Thora Birch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Thora Birch
Birch Volunteering at Los Angeles Mission's 2024 Thanksgiving Event
Born	(1982-03-11) March 11, 1982 (age 43) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupation	Actress producer director
Years active	1988–present
Spouse(s)	Michael Benton Adler ​ (m. 2018)​
Parent(s)	Jack Birch (father) Carol Connors (mother)
Signature

Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress, producer, and director. She started her acting career very young, appearing in her first movie, Purple People Eater, in 1988. For this role, she won an award for "Best Actress Under Nine Years of Age."

Thora became a well-known child star in the 1990s. She appeared in many popular films like Paradise (1991), Patriot Games (1992), and the Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus (1993). As she grew older, she took on more grown-up roles, with her performance in American Beauty (1999) earning her a nomination for a BAFTA Award. She also received a Golden Globe nomination for her role in the popular movie Ghost World (2001). In 2003, she was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in the TV movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story.

After taking a break from acting, Thora returned to the screen in 2016. She has appeared in various independent films and played Mary (also known as "Gamma") in the tenth season of the TV series The Walking Dead from 2019 to 2020. In 2022, Thora Birch directed her first TV movie, The Gabby Petito Story, for the Lifetime channel. She is also set to direct her first full-length movie, an adaptation of the novel Mr. Paradise.

Early life

Thora Birch was born in Los Angeles, California. Her family has roots from different parts of Europe, including Germany, Scandinavia, France, and Italy. Her unique first name comes from the Norse god of thunder, "Thor". If she had been born a boy, that would have been her name! She also has a younger brother named Bolt.

Thora's parents were actors themselves, so they were not sure if they wanted her to act. However, their babysitter noticed how good Thora was at copying commercials. The babysitter convinced them to show Thora's picture to agents. Thora got her first big chance at age four when she successfully auditioned for a Quaker Oats commercial.

Career

1988–1998: Early roles and child star years

In the late 1980s, Thora Birch appeared in commercials for brands like Burger King and Quaker Oats. Her first movie role was as Molly Johnson in the 1988 science fiction comedy Purple People Eater. She won a "Young Artist Award" for this role. That same year, she appeared in the TV show Doogie Howser, M.D. and got a regular role as Molly in the NBC sitcom Day By Day.

In 1990, Thora was cast in Parenthood, a TV show based on a movie. Next, she starred as Billie Pike in the 1991 drama Paradise. Critics praised her performance, saying she played the role with "strong, simple charm." She also appeared in the Christmas comedy All I Want for Christmas that year. Later, she co-starred as the daughter of Jack Ryan in the spy thriller Patriot Games (1992), which was a big success.

When she was 11, Thora starred in the Halloween fantasy film Hocus Pocus (1993). She played Dani Dennison, the younger sister who helps her brother deal with three witches. Even though the movie wasn't a huge box office hit at first, it became a very popular cult classic over time, especially through home video and TV showings. Thora later said it was "the most amount of fun I've ever had on a set."

In the 1994 comedy Monkey Trouble, Thora played a girl who becomes friends with a monkey. Critics noted her "nuanced performance," which means she showed many different emotions. That same year, she returned as Sally Ryan in Clear and Present Danger, the sequel to Patriot Games. She then played "Teeny" Tercell in the 1995 drama Now and Then, a movie about growing up. Next, Thora starred in the adventure film Alaska (1996), playing a sibling searching for their lost father in the wilderness.

1999–2003: Transition to adult roles

In 1999, Thora appeared in the TV movie Night Ride Home, playing a teenager dealing with the loss of her brother. She also had a small role in Anywhere but Here.

Thora's role as Jane Burnham in American Beauty was highly praised. This movie was about the challenges of a middle-class family. Her performance earned her a BAFTA nomination, and the film won the "Academy Award for Best Picture" in 1999. It became Thora's biggest commercial success. She later shared that making the film involved a lot of "therapy" and "opening up" about their own lives to understand the characters.

After American Beauty, Thora appeared in The Smokers (2000) and Dungeons & Dragons, a movie based on the popular role-playing game. In the British horror film The Hole, she played Elizabeth Dunn, a schoolgirl who tricks her friends into an underground bunker.

Thora's next big project was the 2001 comedy Ghost World. This movie was based on a graphic novel and received great reviews, becoming a beloved cult film. Critics said Thora's role as Enid Coleslaw was her "first effectively developed role" since American Beauty. She received many awards and nominations for Ghost World, including a nomination for the "Golden Globe Award for Best Actress".

