Teenage Gang Debs | Ellie | Credited as Eileen Scott |
| 1967 | David Holzman's Diary | Penny Wohl | |
| The Game People Play | Credited as Eileen Scott | ||
| 1973 | The Exorcist | Pazuzu's face | Uncredited |
| 1974 | Road Movie | ||
| 1977 | You Light Up My Life | Bridesmaid | |
| 1979 | Parts: The Clonus Horror | Dana | |
| 1989 | Freeway Maniac | Costume Girl | |
| 1997 | Naked in the Cold Sun | Sadie | |
| Hurricane Festival | Junkie | ||
| 2000 | Bad Guys | Bank Teller | |
| Left-Overs | — |
Set director | |
| 2003 | Exorcism | Evil Nurse | |
| 2004 | The Mojo Cafe | Oscar | Short film |
| 2005 | Constantine | Zombie | Uncredited |
| Neighborhood Watch | Mrs. Crews | ||
| 2006 | Karla | Helen | Uncredited |
| Creepshow III | Claire The Homeless Woman | Segment: Call Girl direct-to-video | |
| Dog Lover's Symphony | Frightened Mother | ||
| 2008 | Tracing Cowboys | Marilyn | |
| She Turns Back and Faces Forward at Peace | Judy | Short film | |
| 2009 | Sibling Rivalry | Mrs. Peters | |
| The Queen of Screams | Eleanor Maxwell | ||
| Void | Helen | Short film | |
| Halloween II | Winnie Gilmore | Uncredited | |
| 2010 | Kadís | Librarian | Short film |
| Freeway Killer | Alice Bonin Benton | ||
| Hookers for Jesus | Blanch | Short film | |
| Monsterpiece Theatre Volume 1 | Nina | Segment: Rottentail | |
| Butterfly | Joy Greenstahl | also associate producer | |
| The Custom Mary | Mother | post-production | |
| See How They Run | Grace | post-production | |
| The Legend of the Mountain Witch | Creepy Lady | post-production | |
| Scream Queen Campfire | Ethel | Segment: Motherly Love | |
| Hallow Pointe | Fran | ||
| 2011 | Little Big Boy | Jimmy's Mother - middle aged | |
| Dead Girls Don't Cry | Diane Thomas | filming | |
| Stingy Jack | Esther Flower | pre-production | |
| 2012 | Witches Playground | filming | |
| 2015 | Fire Twister | Sadie - The Mountain Woman | Television film |
| 2017 | Eden Falls | Barbara | pre-production |
| 2019 | Itsy Bitsy | Sally | Post-production |
| 2019 | For We Are Many | Mrs. Vasile | Segment: The Damned Statue |
| 2019 | The Assent | Rhonda | |
| 2020 | The Amityville Harvest | Mrs. O'Brian | |
| 2022 | Staycation | Griselda E. Necromancer | |
| 2023 | The Fearway | Old Woman | |
| 2023 | Night of the Caregiver | Lillian Gresham | |
| 2023 | Lady Dreadcore | Lady Dreadcore | Short film |
| 2023 | Las Vegas Frankenstein | Shopkeeper's Wife | |
| Television | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1963 | The Doctors | Guest role | |
| Love of Life | Recurring role | ||
| 1974 | Korg: 70,000 B.C. | Sala | |
| Planet of the Apes | Jillia | Episode: The Good Seeds credited as Eileen Dietz Elber | |
| 1975 | Barnaby Jones | Carol Deelon | Episode: Dangerous Summer |
| 1976 | Helter Skelter | Family Girl | Television film credited as Eileen Dietz Elber |
| How to Break Up a Happy Divorce | Television film uncredited | ||
| 1977 | Happy Days | Rebecca | Episode: Time Capsule |
| 1978 | The Next Step Beyond | Episode: A Matter of Pride | |
| Guiding Light | Linette Waterman | ||
| 1980–1981 | General Hospital | Sarah Abbot | |
| 1982 | Trapper John, M.D. | Sister Charity | Episode: The One and Only |
| 2004 | What Should You Do? | Vicki | Episodes: Bee Sting, Near Drowning |
| 2005 | Dante's Cove | Emily | Episodes: In the Beginning, Then There Was Darkness |
| 2009 | Tim and Eric Awesome Show, Great Job! | Mother | Episode: Origins |
References
edit- ^ "Interview with Eileen Dietz". Retrieved 2012-05-29.
- ^ ""We argued over the crucifix scene": what it was like being the demon in The Exorcist". New Statesman. February 5, 2020. Retrieved October 28, 2020.
- ^ "Exorcist Icon Eileen Dietz Dishes on "Of the Devil"". Rue Morgue. Retrieved 2023-03-25.
- ^ * Kermode, Mark (2003). The Exorcist. BFI Modern Classics (Revised 2nd ed.). British Film Institute. ISBN 978-0-85170-967-3.