Thora Birch

Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982)[1] is an American actress and producer. She made her film debut in Purple People Eater (1988), for which she won a Young Artist Award for "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age", and rose to prominence as a child star with appearances 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 when she played Jane Burnham in the highly acclaimed film American Beauty, for which she earned a BAFTAnomination for Best Supporting Actress. She then starred as Enid in the cult hit Ghost World (2001), earning a nomination for the Golden Globe for Best Actress. In 2003, she received an Emmy Award nomination for playing the title role in Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. Her other credits include Dungeons & Dragons (2000), The Hole (2001), Silver City (2004), Dark Corners (2006), Winter of Frozen Dreams (2009), and Petunia (2012).
After taking a break from acting, Birch resumed her career in 2016 and has since starred in several independent films.[2]
== Early life ==
Birch was born in Los Angeles, the eldest child of Jack Birch and Carol Connors. Her parents, who have been her business managers throughout her acting career, are former adult film actors; both appeared in the film Deep Throat.[3][4][5][6] Birch is of German-Jewish, Scandinavian, French-Canadian and Italian ancestry.[7] The family's original surname was Biersch.[7] Her name, Thora, is derived from the name of the Norse god of thunder and lightning, Thor;[8] she has a younger brother named Bolt.[9] Because of their own experience with the entertainment industry, Birch's parents were reluctant to encourage her, but they were persuaded to show her photograph to agents by a babysitter who noticed her imitating commercials.[10]
== Career ==
=== 1980s ===
Birch appeared in commercials in the late 1980s for Burger King, California Raisins, Quaker Oats and Vlasic Pickles.[10][11] 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".[12] Also in 1988, she guest-starred in an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D.,[13] and was cast as Molly in the NBC television series Day By Day, being credited as "Thora". The show aired for two seasons on NBC and earned her two Young Artist Award nominations.
=== 1990s ===
In 1990, Birch had one of the lead roles in the sitcom Parenthood, based on the 1989 film of the same name. It aired on NBC and was cancelled after one season. In the next year, she starred in the drama Paradise, with Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Elijah Wood. She won her role over more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who auditioned for it. Roger Ebert felt she played her part with "strong, simple charm"[14] and later earned another Young Artist Awardnomination. 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.
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.[15] The film received mediocre reviews and moderate attention from audiences upon its theatrical release,[16][17] but developed a following on television and on home video in subsequent years.[18][19] 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.[20]
Birch appeared in the fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus (1993) at the age of 10, opposite Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy and Sarah Jessica Parker. The film saw her play the younger sister of a teenage boy who inadvertently resurrects a villainous trio of witches. Hocus Pocus rated average with reviewers and made a modest US$39 million in the US,[21][22] but became a cult film due to strong DVD sales and large television following.[23][24] In the 1994 comedy Monkey Trouble, Birch portrayed a girl who adopts a Capuchin monkey trained to pick pockets and burglarize houses. The movie had a mixed reception, but Marjorie Baumgarten, for the Austin Chronicle, observed that her "nuanced performance (a rarity amongst child performers) no doubt lends Monkey Trouble its realistic touch".[25] Also in 1994, she reprised her Patriot Games role in the sequel, Clear and Present Danger, which grossed over US$215 million globally.[26]
In 1995, Birch was cast as the younger version of Melanie Griffith's character in the coming-of-age film Now and Then, also starring Gaby Hoffmann, Christina Ricci, Demi Moore and Rosie O'Donnell. It was released to largely mediocre reviews, but proved to be a profit.[27] She landed a leading role in the adventure drama Alaska (1996) opposite Vincent Kartheiser, portraying two siblings who search through the Alaskan wilderness for their lost father (Dirk Benedict). For the next two years, she did not appear in a film but guest-starred in Promised Land and Touched by an Angel.[28] She subsequently filmed the made-for-television film Night Ride Home and an uncredited role for Anywhere but Here, both released in 1999.
