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Thora Birch Profile

Name: Thora Birch

Birth Name: Thora Birch

Height: 5'4''

Sex: F

Nationality: American

Birth Date: March 11, 1982

Birth Place: Los Angeles, California, USA

Profession: Actress

Education: Finished high school through a computer-based correspondence course (East LA)

Father: Jack Birch

Mother: Carol Birch

Brother: Bolt Birch (actor; born on October 3, 1990)

Claim to fame: As Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999)

Thora Birch Biography

Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress. She was one of the leading child actors of the 1990s, starring in movies such as Patriot Games (1992), Hocus Pocus (1993), Clear and Present Danger (1994), Now and Then (1995), and Alaska (1996). Since this she has moved on to more mature roles, with notable performances in films such as American Beauty (1999), and the acclaimed cult film Ghost World (2001).

Birch was born in Los Angeles, California, the eldest child of Jack Birch and Carol Connors. Both her parents (who have managed her career and remain her managers up to the present day) were former adult film actors and both appeared in the pornographic film, Deep Throat. Birch is of Jewish, Nordic, and Italian descent. The family's original surname was "Biersch", coming from her German Jewish ancestors. The name 'Thora' is a feminized form of the name Thor, the God of the Sky and of Thunder in Norse mythology. Birch lives in Southern California. She is a vegan and holds a blue belt in karate.

From an early age, Birch was encouraged by her parents to audition for commercials. She landed several parts representing companies such as Quaker Oats and Vlasic Pickles. In 1988, she broke into acting when landing the role of Molly in the short-lived television series Day By Day in which she was billed simply as "Thora." That same year she played an important role in the movie Purple People Eater opposite Ned Beatty and Neil Patrick Harris for which she won a Youth In Film Award for her performance.

Birch's breakthrough role came in 1991 when she was cast as 'tomboy' Billie Pike in the movie Paradise which also starred Don Johnson, Melanie Griffith and Elijah Wood. To obtain the role, she had to compete with more than 4,000 other young hopefuls who auditioned for it. Birch received enormous praise for her performance and her career thereafter went from strength to strength. Birch's ability to portray herself as a young tomboy landed her several parts during the period 1991-1995, including the role of Dani in Hocus Pocus (1993). Her acting ability moreover continued to attract much praise and she won leading roles in such films as All I Want for Christmas (1991) and Monkey Trouble (1994). She also appeared in two big-budget blockbuster Harrison Ford films, Patriot Games (1992) and its sequel, Clear and Present Danger (1994).

Birch's performed in the 1995 film Now and Then. It also starred Gaby Hoffmann, Christina Ricci, Demi Moore and Melanie Griffith. Directed by Lesli Linka Glatter, the film is about four friends who have been so preoccupied with their own lives that they have not seen one another for some time until the impending birth of one of their babies reunites them. Upon reuniting, they reminisce about events during the summer of 1970 when they were 12 which were ultimately influential in shaping their lives. Birch won critical acclaim for her performance.