Danielle Harris facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Danielle Harris
Harris in 2014
Born	1976/1977 (age 47–48) Plainview, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Actress film director
Years active	1985–present
Spouse(s)	David Gross ​ (m. 2014)​
Children	2

Danielle Harris (born 1976 or 1977) is an American actress and film director. She is famous for her roles in many horror films. People often call her a "scream queen" because of these roles.

She has been in four Halloween movies. She played Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers (1988) and Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers (1989). Later, she played Annie Brackett in Halloween (2007) and Halloween II (2009).

Danielle also appeared in other horror movies. These include Urban Legend (1998) and the Hatchet series (2010–2017). In 2012, she was honored in the Fangoria Hall of Fame.

She started acting as a child. She had roles in films like Free Willy (1993) and Daylight (1996). Danielle is also known for her voice acting. She was the voice of Debbie Thornberry in the Nickelodeon series The Wild Thornberrys (1998–2004). She also voiced Debbie in The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003).

In 2013, Danielle directed her first full-length movie, a horror film called Among Friends.

Early Life and First Steps in Acting

Danielle Harris was born in Plainview, New York, on June 1, 1977. Her mother, Fran, raised her and her sister Ashley. Danielle is Jewish.

When she was in elementary school in Florida, Danielle won a beauty contest. The prize was a trip to New York City. While there, she was offered modeling jobs. She turned them down because they were too far from her home. Later, her mother moved back to New York for work. Danielle then started working as a model and appeared in TV commercials.

Acting Career Highlights

Early TV and First Halloween Roles (1985–1989)

In 1985, when she was seven, Danielle joined the TV show One Life to Live. She played Samantha "Sammi" Garretson for three years. In 1987, she also appeared in the series Spenser: For Hire.

After her early TV work, Danielle got the part of Jamie Lloyd in Halloween 4: The Return of Michael Myers. She was chosen over many other young actresses. The movie came out in October 1988 and was a success.

Danielle shared her thoughts on acting in horror films at a young age:

It was fun for me. I knew we were making a movie and I knew that it was make believe. I was more worried about being a good, little actress and being able to cry and scream really good. I think everybody made such an amazing effort to make sure that I knew that it wasn't real. In between takes we would joke around and it was just fun. It didn't really bother me until I got to be older.

She returned for the next movie, Halloween 5: The Revenge of Michael Myers, the following year. In this film, her character, Jamie Lloyd, was quiet and scared for the first part of the movie. Critics praised Danielle's acting in this role.

Movies, TV, and Voice Acting in the 1990s

In 1990, Danielle was in Marked for Death with Steven Seagal. She played his niece, Tracey. The next year, she was in the TV movie Don't Touch My Daughter. She played a young girl who gets kidnapped.

Danielle also appeared in the comedy Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's Dead (1991). She played Melissa Crandell, one of five siblings whose babysitter dies. The kids decide to live on their own without telling their mom. That same year, she had guest roles in Eerie, Indiana and Growing Pains. She also played Darian Hallenbeck in the action film The Last Boy Scout with Bruce Willis.

From 1992 to 1993, Danielle had a recurring role as Molly Tilden on the sitcom Roseanne. She later returned to this role in 2021 for The Conners. In 1993, she was in the film Free Willy, playing Gwenie.

In 1995, Danielle was asked to return for Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers. However, she was not happy with how her character would be treated or the low pay. She decided not to join the film. She later said she was glad she didn't, as it allowed her to return to the Halloween series later.

In 1996, Danielle starred in the TV film Wish Upon a Star. She played Hayley Wheaton, a smart girl who switches bodies with her popular older sister. She also appeared in the disaster film Daylight with Sylvester Stallone. In 1997, she was in two episodes of the medical drama ER. In 1998, she appeared in the horror film Urban Legend. This was her first horror movie since her early Halloween films.

Also in 1998, Danielle began her main role as the voice of Debbie Thornberry in Nickelodeon's The Wild Thornberrys. Debbie is the sister of Eliza, a girl who can talk to animals. The show lasted for five seasons. Danielle continued to voice Debbie in the movies The Wild Thornberrys Movie (2002) and Rugrats Go Wild (2003).

Continued Success and Return to Halloween (2000s)

Danielle continued to act in various films and TV shows in the 2000s. She was a main cast member in the series That's Life from 2000 to 2002. She also voiced Sierra in the animated sitcom Father of the Pride from 2004 to 2005.

In 2007, Danielle was cast as Annie Brackett in the remake of Halloween. This was her first time back in the Halloween series in 18 years. The film was directed by Rob Zombie. Danielle shared that Rob Zombie initially didn't want anyone from previous Halloween movies. But he changed his mind after her audition. The movie was a big success.

Danielle talked about how different it felt to play Annie compared to Jamie:

I had a harder time emotionally with Rob Zombie's Halloween and H2 than I did when I was a kid. When I was a kid, it was totally fun and I didn't understand when I did Rob's Halloween, why it was so hard for me to shake it off... I think it was because it was the first time I was ever physically touched by him. As a little girl, as Jamie, he never got me, ever. Now as an adult, I don't have my clothes on, doing scenes I've never done before as an actor, and I'm actually being attacked. Even though I should know the guy by now, it's still a weird thing that happens with your psyche I think.

Danielle Harris signing autographs at the 2008 Adventure Con

After this, Danielle appeared in more horror films. In 2009, she played Felicia Freeze in Super Capers. She also returned as Annie Brackett in the sequel, Halloween II.

Many Horror Films and Directing (2010–Present)

Danielle Harris in 2010

Danielle continued to be known as a "scream queen". In 2010, she took over the role of Marybeth in the Hatchet series, starting with Hatchet II. She also appeared in films like Stake Land and The Victim.

She made her directing debut with the horror comedy Among Friends. The film was released on August 27, 2013. She also provided the voice for Barbara in the animated film Night of the Living Dead: Darkest Dawn. Danielle also had a small role in Quentin Tarantino's film Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.

Since 2010, Danielle has made guest appearances on TV shows like Psych and Bones. She also returned to voice Debbie Thornberry for an episode of Robot Chicken.

In 2021, Danielle started a podcast called Talk Scary to Me with her friend and Halloween co-star Scout Taylor-Compton.

Personal Life

In 2013, Danielle Harris got engaged to David Gross. They got married in Hawaii on January 4, 2014. They have two sons, born in 2017 and 2018.

Stalking Incident

In 1995, Danielle was stalked by a fan who sent her threatening letters. The person was arrested after going to her home with a teddy bear and a shotgun. In 2007, Danielle shared her experience on the Dr. Phil show. In 2009, she received a legal order against the person who was sending her messages online.

Film and Television Roles

Film

Television

Video Games

See also

In Spanish: Danielle Harris para niños