Also in 1999, she appeared in the Sam Mendes-directed drama American Beauty, as Jane Burnham, the insecure daughter of Kevin Spacey's character. Rolling Stone felt Birch "[glimmered] with grown-up radiance" in her role,[29] for which she later received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress.[30] The film was the recipient of the Academy Award for Best Picture[31]and grossed over US$356 million worldwide,[32] emerging as the biggest commercial success of Birch's career to date.[33]
=== 2000s ===
Following her success with American Beauty, she appeared in two films released in 2000. The small-scale drama The Smokers received a straight-to-DVD release in the US, going largely unnoticed, but Birch was called "a scene-stealer" in her supporting role by The Hollywood Reporter.[34] Her other film of the year was the poorly received Dungeons & Dragons, a fantasy film based on the role-playing game of the same name. In 2001, she starred with Keira Knightley in the horror film The Hole, in which her headlining credit and highly publicized seven figure salary was attributed to her appearance in American Beauty.[35] The film was released in theaters in the UK, and on DVD in the US, receiving mixed reviews. Writing for Variety magazine, Derek Elley stated that Birch gave "an effectively creepy lead [performance]" in the film, which he called "a clunky British attempt to merge the psychothriller and teen movie genres".[36]
Birch headlined the 2001 black comedy Ghost World, directed by Terry Zwigoffand co-starring Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi and Brad Renfro. The film, focused on the lives of two teenage outsiders (Birch and Johansson) in an unnamed American city, was released in a specialty theatrical run, to a highly favorable critical reception. James Berardinelli found Birch's part to be her "first effectively developed role" since American Beauty and positively singled out the actress for the "quirkiness [and the] underlying sense of melancholy and ennui" in her portrayal.[37] She earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress – Musical or Comedy.[38]
Birch appeared as the title character in the biographical television film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story (2003), playing a young woman who, after becoming homeless at 15 amid personal tragedies, begins her work to finish her studies. She garnered acclaim for her part, receiving an Emmy nomination.[39]After her professional achievements in the 1990s and early 2000s, Birch's profile decreased significantly in the next decade, as she had more infrequent acting appearances in much smaller-scale productions. Reflecting on her career trajectory the subsequent years during a January 2014 interview, she attributed it to not "taking" the demands the film industry had for her, opting to "maintain a strong identity and pursue things that were a little more thoughtful, and I guess nobody really wanted women to do that at that time".[40]
Birch appeared in several music videos including Moby's We Are All Made of Stars, and Limp Bizkit's Eat You Alive, which also featured Bill Paxton.[41][42]
She played a supporting role in Silver City, a political satire written and directed by John Sayles, which premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. In 2006, Birch had the lead role in the horror-thriller Dark Corners, portraying a troubled young woman who wakes up one day as a different person—someone who is stalked by creatures.[43] The film did not receive a theatrical release, and instead, went straight to DVD. It rated poorly with reviewers,[44] but Birch was considered "convincing as the two halves of this split personality".[45] She followed with the female lead role in the 2008 slasher Train, which revolved around a group of US college athletes who get stalked and killed in an Eastern Europe train. The film received a DVD release, to a mediocre overall reception, with critics comparing it unfavorably to Hostel and Turistas.[46][47]
She appeared in the 2009 psychological thriller Deadline, co-starring Brittany Murphy. Like Birch's previous few projects, the film premiered directly-to-video in the UK and the US, and went little seen by audiences. Also in 2009, she starred in the independent mystery film Winter of Frozen Dreams, as Barbara Hoffman, a Wisconsin biochemistry student and prostitute convicted of murder in the first televised murder trial ever. The film had a limited theatrical release, receiving average reviews.[48] DVD Talk felt she was "the weakest link in the whole piece", while Bloody Disgusting found Birch to be "the gem" of the film, asserting that she was "very alluring to the eyes as the main subject of this case".[49][50] During filming, a controversy arose involving Birch's father and his forced presence during Birch's taping of a sex scene.[5]
