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Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is
an American actress. She was a leading child actor in the 1990s, starring
in movies such as Hocus Pocus (1993), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska
(1996). In the late 1990s she moved on to more mature roles, in films such
as American Beauty (1999), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), and Ghost World
(2001).
Birch was born in Los Angeles, California, the eldest child of Jack Birch
and Carol Connors. Her parents, who were her business managers from the
start, are former adult film actors and both appeared in the pornographic
film Deep Throat. Birch is of German Jewish, Nordic, and Italian descent.
The family's original surname was "Biersch", coming from her German Jewish
ancestors. Her name Thora is derived from the name of the Norse God of
thunder and lightning, Thor. She has a younger brother, Bolt.
From an early age, Birch's parents encouraged her to audition for
commercials. She landed several parts, including advertisements for Quaker
Oats and Vlasic Pickles. Her first acting job followed. In 1988, she
landed the role of Molly in the short-lived television series Day By Day.
She was billed simply as "Thora". That same year she won a part in the
movie Purple People Eater opposite Ned Beatty and Neil Patrick Harris. Her
performance won her a Youth In Film Award.
Birch's breakthrough role came in 1991 when she was cast as 'tomboy'
Billie Pike in the movie Paradise which also starred Don Johnson, Melanie
Griffith, and Elijah Wood. To obtain the role, she had to compete with
more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who auditioned for it. Birch received
critical praise for her performance.
Birch's ability to portray herself as a young tomboy landed her several
parts during the period of 1991–1995, including the role of Dani in Hocus
Pocus (1993). She won leading roles in such films as All I Want for
Christmas (1991) and Monkey Trouble (1994). She appeared in two Harrison
Ford films, Patriot Games (1992) and its sequel, Clear and Present Danger
(1994).
Birch's performance in the 1995 film Now and Then teamed her with Gaby
Hoffmann, Christina Ricci, Demi Moore, Rosie O'Donnell, and Melanie
Griffith. Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, the film is about four friends
who have been so preoccupied with their own lives that they have not seen
one another for some time until the impending birth of one of their babies
reunites them. Upon reuniting, they reminisce about events during the
summer of 1970, when they were 12, which were ultimately influential in
shaping their lives. It was during that summer, a mixture of both happy
and sad events, that they realized that adulthood was fast approaching,
that they began to work out what life was about and what they wished to do
with their own lives. They also promised to be there for another, hence
the reason why they were reuniting for the birth of the baby. The film was
a female take on the film Stand by Me.
In 1996, she landed a leading role in the adventure film, Alaska (1996).
She played the role of Jessie Barnes, who has moved to Alaska with her
father (played by Dirk Benedict) and brother after the death of her
mother. Her father is a former airline pilot and upon moving to Alaska, he
starts earning a living by delivering supplies to small towns in the
Alaskan wilderness in his light aircraft. While making a delivery, his
plane crashes into a mountainside. Concluding that not enough was being
done to locate him, Jessie and her brother set out on a successful attempt
to find him with the help of a baby polar bear.
After guest-starring appearances in the The Outer Limits, Promised Land,
and Touched by an Angel, Birch took a break from acting. In 1999, she
returned in the made-for-TV movie Night Ride Home and also took a small
uncredited role in the Natalie Portman film Anywhere but Here. She was
initially cast in the role of Tammy Metzler in the dark-comedy Election,
but ended up leaving after only the third day of filming due to
disagreements with director/writer Alexander Payne. Jessica Campbell was
then given the role of Metzler.
Later in 1999, Birch won enormous critical praise playing the role of Jane
Burnham in American Beauty and was nominated for a British Academy of Film
and Television Arts award. The movie itself went on to win the Academy
Award for Best Picture. As Birch was 16 at the time she made the film, and
thus classified as a minor in the United States, her parents had to
approve her brief topless scene in the movie. They and child labor
representatives were on the set for the shooting of it.
After leading roles in The Smokers (2000), Dungeons & Dragons (2000), and
The Hole (2001), Birch landed the leading role in Ghost World, alongside
Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, and Brad Renfro. She was nominated for
a Golden Globe for her performance.
Birch's most notable roles since 2001 have been that of Liz Murray in
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003) and April in Slingshot
(2005). Recent films include Dark Corners (in which she appeared in the
lead role as a woman who wakes up one day as a different person and ends
up being stalked by gruesome creatures), Tainted Love, and Winter of
Frozen Dreams.
The New York Post has reported controversy on the set of Winter of Frozen
Dreams.
