![]() In the 1994 comedy Monkey Trouble, Birch portrayed a girl who adopts a Capuchin monkey trained to pick pockets and burglarize houses. Hocus Pocus made US$39 million in the US, but became a cult film due to strong DVD sales and large television following. The film saw her play the younger sister of a teenage boy who inadvertently resurrects a villainous trio of witches. Īt 11 years old, Birch appeared in the fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus (1993), opposite Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. In 1992, she played the daughter of Jack Ryan ( Harrison Ford) in the spy thriller Patriot Games, which was a commercial success, grossing US$178 million at the worldwide box office. The film developed a following on television and on home video in subsequent years. In 1991, she starred with Ethan Embry in the comedy All I Want for Christmas, as a girl who plans to get her divorced parents back together for Christmas. For the rest of the 1990s, Birch continued to find steady recognition as a child and teen actress through leading parts in numerous comedy and family feature films. ![]() ![]() Roger Ebert felt she played her part with "strong, simple charm" and later earned another Young Artist Award nomination. She won her role over more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who auditioned for it. In the next year, she starred in the drama Paradise, with Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Elijah Wood. It aired on NBC and was cancelled after one season. In 1990, Birch had one of the lead roles in the sitcom Parenthood, based on the 1989 film of the same name. The show aired for two seasons on NBC and earned her two Young Artist Award nominations. Also in 1988, she guest-starred in an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D., and was cast as Molly in the NBC television series Day By Day, being credited as "Thora". She made her film debut in the 1988 science-fiction comedy Purple People Eater, for which she won a Youth In Film Award and a Young Artist Award in the category of "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age". Career 1980s īirch appeared in commercials in the late 1980s for Burger King, California Raisins, Quaker Oats (alongside Wilford Brimley), and Vlasic Pickles. Birch got her first big break at the age of four, when the babysitter accompanied her to a successful audition for a Quaker Oats commercial. īecause of their own experience with the entertainment industry, Birch's parents were reluctant to encourage her to act, but were persuaded to show Birch's photograph to agents by a babysitter who noticed her imitating commercials. Her forename is derived from that of Norse god of thunder and lightning, " Thor", which would have been her name if she had been born a boy. She is of German-Jewish, Scandinavian, French-Canadian and Italian ancestry. Early life īirch was born in Los Angeles to Jack Birch and Carol Connors, former pornographic film actors who both appeared in the film Deep Throat. In 2022, Birch made her directorial debut with The Gabby Petito Story for Lifetime. From 2019–2020, she played the role of Gamma / Mary on the tenth season of AMC's The Walking Dead. She has collaborated on three occasions with director Phillip Noyce: Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger (1994), and Above Suspicion (2019).īirch took a break from acting between 20, but has since had parts in several independent features, such as The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019). Her other film credits include Dungeons & Dragons (2000), The Hole (2001), Silver City (2004), Dark Corners (2006), Winter of Frozen Dreams (2009), and Petunia (2012). In 2003, Birch received an Emmy Award nomination for playing the title role in the television film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. Her breakthrough into adult-oriented roles came at the end of that decade, when she earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999).īirch received further acclaim with her starring role as Enid in the cult hit Ghost World (2001), for which she earned several accolades including a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress. Birch rose to prominence as a child star during the 1990s with a string of notable appearances in films such as Paradise, All I Want for Christmas (both 1991), Patriot Games (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Monkey Trouble (1994), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska (1996). She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in Purple People Eater, for which she received a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age". ![]() Thora Birch (born Ma) is an American actress and producer.
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