Brown-eyed, brunette former child model Linda Blair debuted in the feature “The Way We Live Now” (1969) and followed with “The Sporting Club” (1970) before her breakthrough role as the sweet but possessed teenager in “The Exorcist” (1973) brought her national recognition and ended her dream of veterinary school. Nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for her head-turning performance, she segued into strong TV vehicles, starring first in the sensationally-promoted movie about juvenile delinquency, “Born Innocent” (NBC, 1974), which included a graphic broom-handle rape of Blair that the network subsequently deleted. She then acted the title role in “Sarah T.–Portrait of a Teenage Alcoholic” (NBC, 1975), played Kirk Douglas’ daughter in “Victory at Entebbe” (ABC, 1976) and revisited familiar terrain as the victim of witchcraft in Wes Craven’s “Stranger in Our House” (NBC, 1978).
