Thora Birch

At 42 years old, Thora Birch has this physical status:

Career

In the late 1980s, Birch appeared in commercials for Burger King, California Raisins, Quaker Oats (alongside Wilford Brimley) and Vlasic Pickles. She made her film debut in the 1988 science-fiction comedy Purple People Eater, for which she received a Youth In Film Award and a Young Artist Award in the category of "Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age." Molly was also featured in an episode of Doogie Howser, M.D., in 1988, and she was cast as Molly in the NBC television series "Today." The show aired on NBC for two seasons, earning her two Young Artist Award nominations.

Birch was one of the first actors in the sitcom Parenthood film of the same name in 1990. After one season, it was canceled on NBC and was scrapped after one season. She appeared in the drama Paradise next year, starring Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith, and Elijah Wood. She earned her role over more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who applied for it. Roger Ebert said she had "strong, simple charm" and later received another Young Artist Award nomination. Birch continued to gain traction as a child and teen actress through leading roles in countless comedy and family film scenes in the 1990s.

In 1991, she appeared in the comedy All I Want for Christmas as a teenager who is trying to bring her divorced parents back together for Christmas. In subsequent years, the film gained a following on television and on home video. In 1992, she played the daughter of Jack Ryan (Harrison Ford) in the spy thriller Patriot Games, which was a commercial success, grossing US$178 million at the international box office.

Birch appeared in the fantasy comedy Hocus Pocus (1993), opposite Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker at 11 years old. In the film, she played the younger sister of a teen boy who inadvertently resurrects a villainous trio of witches. Hocus Pocus earned US$39 million in the United States, but it became a cult film due to strong DVD sales and a large television audience.

Birch portrayed a woman who adopts a Capuchin monkey who is taught to pick pockets and burglarize houses in the 1994 comedy Monkey Troubles. Marjorie Baumgarten, a reporter for the Austin Chronicle, said she had "nuanced" appearance (a rarity amongst child actors) and that Monkey Trouble has "nuanced" no doubt. She appeared in 1994 for the second time in Patriot Games, which earned over US$215 million globally.

In 1995, Birch was cast as the younger version of Melanie Griffith's character in the coming-of-age film Now and Then, which also stars Gaby Hoffmann, Christina Ricci, Demi Moore, and Rosie O'Donnell. Kathryn Bernard played a key role in the adventure drama Alaska (1996) opposite Vincent Kartheiser, portraying two siblings who are searching through the Alaskan wilderness for their missing father (Dirk Benedict). She did not appear in a film for the next two years, but she appeared in Promised Land and Touched by an Angel. She also produced Night Ride Home, a made-for-television film, and an uncredited role for Anywhere but Here, which were both released in 1999.

Jane Burnham, the insecure daughter of Kevin Spacey's character, appeared in Sam Mendes-directed drama American Beauty in 1999. In her role, Rolling Stone said she felt she "growled] with mature radiance," a award-winning Actress nominated for Best Supporting Actress later this year. The film received the Academy Award for Best Picture and grossed over US$356 million worldwide, bringing the film to the forefront of Birch's commercial success.

Following her success with American Beauty, she appeared in two films released in 2000. In the United States, The Smokers' small-scale drama was released straight to DVD, going mostly unnoticed, but Birch was dubbed "a scene-stealer" in her supporting role by The Hollywood Reporter. Dungeons & Dragons, the poorly received fantasy film based on the role-playing game of the same name, was her second film of the year. In 2001, she appeared in Keira Knightley's horror film The Hole, in which her headlining credit and a high-profile seven figure salary was attributed to her appearance in American Beauty. The film was shown in theaters in the United Kingdom and on DVD in the United States. Derek Elley, a writer for Variety magazine, wrote that Birch gave "an almost frightening lead [performance]" in the film, which he described as "a clunky British effort to blend the psychothriller and teen movie genres.

Birch's 2001 black comedy Ghost World, directed by Terry Zwigoff, and co-starring Scarlett Johansson, Steve Buscemi, and Brad Renfro made headlines. The film, which focuses on two teenage strangers (Birch and Johansson) in an unidentified American city, received a critical reception. Birch's role as her "first meaningful role" after American Beauty was critically developed, according to James Berardinelli, who specifically praised the actress for her "quirkiness [and] underlying sense of melancholy and ennui" in her portrayal. She has been named Best Actress – Musical or Comedy by the Golden Globe Awards.

Birch appeared in the biographical television film Homeless to Harvard (2004), playing a young woman who, after being homeless at 15 after a string of personal tragedies, resumes her studies. She received acclaim for her role in earning an Emmy nomination. Birch's profile dropped sharply in the next decade, following her appearances in much smaller-scale productions in the 1990s and early 2000s. She attributed her success in the years following her appearance in January 2014, not realizing nor "taking" the calls from the film industry, despite the fact that no one really wanted women to do that at the time.

Birch appeared in many music videos, including Moby's "We Are All Made of Stars" and Limp Bizkit's "Eat You Alive," which also included Bill Paxton.

She appeared in Silver City, a political satire written and directed by John Sayles, which premiered at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Birch was the lead actor in the horror film Dark Corners, portraying a young woman who wakes up one day as a different being that is pursued by animals. The film did not receive a theatrical release and instead went straight to DVD. In the 2008 slasher Train, she debuted the female lead.

Brittany Murphy co-starred in the 2009 psychological thriller Deadline. Barbara Hoffman, a Wisconsin biochemistry undergraduate and prostitute, was arrested in the first ever televised murder trial in 2009.

In 2010, Birch played Sidney Bloom in the made-for-television film The Pregnancy Pact, which was based on the 2008 media circus surrounding teenagers in Gloucester, Massachusetts, who allegedly agreed to both give birth and raise their children communally. 5.9 million viewers watched the Lifetime film. Birch was supposed to make her American debut in Dracula's off Broadway revival, but she was fired for the conduct of her father, her boss at the time, who physically assaulted one of the show's cast members later in 2010.

Birch appeared in the 2012 independent film dramedy Petunia, portraying Vivian Petunia. In the film, which depicts simultaneously the lives and romantic lives of the Petunia family, she is credited as a co-producer. Birch called the film a "intell" and "a very modern story," and that it was "a little different from your traditional summer fare fare." The film premiered at Cinema Village in New York City, receiving mixed reviews. It was intended for a very limited number of theaters in the United States.

Birch returned to her acting career in 2015 with a recurring role as software engineer Morgan in the Carlton Cuse series Colony.

Birch was first featured in Brian Cox's independent film The Etruscan Smile, which was shot in San Francisco and Scotland, and was a major character in the series. She then moved to Kentucky to shoot Beyond Suspicion, based on Joe Sharkey's book of the same name, as well as co-starring Jack Huston, Emilia Clarke, and Johnny Knoxville. Birch appeared in Affairs of State, a political thriller starring David Corenswet, Mimi Rogers, and Adrian Grenier in 2018. The film was shot in Norfolk, Virginia. She appeared in The Competition, a romantic comedy starring Harvey Lowry that was shot in Portland earlier this year. Birch also co-produced the film, which was acquired for VMI Worldwide distribution. Birch appeared in Plan B and A24's The Last Black Man in San Francisco, opposite Jimmie Fails, Jonathan Majors, and Danny Glover. Birch appeared in the independent film Thirteen Minutes, which is expected to be released in 2021.

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