Vasiliki Maliaros

A senior Greek lady spotted on a New York restaurant visited by filmmaker William Friedkin, Vasiliki Maliaros impressed the director with her age and presence, and later he decided to cast her in the role of Jason Miller's mother (Father Karras) in the classic horror The Exorcist (1973). She was not a professional actress, and at the time she was reaching nearly 90-years-old when she landed the brief but key role in the film, one of the most acclaimed and controversial films of all time. Sadly, Vasiliki passed away a few months prior to the film's release, in early 1973.