In 2003, she played the main character, Liz Murray, in the TV movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. This inspiring film tells the true story of a young woman who, after becoming homeless at 15, decides to finish her schooling. Thora's performance earned her an "Emmy Award" nomination.

2004–2012: Independent films and a break

Thora played a supporting role in Silver City, a political movie. She also co-starred in the crime drama Slingshot.

In Dark Corners (2006), a psychological thriller, Thora played two different characters. She then appeared in two more thrillers: Train (2008) and Deadline. In 2010, Thora played journalist Sidney Bloom in The Pregnancy Pact, a Lifetime movie based on a true story about high schoolers who planned to get pregnant together.

In 2012, Thora played Vivian in Petunia, an independent drama about a New York family. Thora was also one of the producers for this film. After this, she took a break from acting.

2013–present: Return to acting and directing

Thora Birch with Jane Fonda at the 2015 Hollywood Film Awards

After focusing on her studies and earning a degree in legal studies, Thora Birch returned to acting in 2015. She had a recurring role as a software engineer named Morgan on the first season of the TV series Colony.

In 2018, Thora starred in the political thriller Affairs of State. She also headlined and co-produced The Competition, a romantic comedy. Next, Thora starred in The Etruscan Smile, a movie filmed in Scotland that received good reviews. In 2019, she had a supporting role in the crime thriller Above Suspicion.

Thora also had a small but important role in The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019), a drama that won awards at the Sundance Film Festival.

Thora Birch as Jolene on the set of Above Suspicion (2019)

From 2019 to 2020, Thora appeared as Mary (also known as "Gamma") in the tenth season of AMC's horror series The Walking Dead. She said it was a "fun, massive thing to have been a part of." In the 2021 drama 13 Minutes, she played a single mother trying to keep her family safe after a destructive tornado.

In 2022, Thora Birch made her directing debut with The Gabby Petito Story, a Lifetime TV movie where she also acted. The film is based on a true story that captured national attention. Thora shared that she had wanted to direct since she was very young. She was drawn to the project because it explored themes of relationships and how a story can become a major focus for people.

Also in 2022, Thora played Audrey Beach in the podcast Overleaper, an espionage thriller. She enjoyed the idea of returning to "old radio dramas" where she could act with just her voice. It was announced at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival that Thora's next directing project will be a movie based on the novel Mr. Paradise. This will make her the first woman to direct a film adaptation of this author's work.

Personal life

Thora Birch married talent manager Michael Benton Adler on December 21, 2018. Thora is a long-time supporter of the Democratic Party in the United States. She was a delegate at the 2012 Democratic National Convention and has supported politicians like Congressman Wiley Nickel.

Thora Birch with Congressman Wiley Nickel in 2023

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1988	Purple People Eater	Molly Johnson
1991	Paradise	Billie Pike
	All I Want for Christmas	Hallie O'Fallon
1992	Patriot Games	Sally Ryan
	Itsy Bitsy Spider	Leslie McGroarty	Voice role; Short film
1993	Hocus Pocus	Dani Dennison
1994	Monkey Trouble	Eva Gregory
	Clear and Present Danger	Sally Ryan
1995	Now and Then	Tina "Teeny" Tercell
1996	Alaska	Jessie Barnes
1999	American Beauty	Jane Burnham
	Anywhere but Here	Mary	Uncredited
2000	The Smokers	Lincoln Roth
	Dungeons & Dragons	Empress Savina
2001	The Hole	Elizabeth "Liz" Dunn
	Ghost World	Enid Coleslaw
2004	Silver City	Karen Cross
	The Dot	Narrator	Voice role; Short film
2005	Slingshot	April
2006	Dark Corners	Susan Hamilton / Karen Clarke
2008	Train	Alexandra "Alex" Roper
2009	Winter of Frozen Dreams	Barbara Hoffman
	Deadline	Lucy Woods
2012	Petunia	Vivian Petunia
2018	The Etruscan Smile	Emily
	The Competition	Lauren
	Affairs of State	Callie
2019	The Last Black Man in San Francisco	Becca
	Kindred Spirits	Chloe
	Above Suspicion	Jolene
2021	13 Minutes	Jess
2024	The Midway Point	Cristina
TBA	The Chronology of Water		Post-production

Key

Denotes films that have not yet been released

Television

Podcasts

Music videos

Accolades

See also

In Spanish: Thora Birch para niños