Biography

Left the acting world in the '80s and became a registered nurse. She married a surgeon. They divorced in 2008, and had no children.

The first actor to kill a Clint Eastwood character in a film: The Beguiled (1971).

Ferdin was one of many child actresses (including the late Dana Plato) to audition for the role of "Regan MacNeil" in The Exorcist (1973). Linda Blair (13 days older than Ferdin) won the part.

An outspoken animal rights activist, in 1996 she quit her job as director of public relations for the Center for Animal Care and Control, a nonprofit organization under contract to the New York City Department of Health, claiming mismanagement by the agency.

On January 11, 2000, Ferdin, a vigorous animal activist, faced up to six months in jail after being found guilty of carrying an elephant bullhook at an August 1999 protest of circus training methods. A bullhook is a wooden rod with a sharp hook that is jabbed into sensitive areas of the elephant to keep it fearful and manageable. She received 30 days.