Thora Birch

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Thora Birch
Thora Birch.jpg
Birch on Tom Green's House Tonight in 2006
Born Thora Birch
(1982-03-11) March 11, 1982 (age 31)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation Actress
Years active 1988–present

Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982)[1] is an American actress. She got her first role at the age of 6 in the short-lived sitcom Day By Day (1988). That performance was followed by an appearance in the motion picture Purple People Eater (1988), for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age". Birch's profile was raised significantly with major parts in films such as All I Want for Christmas (1991), Patriot Games (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Monkey Trouble (1994), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska (1996).

Her breakthrough role came in 1999 with the Academy Award winning film, American Beauty. Her performance was well received by both critics and audience and brought Birch to an international recognition. She later played the lead role in Ghost World (2001) for which she received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Actress – Motion Picture Musical or Comedy. She has since appeared in independent and straight-to-video films such as Dark Corners (2006), Train (2008) and Winter of Frozen Dreams (2009).

Contents

Early life [edit]

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.[2][3][4] Birch is of German Jewish, Scandinavian, and Italian ancestry.[5] The family's original surname was Biersch.[5] Her name Thora is derived from the name of the Norse God of thunder and lightning, Thor.[citation needed] She has a younger brother named Bolt.

Due to their own experience with acting, Birch's parents were reluctant to encourage her in the profession, but were persuaded to show her photograph to agents by a babysitter who noticed her imitating commercials.[2] She had several parts in the late '80s, including advertisements for Burger King, California Raisins, Quaker Oats, and Vlasic Pickles.[6]

Career [edit]

Early career, 1988–1995 [edit]

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.[7] Birch played as 'tomboy' Billie Pike in the movie Paradise, which also starred Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, and Elijah Wood.

Birch's parts during the period of 1991–1995 included the role of Dani in Hocus Pocus (1993), as well 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), where she played Sally Ryan, the daughter of Ford's character Jack Ryan. 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.

Worldwide recognition, 1996–2001 [edit]

In 1996, she landed a leading role in the adventure film, Alaska (1996). After guest-starring appearances in The Outer Limits, Promised Land, and Touched by an Angel, Birch took a break from acting.[8] 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.

Later in 1999, Birch won 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 the scene.[9][10]

After supporting roles in The Smokers (2000; where Birch was called "a scene-stealer" by The Hollywood Reporter)[11] and Dungeons & Dragons (2000), she landed the lead role alongside Keira Knightley in the horror movie The Hole (2001). The film went direct-to-video almost two years later and gained divided reviews. BBC.co.uk wrote: "Given that she has a much leaner role than the one she enjoyed in "American Beauty", the qualities which made her flourish in that multi-Oscar-winner are still abundantly clear".[12]

Birch landed the leading role in Ghost World (2001), alongside Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, and Brad Renfro. Her performances gained positive response from film critics. In his review for The New York Times, A. O. Scott praised her: "Thora Birch, whose performance as Lester Burnham's alienated daughter was the best thing about American Beauty, plays a similar character here, with even more intelligence and restraint".[13] In his Chicago Reader review, Jonathan Rosenbaum wrote, "Birch makes the character an uncanny encapsulation of adolescent agonies without ever romanticizing or sentimentalizing her attitudes, and Clowes and Zwigoff never allow us to patronize her".[14] However, in his review for The New York Observer, Andrew Sarris disliked Birch's character of Enid and remarked: "I found Enid smug, complacent, cruel, deceitful, thoughtless, malicious and disloyal".[15] She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.[16]

2002–present [edit]

Birch played Liz Murray in the made-for-TV movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003), for which she received an Emmy nomination.[17] The next year, she appeared as Karen in Silver City (2004), which after premiering at that year's Cannes Film Festival, received a mixed reception.[18] She later, in 2006, starred in the low-budget horror movie Dark Corners. The film is about a troubled young woman (played by Birch) who wakes up one day as a different person - someone who is stalked by creatures.[19] Tony Sullivan, for Eyeforfilm.co.uk, found Birch "convincing as the two halves of this split personality".[20] She also had the leading role in the 2008 slasher Train.

