Thora Birch is an American actress and producer. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in Purple People Eater, for which she received a Young Artist Award for “Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age”.
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Her breakthrough into adult-oriented roles came at the end of that decade when she earned a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her portrayal of Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999). Birch took a break from acting between 2012 and 2016 but has since had parts in several independent features, such as The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019).
From 2019 to 2020, she played the role of Gamma / Mary on the tenth season of AMC’s The Walking Dead. Deadline reported on May 5, 2022, that Birch would make her directorial debut and co-star in an upcoming Lifetime feature film about Gabby Petito. Birch previously worked with Lifetime on two films in which she starred.
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Thora Birch Movies and TV Shows
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Purple People Eater | Molly Johnson | |
| 1991 | Paradise | Billie Pike | |
| 1991 | All I Want for Christmas | Hallie O’Fallon | |
| 1992 | Patriot Games | Sally Ryan | |
| 1992 | Itsy Bitsy Spider | Leslie McGroarty (voice) | Short film |
| 1993 | Hocus Pocus | Dani Dennison | |
| 1994 | Monkey Trouble | Eva Gregory | |
| 1994 | Clear and Present Danger | Sally Ryan | |
| 1995 | Now and Then | Tina “Teeny” Tercell | |
| 1996 | Alaska | Jessie Barnes | |
| 1999 | American Beauty | Jane Burnham | |
| 1999 | Anywhere but Here | Mary | Uncredited cameo |
| 2000 | The Smokers | Lincoln Roth | |
| 2000 | Dungeons & Dragons | Empress Savina | |
| 2001 | The Hole | Elizabeth “Liz” Dunn | |
| 2001 | Ghost World | Enid | |
| 2004 | Silver City | Karen Cross | |
| 2004 | The Dot | Narrator (voice) | Short film |
| 2005 | Slingshot | April | |
| 2006 | Dark Corners | Susan Hamilton / Karen Clarke | |
| 2008 | Train | Alexandra “Alex” Roper | |
| 2009 | Winter of Frozen Dreams | Barbara Hoffman | |
| 2009 | Deadline | Lucy Woods | |
| 2012 | Petunia | Vivian Petunia | |
| 2018 | The Etruscan Smile | Emily | |
| 2018 | The Competition | Lauren | |
| 2018 | Affairs of State | Callie | |
| 2019 | The Last Black Man in San Francisco | Becca | |
| 2019 | Kindred Spirits | Chloe | |
| 2019 | Above Suspicion | Jolene | |
| 2021 | 13 Minutes | Jess |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988–1989 | Day by Day | Molly | Recurring role (21 episodes) |
| 1989 | Doogie Howser, M.D. | Megan | Episode: “Vinnie Video Vici” |
| 1990 | Dark Avenger | Susie Donovan | Television film |
| 1990 | Married People | Emily | Episode: “To Live and Drive in New York” |
| 1990–1991 | Parenthood | Taylor Buckman | Main role (12 episodes) |
| 1991 | Amen | Brittany | Episode: “Nothing Says Lovin’…” |
| 1994 | Monty | Ann Sherman | Episode: “Here Comes the Son” |
| 1995 | The Outer Limits | Aggie Travers | Episode: “The Choice” |
| 1997 | Promised Land | Allison Rhodes | Episode: “Running Scared” |
| 1997 | Touched by an Angel | Erin | Episode: “The Pact” |
| 1999 | Night Ride Home | Clea Mahler | Television film |
| 2002 | Night Visions | Susan Thornhill | Episode: “The Maze” |
| 2003 | Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story | Elizabeth “Liz” Murray | Television film |
| 2005 | My Life as a Teenage Robot | Vega (voice) | Episode: “Escape from Cluster Prime” |
| 2010 | The Pregnancy Pact | Sidney Bloom | Television film |
| 2016 | Colony | Morgan | Recurring role (2 episodes) |
| 2019–2020 | The Walking Dead | Gamma / Mary | Recurring role (9 episodes) |
| 2022 | The Gabby Petito Story | Nichole Schmidt | Television film (also director) |
Thora Birch Age
40 years
Thora Birch Young
Birch was born in Los Angeles to Jack Birch and Carol Connors, former pornographic film actors who both appeared in the film Deep Throat. She is of German-Jewish, Scandinavian, French-Canadian and Italian ancestry.
Her forename is derived from that of the Norse god of thunder and lightning, “Thor”, which would have been her name if she had been born a boy.
She has a younger brother, Bolt Birch. Because of their own experience with the entertainment industry, Birch’s parents were reluctant to encourage her to act, but were persuaded to show Birch’s photograph to agents by a babysitter who noticed her imitating commercials.
Birch got her first big break at the age of four when the babysitter accompanied her to a successful audition for a Quaker Oats commercial
Thora Birch Instagram
@thorabirch
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