=== 2010s ===
In 2010, Birch took on the role of Sidney Bloom in the made-for-television movie The Pregnancy Pact, which was based on the allegedly true story of a 2008 media circus surrounding teenagers in Gloucester, Massachusetts, who allegedly agreed to concurrently give birth and raise their children communally.[51] The Lifetime film was favorably received by critics and was watched by 5.9 million viewers.[52][53] Later in 2010, Birch was cast and scheduled to make her American stage debut in the off Broadway revival of Dracula, but was fired for the behavior of her father, her manager at the time, who physically threatened one of the show's cast members.[3]
Birch starred in the 2012 independent dramedy Petunia, playing the role of Vivian Petunia. She is credited as a co-producer in the film, which depicts simultaneously the lives and romantic relationships of the Petunia family.[40][54]Birch considered the film an "intimate" and "a very modern tale", describing it as "a little bit different from your standard summer fare".[55] Distributed for a very limited release in the US, the film premiered at Cinema Village in New York City,[56] garnering mixed reviews.[57][58]
After devoting herself to academic pursuits, Birch returned to her acting career in 2015 with a recurring role as software engineer Morgan in the Carlton Cuseseries Colony.[59][60]
Following the series, Birch first starred in the independent film The Etruscan Smile with Brian Cox, which was shot in San Francisco and Scotland.[61] She then went to Kentucky to shoot the thriller Above Suspicion,[62] based on the book of the same name by New York Times columnist Joe Sharkey, and co-starring Jack Huston, Emilia Clarke and Johnny Knoxville.[63] Birch starred in the political thriller Affairs of State, with Adrian Grenier. The film was shot in Norfolk, Virginia.[64] Birch starred in the romantic comedy, The Competition, directed by Harvey Lowry, which was shot in Portland. Birch both starred in and produced the film, which was picked up for distribution by VMI Worldwide.[65][66] Most recently, Birch appeared in the Plan B and A24 film The Last Black Man in San Francisco, opposite Danny Glover.[67][68][59][60][69]
== Filmography ==
=== Film ===
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 	Leslie McGroarty (voice) 	Short film
1993	Hocus Pocus 	Dani Dennison 	
1994	Monkey Trouble 	Eva Gregory 	
1994	Clear and Present Danger	Sally Ryan 	
1995	Now and Then 	Tina "Teeny" Tercell 	
1996	Alaska 	Jessie Barnes 	
1998	James Smith 	Berry Mother 	
1999	American Beauty 	Jane Burnham 	
1999	Anywhere but Here 	Mary 	Uncredited cameo
2000	The Smokers 	Lincoln Roth 	
2000	Dungeons & Dragons 	Empress Savina 	
2001	The Hole 	Elizabeth "Liz" Dunn 	
2001	Ghost World 	Enid 	
2004	Silver City 	Karen Cross 	
2004	The Dot 	Narrator (voice) 	Short film
2005	Slingshot 	April 	
2006	Dark Corners 	Susan Hamilton / Karen Clarke	
2008	Train 	Alexandra "Alex" Roper 	
2009	Winter of Frozen Dreams 	Barbara Hoffman 	
2009	Deadline 	Lucy Woods 	
2012	Petunia 	Vivian Petunia 	
2018	The Etruscan Smile[70] 	Emily 	
2018	The Competition 	Lauren 	
2018	Above Suspicion[71][72] 	Jolene 	
=== Television ===
Year 	Title 	Role 	Notes
1988–89	Day by Day 	Molly 	Recurring role (21 episodes)
1989 	Doogie Howser, M.D. 	Megan 	Episode: "Vinnie Video Vici"
1990 	Dark Avenger 	Susie Donovan 	Television film
1990 	Married People 	Emily 	Episode: "To Live and Drive in New York"
1990–91	Parenthood 	Taylor Buckman 	Main role (12 episodes)
1991 	Amen 	Brittany 	Episode: "Nothing Says Lovin'..."
1994 	Monty 	Ann Sherman 	Episode: "Here Comes the Son"
1995 	The 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 	Television film
2002 	Night Visions 	Susan Thornhill 	Episode: "The Maze"
2003 	Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story	Elizabeth "Liz" Murray	Television film
2005 	My Life as a Teenage Robot 	Vega (voice) 	Episode: "Escape from Cluster Prime"
2010 	The Pregnancy Pact 	Sidney Bloom 	Television film
2016 	Colony[59][60] 	Morgan 	Recurring role
== Awards and nominations ==
Year	Association 	Category 	Work 	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	Golden Globe Awards 	Best Actress Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy 	Ghost World 	Nominated
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 and Ghost World 	Nominated
2002	OFCS Award 	Best Actress 	Ghost World 	Nominated
2002	CFCA Award 	Best Actress 	Ghost World 	Nominated
2002	MTV Movie Awards 	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 Award 	Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or Movie 	Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story	Nominated
2007	Nellie Tayloe Ross Award 	 	 	Won
2018	Boston Film Festival 	Best Ensemble Cast[73] 	The Etruscan Smile 	Won