She starred alongside Brittany Murphy in the psychological thriller Deadline. The film first premiered directly-to-video in October 2009 in the U.K. before being released in December in the United States. Also in that year, she starred in the mystery motion picture Winter of Frozen Dreams. A controversy during filming involving Birch's father and his forced presence during Thora's taping of a sex scene for the movie led Birch to be back into tabloid headlines.[3] In January 2010, Birch played Sidney Bloom in the Lifetime movie, The Pregnancy Pact.[21]

Birch was cast and scheduled to make her American stage debut in the off Broadway revival of Dracula, but was fired for reasons apparently involving her father's interference four days before the show's first performance.[22] She is set to appear as one of the starring roles in the comedy Petunia alongside Brittany Snow. About the motion picture, she said: "I think it's just something that's a little bit different from your standard summer fare. It's a little bit more intimate. It's also a very modern tale. I think it's actually honest."[23] The movie is due for an early 2013 release.[24]

Filmography [edit]

Film [edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1988 Purple People Eater Molly Johnson
1991 Paradise Billie Pike
1991 All I Want for Christmas Hallie O'Fallon
1992 Patriot Games Sally Ryan
1992 Itsy Bitsy Spider Little Girl (voice) Short film
1993 Hocus Pocus Dani
1994 Monkey Trouble Eva
1994 Clear and Present Danger Sally Ryan
1995 Now and Then Tina 'Teeny' Tercell
1996 Alaska Jessie Barnes
1999 American Beauty Jane Burnham
1999 Anywhere but Here Mary (uncredited)
2000 Dungeons & Dragons Empress Savina
2000 Smokers, TheThe Smokers Lincoln Roth
2001 Hole, TheThe Hole Liz Dunn
2001 Ghost World Enid
2003 Homeless to Harvard
2004 Silver City Karen Cross
2004 Dot, TheThe Dot Narrator (voice) Short film
2005 Slingshot April
2006 Dark Corners Susan Hamilton / Karen Clarke
2008 Train Alex
2009 Deadline Lucy
2009 Winter of Frozen Dreams Barbara Hoffman
2012 Petunia Vivian Petunia

Television [edit]

Year Title Role Notes
1988-1989 Day by Day Molly Recurring role (21 episodes)
1989 Doogie Howser, M.D. Megan Episode: "Vinnie Video Vici"
1990 Dark Avenger Susie Donovan TV film
1990 Married People Emily Episode: "To Live and Drive in New York"
1990-1991 Parenthood Taylor Buckman Main role (12 episodes)
1991 Amen Brittany Episode: "Nothing Says Lovin'..."
1994 Monty Ann Sherman Episode: "Here Comes the Son"
1995 Blackbird Hall TV film
1995 Outer Limits, TheThe Outer Limits Aggie Travers Episode: "The Choice"
1997 Promised Land Allison Rhodes Episode: "Running Scared"
1997 Touched by an Angel Erin Episode: "The Pact"
1999 Night Ride Home Clea Mahler TV film
2002 Shadow Realm Susan Thornhill TV film
2002 Night Visions Susan Thornhill Episode: "The Maze"
2003 Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story Liz Murray TV film
2005 My Life as a Teenage Robot Vega (voice) Episode: "Escape from Cluster Prime"
2010 Pregnancy Pact, TheThe Pregnancy Pact Sidney Bloom TV film

Awards [edit]

