In The Exorcist, Regan MacNeil’s mother is actress Chris MacNeil.
Chris MacNeil is played by Ellen Burstyn in William Friedkin’s 1973 film. She is a successful actress living in Washington, D.C., whose daughter Regan begins displaying disturbing and apparently supernatural symptoms. Chris’s attempts to find a medical explanation eventually lead her to seek the help of Catholic priests.
The surname MacNeil belongs to the fictional family at the center of the film. It is sometimes mixed up with Karras or Merrin, the surnames of the two priests who investigate the possession. Detective William Kinderman is another important character, but he is not part of Regan’s family.
The film was adapted from William Peter Blatty’s 1971 novel of the same name, and Blatty also wrote the screenplay. The Exorcist became a major commercial success and received 10 Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture.