From Monkey Trouble (1994) to American Beauty (1999)-- that's Hollywood "Hocus Pocus"! Thora Birch was born on Thursday (as in Thor's Day) March 11, 1982. Her father Jack, and mom Carol, named her after the Norse God Thor ("Thora" being the feminine), the God of thunder; she has a younger brother named Bolt. Thora appeared in one of the "classic" California raisin commercials in 1986 (at age 4), and later did other commercials. At age 6, Thora appeared in Purple People Eater (1988) and won a Youth in Film Award for her performance. Then she appeared in the television series "Parenthood" (1990), which co-starred a not-yet-discovered Leonardo DiCaprio. Thora's breakout movie was Paradise (1991) with bona fide stars Don Johnson and Melanie Griffith; Thora bested 4,000 young hopefuls to land the role, and she again got great reviews. Thora appeared in Hocus Pocus (1993) with major stars; however, she got real recognition by having a starring role in Monkey Trouble (1994), in which her affection for her pet (and sometimes scene-stealing) monkey basically carried the entire movie (she and the monkey did their own stunts). All grown up, this petite beauty (5' 4") with green eyes had a major role in American Beauty (1999) which won 5 Oscar awards. Thora delivered a strong, effective performance as the alienated daughter of parents whose mid-life crises drive them to affairs and destruction; her acting was convincing and inspired, and once again received good reviews. A down-to-earth young woman in real life, she loves Italian food and diet root beer.
For some people, oatmeal starts the day off right - for Thora Birch, it launched a healthy career in front of the camera. It's hard to believe that the raven-haired actress, who slunk into stardom with her turn as the disillusioned daughter in American Beauty (1999), is even related to the apple-cheeked blonde who once gazed up at Quaker Oats (R) spokesman Wilford Brimley and said, "Mmm-hmm. Yeah, grandpa," but Birch still remembers the professional advice Brimley whispered in her ear: maintain eye contact and *really* listen. Since then she's had ample opportunity to study some of Hollywood's top talents at work - in addition to her 'Beauty' scenes with Kevin Spacey and Annette Bening, she's acted alongside Harrison Ford, Harvey Keitel, and Jeremy Irons. Named after the Norse god of thunder, Thora was born in Los Angeles to Jack and Carol Birch (they kept up the tempestuous theme by naming her younger brother Bolt). By age 4 she was a regular at commercial auditions, and by 6 she'd landed a spot on the short-lived daycare sitcom "Day by Day" (1988). Her film career got off to an auspicious start that same year, when she won a Young Artist Award for her debut opposite Neil Patrick Harris in the children's fantasy flick Purple People Eater (1988). After a short break, she picked up a role in another fleeting sitcom, "Parenthood" (1990) (based on the movie of the same name).By age 9, Birch had her life pretty much figured out - she told the L.A. Times that she planned to become a director by 24, then spend a year ice skating, then spend a year as a policewoman, and, finally, become a singer. She picked up her last name (early appearances credited her as just "Thora") and returned to the big screen as Elijah Wood's tomboy friend in Paradise (1991). She then scored a high-profile supporting role as Harrison Ford's daughter in Patriot Games (1992), which she reprised in Clear and Present Danger (1994). In between, she kept busy with family films Hocus Pocus (1993) and Monkey Trouble (1994). In 1995, Birch graduated into adolescent territory with her turn as a younger Melanie Griffith in Now and Then (1995). She followed that up with a top-billed role in the snowy adventure Alaska (1996), then took a three year hiatus from acting. She resurfaced in 1999, first in the made-for-TV Night Ride Home (1999) (TV) and then, more visibly, in _American Beauty (1999) _. Birch had heard about 'Beauty' through the industry grapevine, and she immediately set her sights on the part of Jane Burnham. As it turned out, she was the first to audition for director Sam Mendes; while he saw dozens of other actresses for the role, none delivered a more convincing Jane. Still reeling from her sudden celebrity status, Birch plucked a handful of diverse projects from the deluge of post-'Beauty' scripts. Seeking an even edgier adolescent role, she appeared as a punk-rocker in the indie film The Smokers (2000), then dropped the tough-girl pose to play the gentle Empress Savina in the live-action adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons (2000). She also signed up to play a teen hipster caught up in a post-high school identity crisis in Ghost World (2001) (based on the graphic novel), and an English schoolgirl in the thriller The Hole (2001). Style-conscious and sophisticated beyond her years, Birch lives on her family's East L.A. ranch (where she recently finished high school through a computer-based correspondence course). She still hopes to try her hand at directing someday, but for now she's content to continue blossoming in front of the camera.