Even though it's industry practice to shoot sex scenes on a closed set,
Jack Birch - who met Thora's mother, Carol Connors, as her co-star in Deep
Throat - demanded to be present as his daughter and Dean Winters simulated
intercourse last week. "It was so wrong," said one insider. "The director
is saying, 'Harder! Faster!' and the father is giving Winters the thumbs
up...." Making matters worse, a problem with the focus on the camera
necessitated 14 takes. "It was the most bizarre, perverse scene," said our
witness. "One girl on the crew broke down crying."
Birch stars in the film Train, in which her brother, Bolt Birch, has a
small part. The movie entails a trip to Europe for a group of American
college athletes who unknowingly board a train that is occupied by a
brutal killer. Birch has also been negotiating to have a part in the 2009
film Frail.
Birch has indicated that she aspires to become a director and has recently
begun directing short video sketches for a sketch comedy troupe called The
Doomed Planet. The sketches can be seen on her official website.
In January 2010, Birch played Sidney Bloom in the Lifetime movie, The
Pregnancy Pact. |
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The Story of Bonnie and Clyde
(2010) (in production) (rumored) .... Blanche Barrow
Crossmaglen (2010) (pre-production) .... Nulla McGarvey
The Flicker's Dance (2009) (pre-production) (rumored) .... Danielle
Pregnancy Pact (2010) (TV) .... Sidney
Winter of Frozen Dreams (2009) .... Barbara Hoffman
Deadline (2009/I) .... Lucy
Train (2008/I) .... Alex
Dark Corners (2006) .... Karen Clarke/Susan Hamilton
Tainted Love (2006) .... Mia
"My Life as a Teenage Robot" .... Vega (1 episode, 2005)
- Escape from Cluster Prime! (2005) TV episode (voice) .... Vega
Slingshot (2005) .... April
The Dot (2004) (voice) .... Narrator
Silver City (2004) .... Karen Cross
Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003) (TV) .... Liz
Murray
"Night Visions" .... Susan Thornhill (1 episode, 2002)
- The Maze (2002) TV episode .... Susan Thornhill
Shadow Realm (2002) (TV) .... Susan Thornhill
Ghost World (2001) .... Enid
The Hole (2001) .... Liz Dunn
... aka After the Hole (USA)
Dungeons & Dragons (2000) .... Empress Savina
... aka Dungeons & Dragons: The Movie (UK: promotional title)
The Smokers (2000) .... Lincoln Roth
Anywhere But Here (1999) (uncredited) .... Mary
American Beauty (1999) .... Jane Burnham
Night Ride Home (1999) (TV) .... Clea Mahler
"Touched by an Angel" .... Erin (1 episode, 1997)
- The Pact (1997) TV episode .... Erin
"Promised Land" .... Allison Rhodes (1 episode, 1997)
... aka Home of the Brave
- Running Scared (1997) TV episode .... Allison Rhodes
Alaska (1996) .... Jessie Barnes
Now and Then (1995) .... Teeny
"The Outer Limits" .... Aggie Travers (1 episode, 1995)
... aka The New Outer Limits (USA: promotional title)
- The Choice (1995) TV episode .... Aggie Travers
Blackbird Hall (1995) (TV)
Clear and Present Danger (1994) .... Sally Ryan
Monkey Trouble (1994) .... Eva
... aka Pet
"Monty" .... Ann Sherman (1 episode, 1994)
- Here Comes the Son (1994) TV episode .... Ann Sherman
Hocus Pocus (1993) .... Dani
The Itsy Bitsy Spider (1992) (voice) .... Little Girl
Patriot Games (1992) .... Sally Ryan
All I Want for Christmas (1991) .... Hallie O'Fallon
Paradise (1991) .... Billie Pike
"Amen" .... Brittany (1 episode, 1991)
- Nothing Says Lovin'... (1991) TV episode (as Thora) .... Brittany
"Married People" .... Emily (1 episode, 1990)
- To Live and Drive in New York (1990) TV episode (as Thora) ....
Emily
Dark Avenger (1990) (TV) (as Thora) .... Susie Donovan
"Parenthood" (1990) TV series .... Taylor Buckman (unknown episodes)
"Doogie Howser, M.D." .... Megan (1 episode, 1989)
- Vinnie Video Vici (1989) TV episode (as Thora) .... Megan
"Day by Day" .... Molly (21 episodes, 1988-1989)
- Father Knows Best (1989) TV episode (as Thora) .... Molly
- The Lost Weekend (1989) TV episode (as Thora) .... Molly
- The Reunion (1989) TV episode (as Thora) .... Molly
- Foul Play (1989) TV episode (as Thora) .... Molly
- Three Men and a Babe (1989) TV episode (as Thora) .... Molly
(16 more)
Purple People Eater (1988) (as Thora) .... Molly Johnson |