Awards
Year Award Category Production Result
1989 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor/Actress Ensemble in a Television Comedy, Drama Series or Special Day by Day Nominated
1989 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age Purple People Eater Won
1990 Young Artist Award Outstanding Performance by an Actress Under Nine Years of Age Day by Day Nominated
1991 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress Supporting or Re-Occurring Role for a TV Series Parenthood Nominated
1992 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture Paradise Won
1993 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress Under Ten in a Motion Picture Patriot Games Nominated
1993 Young Artist Award Best Young Actress Starring in a Motion Picture All I Want for Christmas Nominated
1994 Young Artist Award Best Youth Actress Leading Role in a Motion Picture Comedy Hocus Pocus Won
1996 Young Artist Award Best Performances by a Young Ensemble - Feature Film or Video Now and Then Nominated
1997 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film - Leading Young Actress Alaska Nominated
1999 SDFCS Award Best Supporting Actress American Beauty Won
2000 BAFTA Film Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role American Beauty Nominated
2000 OFCS Award Best Supporting Actress American Beauty Nominated
2000 OFCS Award Best Ensemble Cast Performance American Beauty Won
2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Award Favorite Supporting Actress - Drama American Beauty Nominated
2000 Screen Actors Guild Award Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Theatrical Motion Picture American Beauty Won
2000 Young Hollywood Award Best On-Screen Chemistry (shared with Wes Bentley) American Beauty Won
2000 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress American Beauty Won
2000 YoungStar Award Best Young Actress/Performance in a Motion Picture Drama American Beauty Won
2001 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a Feature Film - Supporting Young Actress Dungeons & Dragons Nominated
2001 Golden Space Needle Award Best Actress Ghost World Won
2001 TFCA Award Best Performance, Female Ghost World Won
2001 Deauville Film Festival Best Female Performance Ghost World Won
2001 SDFCS Award Best Actress Ghost World Won
2002 VFCC Award Best Actress Ghost World Nominated
2002 Young Hollywood Award Talent for Charity Won
2002 Cinescape Genre Face of the Future Award Female Dungeons & Dragons, Ghost World Nominated
2002 OFCS Award Best Actress Ghost World Nominated
2002 CFCA Award Best Actress Ghost World Nominated
2002 MTV Movie Award Best Line Ghost World Nominated
2002 MTV Movie Award Best Dressed Ghost World Nominated
2002 Golden Satellite Award Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture, Comedy or Musical Ghost World Nominated
2003 Young Hollywood Award Won
2003 DVD Premiere Award Best Supporting Actress The Smokers Nominated
2003 Primetime Emmy Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story Nominated
2007 Nellie Tayloe Ross Award Won

References [edit]

  1. ^ http://www.tv.com/people/thora-birch
  2. ^ a b "Thora Birch". Actress of the Week. AskMen.com. Retrieved 2006-07-15. 
  3. ^ a b Dad Crashes Star's Sex Shoot, New York Post, 27 March 2007. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  4. ^ Sharbutt, Jay, Young Gong Show Introducer Carol Connors Rings Bell, Associated Press as published in the Ocala Star-Banner, 13 February 1978. Retrieved 25 January 2013.
  5. ^ a b "Getting her own thing going". The Sunday Times (South Africa). 2002-03-17. Archived from the original on 2002-05-26. 
  6. ^ Thora Birch Profile Thora.org . Retrieved on 5-09-11.
  7. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000301/awards
  8. ^ http://www.superiorpics.com/thora_birch/
  9. ^ Ebert, Roger. "Movie Answer Man". Chicago Sun-Times. Retrieved 3 February 2012. "It is not illegal. to have people under 18 nude or partially nude on film. The California Child Labor Board approved the scene, and its representative was on the set when it was filmed, as were Thora's parents." 
  10. ^ There's a reason for R rating, Deseret News, March 2, 2007.
  11. ^ http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000301/news?year=2000
  12. ^ http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/04/12/the_hole_2001_review.shtml
  13. ^ Scott, A.O. (July 20, 2001). "Teenagers' Sad World In a Comic Dimension". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-10-24. 
  14. ^ Rosenbaum, Jonathan (August 10, 2001). "Women of Substance". Chicago Reader. Retrieved 2012-10-24. 
  15. ^ Sarris, Andrew (August 5, 2001). "So You Wanna Be a Country-and-Western Star". The New York Observer. Retrieved 2012-10-24. 
  16. ^ http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2002-02-10/news/0202100096_1_afi-nominations-golden-globe
  17. ^ Thora Birch Emmy Nominated
  18. ^ Silver City at Rotten Tomatoes. Accessed October 24, 2012.
  19. ^ http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0485376/
  20. ^ http://www.eyeforfilm.co.uk/review/dark-corners-film-review-by-tony-sullivan
  21. ^ Hinckley, David (January 23, 2010). "Lifetime's 'Pregnancy Pact' treats surge in teen pregnancy with kid gloves". New York Daily News. 
  22. ^ Healey, Patrick (December 14, 2010). "Actress Thora Birch fired from "Dracula"". The New York Times. 
  23. ^ http://blog.starcam.com/post/thora-birch-petunia-premiere.aspx
  24. ^ http://www.indiewire.com/article/wolfe-releasing-acquires-ash-christians-petunia-for-2013-release

External links [edit]

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