Linda Denise Blair is an American actress and activist. She is known for portraying Regan MacNeil in the horror film The Exorcist (1973). The film established her both as a scream queen and in popular culture and won her a Golden Globe and a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress. She reprised the role in two sequels: Exorcist II: The Heretic (1977) and The Exorcist: Believer (2023). Blair has starred in several television films, including Born Innocent (1974), Sarah T. – Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic (1975), and Stranger in Our House (1978). She has also starred in exploitation and grindhouse films, including Hell Night (1981), Chained Heat (1983), and Savage Streets (1984). Her role in the musical film Roller Boogie (1979) brought her renewed recognition as a sex symbol. She was the host of the Fox Family reality series Scariest Places on Earth (2000–2006) and made appearances on the Animal Planet series Pit Boss (2010–2012).
Blair is a prominent activist for the animal rights movement. In 2004, she founded the Linda Blair WorldHeart Foundation, a non-profit organization that works to rehabilitate and adopt rescue animals.