As a devoted enthusiast of the horror genre, The Exorcist (1973), directed by William Friedkin and based on William Peter Blatty’s compelling novel, holds a special place in my cinematic pantheon. Recently, while updating the collections page for the website, I stumbled upon an extraordinary discovery: our archives house the collection of a pivotal figure from this iconic film.
Figure 1. A striking portrait of Mercedes McCambridge from the Mercedes McCambridge Collection, showcasing her timeless Hollywood elegance.
Mercedes McCambridge, affectionately known as Mercy to those closest to her, stands as perhaps the most celebrated alumna of Mundelein College. Countless students now navigate the halls of the Mundelein skyscraper, often unaware that the building’s auditorium played a formative role in the education of an Academy Award-winning actress. My colleague Nathan previously illuminated Mundelein College’s profound impact on McCambridge’s trajectory in a WLA blog post titled “Acting Up: Mercedes Mccambridge and Sister Mary Leola Oliver.” At the Women and Leadership Archives, we frequently reference Mercedes McCambridge’s 1949 Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Sadie Burke in All the King’s Men. I have had the privilege of handling her Oscar during research, consistently struck by its unexpected heft. However, it wasn’t until a recent re-viewing of the 1973 horror masterpiece The Exorcist that the realization dawned: I had encountered Mercy’s distinctive voice long before my association with the WLA. This revelation ignited a personal exploration into the remarkable life of Mercedes McCambridge.
Born in Joliet, Illinois, in 1916, Mercedes McCambridge’s early education began at St. Thomas Apostle School under the guidance of the Dominican Sisters. She initially enrolled at Rosary College, another Dominican institution, before transferring to Mundelein College following an impactful examination with Sister Mary Leola Oliver, B.V.M. Sister Mary Leola became a significant mentor to Mercedes McCambridge, and it was under her guidance that she secured her inaugural professional performing contract. Post-graduation, Mercedes McCambridge established herself as a prominent radio actor, culminating in her breakthrough, Oscar-winning performance in All the King’s Men. Over the subsequent two decades, she collaborated with luminaries such as Joan Crawford, Elizabeth Taylor, Rock Hudson, Katharine Hepburn, and Orson Welles, who lauded Mercedes McCambridge as “the world’s greatest living radio actress” [1].
In 1969, Mercedes McCambridge faced a pivotal moment when she was asked to testify before Congress, an action that placed her acting career at risk. Throughout her life, Mercedes McCambridge had privately battled alcoholism and depression. Seeking help and embracing recovery, she received a call in the summer of 1969 from a friend who, aware of her journey, sought permission to share her contact information with Senator Harold Hughes. Senator Hughes, a Democrat from Iowa and chairman of the Special Sub-committee on Alcoholism and Narcotics, reached out to Mercedes McCambridge. In her autobiography, she recounted the conversation:
“He said he hoped I didn’t mind if he knew that I was a recovered alcoholic since he was one too. That relaxed the conversation. I respectfully asked what he wanted of me. Senator Hughes wanted of me that I should come to Washington and testify that I am an alcoholic!…[He] told me that he had traversed the country several times trying to enlist recovered alcoholics whose names would be recognizable to the public, alcoholics who were prominent in all walks of life. There were no takers, he said. [2]”
Figure 2. A historical image of The Mundelein Verse-Speaking Choir in 1936, featuring a young Mercedes McCambridge (front row, right), highlighting her early artistic endeavors.
Mercedes McCambridge made the courageous decision to testify before Senator Hughes’s subcommittee, driven by a desire to raise public consciousness about alcoholism and to disseminate the message that help was accessible. In doing so, Mercedes McCambridge became a pioneering public figure to openly discuss her personal struggle with alcoholism. In her address, she asserted that alcoholism is a physical ailment and that “[t]herefore, my being alcoholic carries no more stigma, morally, than a diabetic [3].” She passionately advocated for enhanced medical training in alcohol dependence treatment and championed treatment over punitive measures like arrest. “Nobody need die of this disease. We are eminently salvageable [4].”
Tragically, her public acknowledgment of her condition led to a significant professional setback, resulting in lost television appearances, film roles, and endorsement deals. Mercedes McCambridge estimated a staggering million-dollar revenue loss due to her testimony [5]. Despite this career retaliation, Mercedes McCambridge redirected her focus towards personal fulfillment and emerged as a prominent advocate for individuals grappling with alcoholism. Her advocacy work included chairing the National Council on Alcoholism (NCA), leading the NCA’s Alcoholism Information Week, and presiding over the Livengrin Foundation, a Philadelphia-based rehabilitation center. Mercedes McCambridge also became a sought-after speaker, tirelessly combating the stigma surrounding alcoholism, particularly the gendered double standard faced by women struggling with the disease. “Alcoholism in male performers is macho. But the woman alcoholic who is a performer has a rougher row to hoe [6].”
Figure 3. Mercedes McCambridge engagingly delivers a poetry reading alongside the US Air Force Band in 1973, demonstrating her versatility as a performer beyond acting.
