Family
- mother Correine Gillooly: Divorced Ellen's father when Ellen was still young; raised Ellen as a single parent
- father John Austin Gillooly: Divorced Ellen's mother when Ellen was still young; has had little contact with daughter
- son Jefferson Burstyn: Adopted son; born c. 1962
Companions
- William Friedkin: worked together on "The Exorcist" (1973); Burstyn claims they had an affair after filming was completed which Freidkin has denied
