Heather O'Rourke
Heather O'Rourke was born in San Diego, California, United States on December 27th, 1975 and is the Movie Actress. At the age of 12, Heather O'Rourke biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 12 years old, Heather O'Rourke has this physical status:
In a contemporary interview with American Premiere magazine, producer Steven Spielberg explained that he was looking for a "beatific four-year-old child...every mother's dream" for the lead in his horror film Poltergeist (1982). While eating in the MGM commissary, Spielberg saw five-year-old O'Rourke having lunch with her mother while older sister Tammy was shooting Pennies from Heaven. After his lunch, Spielberg approached the family and offered O'Rourke the Poltergeist role; she was signed the next day, beating out Drew Barrymore, who instead received the role of Gertie in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial.
In Poltergeist, O'Rourke played Carol Anne Freeling, a young suburban girl who becomes the conduit and target for supernatural entities. During production, Spielberg twice accommodated the child actress when frightened; when scared by performing a particular stunt, Spielberg replaced O'Rourke with a stunt double wearing a blonde wig, and when disturbed by the portrayal of child abuse, Spielberg did not require her to perform the take again. For her work on the film, O'Rourke earned between $35,000 and $100,000. Poltergeist would go on to receive a cult following and critical acclaim, garnering three Academy Award nominations and a Young Artist Award nomination for O'Rourke. She was lauded for her performance, with The New York Times noting that she played a key role, writing that "With her wide eyes, long blonde hair and soft voice, she was so striking that the sequel played off her presence." Her delivery of the lines "They're here!" in the first film, and "They're baa-aack!" in the second (that film's tagline), placed her in the collective pop culture consciousness of the United States. "They're here!" is ranked No. 69 on the American Film Institute's list of 100 Movie Quotes, and PopSugar included the line on their list of "100 Greatest Movie Quotes".
After her work in Poltergeist (1982), O'Rourke secured several television and TV movie roles. In April 1983, she starred as herself alongside Morey Amsterdam and well-known Walt Disney animated characters in the hour-long television special, Believe You Can...and You Can! She also appeared in CHiPs, Webster, The New Leave It to Beaver, Our House, and had a recurring role on Happy Days as Heather Pfister. For Webster, O'Rourke won her first Young Artist Award. She also appeared in the television movies Massarati and the Brain and Surviving: A Family in Crisis. O'Rourke went on to reprise the role of Carol Anne Freeling in the second and third installments, Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988 respectively; unlike its predecessor, the films garnered mixed reviews, although O'Rourke's performances were praised. Poltergeist III was her final feature release before her death in 1988.