Eileen Dietz is an American actress who is best known for her appearances in many
horror film
Horror is a film genre that seeks to elicit physical or psychological fear in its viewers. Horror films often explore dark subject matter and may deal with Transgressive art, transgressive topics or themes. Broad elements of the genre include Mo ...
s such as the face of the
demon
A demon is a malevolent supernatural entity. Historically, belief in demons, or stories about demons, occurs in folklore, mythology, religion, occultism, and literature; these beliefs are reflected in Media (communication), media including
f ...
in ''
The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...
'' and for her portrayal of characters on the soap operas ''
Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' and ''
General Hospital
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
''.
Early life and career
As 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
A neighbourhood (Commonwealth English) or neighborhood (American English) is a geographically localized community within a larger town, city, suburb or rural area, sometimes consisting of a single street and the buildings lining it. Neighbourh ...
. 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
A soap opera (also called a daytime drama or soap) is a genre of a long-running radio or television Serial (radio and television), serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term ''soap opera'' originat ...
''
Love of Life
''Love of Life'' is an American soap opera televised on CBS from September 24, 1951, to February 1, 1980. It was created by Roy Winsor, whose previous creation '' Search for Tomorrow'' premiered three weeks before ''Love of Life''; he created ...
''. 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
An independent film, independent movie, indie film, or indie movie is a feature film or short film that is film production, produced outside the Major film studios, major film studio system in addition to being produced and distributed by independ ...
''
David Holzman's Diary
''David Holzman's Diary'' is a 1967 American mockumentary, or work of metacinema, directed by Jim McBride, James McBride and starring L. M. Kit Carson. A feature-length film made on a tiny budget over several days, it is a work of experimental fic ...
''. 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."
Dietz spent much of the late 1960s and early 1970s appearing in theatre productions. She notably appeared
Off-Broadway
An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...
as the Young Girl in the premiere of
Bruce Jay Friedman
Bruce Jay Friedman (April 26, 1930June 3, 2020) was an American novelist, screenwriter, playwright, and actor. He was noted for his versatility of writing in both literature and pop culture. He was also a trailblazer in the style of modern Ameri ...
's ''
Steambath
A steam bath is a steam-filled room or steam-filled cabinet designed for the purpose of relaxation and holistic treatment. Steam baths have been formally recognized since ancient Greek and Roman times, yet variations can be found throughout the ...
'' at the Truck and Warehouse Theater in 1970. In 1972, she portrayed an androgynous runaway in the premiere of
Joyce Carol Oates
Joyce Carol Oates (born June 16, 1938) is an American writer. Oates published her first book in 1963, and has since published 58 novels, a number of plays and novellas, and many volumes of short stories, poetry, and nonfiction. Her novels ''Black ...
' ''Ontological Proof of My Existence''. Her portrayal in the play led to an invitation to do a screen test for ''
The Exorcist
''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...
''. She was cast in two memorable roles in the film:
Pazuzu
In ancient Mesopotamian religion, Pazuzu () is a demonic deity who was well known to the Babylonians and Assyrians throughout the first millennium BCE. He is shown with "a rather canine face with abnormally bulging eyes, a scaly body, a snake-h ...
the demon (better known as the face of death), and the 'possessed
Regan' (the
Linda Blair
Linda Denise Blair (born January 22, 1959) is an American actress and activist. Her portrayal of Regan MacNeil in the horror film ''The Exorcist'' (1973) established her in popular culture and as a scream queen, earning her a Golden Globe Award ...
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. She recalled that director
William Friedkin
William David Friedkin (; August 29, 1935 – August 7, 2023) was an American film, television and opera director, producer, and screenwriter who was closely identified with the "New Hollywood" movement of the 1970s. Beginning his career in doc ...
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.
[* ]
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
''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...
'', ''
Korg: 70,000 B.C.'', ''
Barnaby Jones
''Barnaby Jones'' is an American detective fiction, detective television series starring Buddy Ebsen as a formerly retired investigator and Lee Meriwether as his widowed daughter-in-law. They run a private detective firm in Los Angeles, Califor ...
'', and ''
Happy Days
''Happy Days'' is an American television sitcom that aired first-run on the American Broadcasting Company, ABC network from January 15, 1974, to July 19, 1984, with a total of 255 half-hour episodes spanning 11 seasons. Created by Garry Marsha ...
'' among others. She also portrayed the recurring role of Linette Waterman in the soap opera ''
The Guiding Light
''Guiding Light'' (known as ''The Guiding Light'' before 1975) is an American radio and television soap opera. ''Guiding Light'' aired on CBS for 57 years between June 30, 1952, and September 18, 2009, overlapping a 19-year broadcast on radio ...
'' 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
''General Hospital'' (often abbreviated as ''GH'') is an American daytime television soap opera created by Frank and Doris Hursley which has been broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC since April 1, 1963. Originally a half-hour seria ...
'' 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
Constantine most often refers to:
* Constantine the Great, Roman emperor from 306 to 337, also known as Constantine I
* Constantine, Algeria, a city in Algeria
Constantine may also refer to:
People
* Constantine (name), a masculine g ...
'' (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. However, , the project was still in development.
Filmography
References
External links
*
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dietz, Eileen
Living people
20th-century American actresses
21st-century American actresses
American film actresses
American stage actresses
American television actresses
Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre alumni
American stunt performers
21st-century American women
Year of birth missing (living people)