During this period, Mercedes McCambridge’s acting career primarily consisted of smaller television roles. Then, another transformative call came, altering the course of her life once more. William Friedkin was adapting William Peter Blatty’s seminal novel The Exorcist for the silver screen. Friedkin, acclaimed for The French Connection, was encountering difficulties in casting the voice of the demonic entity Pazuzu. Linda Blair was cast as Regan MacNeil, the possessed child, but her voice lacked the chilling quality Friedkin envisioned. Recalling Mercedes McCambridge’s celebrated radio career, Friedkin approached her, suggesting, “maybe you’re the only person in the world who could do the demon [7].” Mercedes McCambridge embraced the project with enthusiasm, approaching the role as “100 percent a radio performance [8].”
Mercedes McCambridge considered her role in The Exorcist, second only to her Broadway experience in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf?, as the most challenging of her career [9]. Provided with a small trailer, she subjected herself to grueling conditions to achieve the desired demonic vocalizations. Her involvement was intentionally concealed to amplify the film’s mystery and suspense upon release. Often physically drained after recording sessions, she resorted to sleeping in a nearby motel. Her lifelong struggle with bronchitis inadvertently aided her performance, allowing her natural wheezing to contribute to the demon’s unsettling breathing sounds [10]. In an oral history recorded for the Mundelein College archives, Mercedes McCambridge recounted drawing upon the character development techniques imparted by Sister Mary Leola during her college years:
“…you mustn’t play a part unless you can fall in love with the character — in other words, become a defense attorney for the character. And I used that philosophy, an admonition of hers, to the degree that even doing The Exorcist film when I was interpreting Lucifer, I found a sense of compassion for Lucifer. I think that Lucifer is the true prodigal son and I believe that he will come back and ask forgiveness of his father. And I believe if his father does not grant that forgiveness, that his father is not my God. So I found a way to … not to justify Lucifer in his headstrong actions but to understand how unhappy he was, is. Sister taught me that … I guess the greatest attribute for anybody, not merely an actor or a writer or a poet or a painter or a musician, but for any breathing thing including dogs and cats and everything else, is compassion. I believe that’s the important thing [11].”
While her career never fully regained the heights of the 1940s and 1950s, Mercedes McCambridge re-entered the public consciousness and became a household name once more. She leveraged this renewed visibility to further her mission of alcoholism awareness and to advocate for dismantling the societal stigma surrounding the issue. In 1984, Mundelein College bestowed upon Mercedes McCambridge an honorary doctorate, recognizing her “distinguished career in the performing arts, her public service in the treatment of alcohol and drug addiction and her embodiment of the spirit of the liberal arts tradition [12].” The conferral of this prestigious honor received unanimous approval from the BVMs at Mundelein.
Figure 4. Mercedes McCambridge proudly poses beside one of her two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, commemorating her enduring contributions to the entertainment industry.
My initial encounter with Mercedes McCambridge’s Oscar reduced it to a mere artifact within our collection – a noteworthy award for a performance in a film I vaguely knew. Little did I comprehend that this Oscar, along with her Golden Globes, merely marked the inception of Mercedes McCambridge’s expansive narrative. Today, while many remember Mercedes McCambridge primarily as the chilling voice of the Devil, this association only scratches the surface of her extraordinary and often poignant life story. Mercedes McCambridge dedicated a significant portion of her life to serving others and transforming societal perceptions of alcoholism. Ultimately, her legacy is defined less by the roles she inhabited and more by her unwavering advocacy and profound personal strength.
* Mundelein College, established and operated by the Sisters of Charity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (BVM), provided women’s education from 1930 until its affiliation with Loyola University Chicago in 1991.
Chris is a graduate assistant at the WLA and is in their second year in the Public History MA program at Loyola, specializing in Queer history in America and Germany pre-Stonewall. Currently a graduate assistant at the Leather Archives and Museum in Chicago, IL. In their personal time, Chris enjoys baking, drag performance, and being a dog parent. For inquiries regarding this post, please contact [email protected].
References
[1] Hans Knight, “I Understand the Devil…I Know Why He Cries,” Discover, January 29, 1978, 10.
[2] Mercedes McCambridge, The Quality of Mercy, (New York: Times Books,1981), 153.
[3] “’This is a Matter of Life or Death’,” Chicago Today, October 12, 1969, 4-6.”
[4] Mercedes McCambridge, The Quality of Mercy, (New York: Times Books,1981), 155-158.
[5] Jack Smyth, “Actress Aids Alcoholics,” The Sunday Bulletin, March 20, 1977, 1.
[6] Mercedes McCambridge, The Quality of Mercy, (New York: Times Books,1981), 152.’ Hans Knight, “I Understand the Devil…I Know Why He Cries,” Discover, January 29, 1978, 8-12.
[7] Hans Knight, “I Understand the Devil…I Know Why He Cries,” Discover, January 29, 1978, 11.
[8] Mercedes McCambridge, The Quality of Mercy, (New York: Times Books,1981), 89.
[9] Mercedes McCambridge, The Quality of Mercy, (New York: Times Books,1981), 89.
[10] Mercedes McCambridge, The Quality of Mercy, (New York: Times Books,1981), 94.
[11] “Mercedes McCambridge, Solo Interview, 1998,” 1998.
[12] Mundelein College, “Commencement Program- 1984,” Mercedes McCambridge Collection, Women and Leadership Archives, 1984.
