Fairuza Balk facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Fairuza Balk
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Balk in 2019
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| Born | May 21, 1974 Point Reyes, California, U.S.
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| Years active | 1983–present |
Fairuza Balk (born May 21, 1974) is an American actress, musician, and visual artist. She is known for playing unique characters, often with a bit of a mysterious or "goth" style. You might have seen her in many independent films and big blockbuster movies.
Fairuza started her acting career with TV roles. She made her first movie appearance as Dorothy Gale in Return to Oz (1985). For this role, she was nominated for a special award for young actors. Her career grew with parts in films like Valmont (1989) and Gas Food Lodging (1992). She even won an award for Best Female Lead for Gas Food Lodging.
Later, Fairuza became very popular for playing Nancy Downs in The Craft (1996). In this movie, her character was part of a group of teenage friends who explored special powers. She also appeared in American History X (1998) and The Waterboy (1998) with Adam Sandler. She was also in Almost Famous (2000).
Outside of movies, Fairuza played Mildred Hubble in the 1986 TV movie The Worst Witch. This was based on a popular book series. More recently, she had a role in the TV series Ray Donovan in 2015 and Paradise City in 2021. Since 2010, Fairuza has also been making music under the name Armed Love Militia. She also shows her own artwork.
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Fairuza Balk's Early Life
Fairuza Balk was born on May 21, 1974, in Point Reyes, California. Her father, Solomon Feldthouse, was a musician. Her mother, Cathryn Balk, was a belly dancer. The name Fairuza comes from a Persian word meaning "turquoise." Her father gave her this name because of the color of her eyes.
Fairuza lived in Jackson, Michigan, with her mother until she was two years old. Then, they moved to Vancouver, British Columbia, in Canada. This is where she started acting when she was six. They later moved to London and then to Paris for one of her acting roles. After about six months, they moved back to Vancouver.
While filming The Craft in 1996, Fairuza bought a unique shop in Los Angeles.
Fairuza Balk's Acting Career
Fairuza Balk took her first acting class in 1983. She learned how to act naturally in front of a camera. Her very first acting job was in a tourism commercial for British Columbia. She earned $100 for this job. Her first TV movie role was in The Best Christmas Pageant Ever in 1983.
While she was in London, Walt Disney Productions chose Fairuza to play Dorothy Gale. This was for the movie Return to Oz, which was a sequel to The Wizard of Oz. This important role led to many others. One of these was playing Mildred Hubble in The Worst Witch.
In 1988, when she was 14, Fairuza moved to Paris. She worked on the movie Valmont there. She decided to take school classes by mail and later moved back to Hollywood. There, she became more and more recognized as an actress. In 1992, she won an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress. This was for her performance in the movie Gas Food Lodging.
In 1996, Fairuza played a main role in The Craft. Her character, Nancy Downs, formed a group with other teenagers played by Neve Campbell, Rachel True, and Robin Tunney. This movie became very popular. Since then, Fairuza has often played interesting, sometimes mysterious, characters. In 1998, she was in American History X and also The Waterboy with Adam Sandler.
Since 2000, she has appeared in many films. She also did voice work for animated TV shows and video games. You might have heard her voice in Justice League and Family Guy. She also voiced a character in the video game Grand Theft Auto: Vice City.
Fairuza Balk's Music and Art
In 2010, Fairuza Balk started releasing music under the name Armed Love Militia. She wrote and sang the song "Stormwinds." Armed Love Militia continued, and Fairuza worked with singer and songwriter Mel Sanson on an EP (a short music album).
In 2011, Fairuza also began to show her artwork in Los Angeles and New York. On August 4, 2012, she was part of a group art show called 'MiXTAPE'. Other famous artists like Mark Ryden and Camille Rose Garcia were also in the show. For this event, artists chose a song and created art inspired by it. Fairuza chose the song "Nuages" by Django Reinhardt. She made a mixed-media sculpture for it.
Fairuza Balk's Film and Television Roles
Fairuza Balk has appeared in many movies and TV shows throughout her career. Here are some of her notable roles:
Fairuza Balk's Movies
- 1985: Return to Oz as Dorothy Gale
- 1989: Valmont as Cecile
- 1992: Gas Food Lodging as Shade
- 1996: The Craft as Nancy Downs
- 1998: American History X as Stacey
- 1998: The Waterboy as Vicki Vallencourt
- 2000: Almost Famous as Sapphire
- 2002: Personal Velocity: Three Portraits as Paula
- 2005: Don't Come Knocking as Amber
- 2009: Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans as Officer Heidi
- 2020: The Craft: Legacy as Nancy Downs (a brief appearance)
Fairuza Balk's Television Roles
- 1983: The Best Christmas Pageant Ever as Beth Bradley
- 1986: The Worst Witch as Mildred Hubble
- 1993: Murder in the Heartland as Caril Ann Fugate (mini-series)
- 1999–2000: Family Guy as Coco, Connie D'Amico (voice roles)
- 2003: Justice League as Penny Dee (voice role)
- 2015: Ray Donovan as Ginger (7 episodes)
- 2021: Paradise City as Lizzie Thomas
Fairuza Balk's Video Game Voice Roles
- 2002: Grand Theft Auto: Vice City as Mercedes Cortez
- 2003: Lords of EverQuest as Lady T'Lak
Images for kids
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Fairuza Balk in 2019
See also
In Spanish: Fairuza Balk para niños
