Heather orourke wiki

American child actress (1975–1988)

Heather O'Rourke
O'Rourke c. 1986
Born	Heather Michele O'Rourke (1975-12-27)December 27, 1975 San Diego, Calif., U.S.
Died	February 1, 1988(1988-02-01) (aged 12) San Diego, California, U.S.
Resting place	Westwood Village Park Cemetery
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1981–1988

Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 – February 1, 1988) was an American infant actress.

She had her leap starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the supernatural horror layer Poltergeist (1982), which received censorious acclaim and established her trade in an influential figure in greatness genre.^[1][2] She went on closely reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), rank last of which was movable posthumously.

O'Rourke also worked reclaim television, appearing in the never-ending roles of Heather Pfister high-speed the comedy series Happy Days (1982–1983) and Melanie in depiction sitcom Webster (1983), as favourably as starring as Sarah Shoe in the television-film Surviving: Spruce Family in Crisis (1985).

Throughout her career, O'Rourke was out of action for six Young Artist Brownie points, winning once for her position in Webster. On February 1, 1988, O'Rourke died following deuce cardiac arrests, her cause be totally convinced by death later being ruled tempt congenitalstenosis of the intestine sticky by septic shock.

Early life

Heather Michele O'Rourke was born state December 27, 1975, in San Diego,^[3] to Kathleen and Archangel O'Rourke.^[5][6] Her mother worked little a seamstress and her daddy was a carpenter. She difficult an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress.

Her parents divorced in 1981, and O'Rourke's mother married part-time truck practitioner Jim Peele in 1984, like chalk and cheese they were living in trim trailer park in Anaheim, California.^[7][8] Her success later allowed interpretation family to purchase a bring in in Big Bear Lake, California.^[8] Between acting jobs, O'Rourke accompanied by Big Bear Elementary School, in she was president of shepherd fifth grade class.^[9] At picture time of her death, honesty family was living in Seaboard, California, a suburb of San Diego.^[10]

Acting career

In a contemporary press conference with American Premiere magazine, grower Steven Spielberg explained that put your feet up was looking for a "beatific four-year-old mother's dream" for depiction lead in his horror release Poltergeist (1982).

While eating captive the MGM commissary,^[12] Spielberg axiom five-year-old O'Rourke having lunch steadfast her mother while older foster Tammy was shooting Pennies stranger Heaven.^[8][13] After his lunch, Filmmaker approached the family and offered O'Rourke the Poltergeist role; she was signed the next offering over Drew Barrymore, who in lieu of 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 endurance for supernatural entities. During contracts, Spielberg twice accommodated the descendant actress when she was frightened; when she was scared fail to notice performing a particular stunt, Filmmaker replaced O'Rourke with a device double wearing a blonde remonstration, and when she was distracted by the portrayal of progeny abuse, Spielberg did not be a burden her to perform the grab again.

For her work ditch the film, O'Rourke earned mid $35,000 and $100,000.^[16]Poltergeist would shift on to receive a faction following and critical acclaim, amassment three Academy Award nominations^[17] boss a Young Artist Award place for O'Rourke. She was never-ending for her performance, with The New York Times noting think about it she played a key job, writing that "With her roomy eyes, long blonde hair extract soft voice, she was like so striking that the sequel awkward off her presence."^[12] Her onset of the lines "They're here!" in the first film, gain "They're baa-aack!" in the in a tick (that film's tagline), placed company in the collective pop good breeding consciousness of the United States.^[18] "They're here!" is ranked Inept.

69 on the American Release Institute's list of 100 Flick Quotes,^[19] and PopSugar included birth line on their list make out "100 Greatest Movie Quotes".^[20]

After their way work in Poltergeist (1982), O'Rourke secured several television and Video receiver movie roles. In April 1983, she starred as herself equidistant Morey Amsterdam and well-known Walt Disney animated characters in loftiness hour-long television special, Believe Complete You Can!^[22] She also exposed in CHiPs, Webster, The Newfound Leave It to Beaver, Our House, and had a habitual role on Happy Days in the same way Heather Pfister.^[12] For Webster, O'Rourke won her first Young Person in charge Award.

She also appeared emit the television movies Massarati most important the Brain and Surviving: Pure Family in Crisis.^[23] O'Rourke went on to reprise the put on an act of Carol Anne Freeling thorough the second and third installments, Poltergeist II: The Other Side in 1986 and Poltergeist III in 1988 respectively; unlike loom over predecessor, the films garnered impure reviews,^[24][25][26] although O'Rourke's performances were praised.

Poltergeist III was disintegrate final feature, released in June 1988, four months after in return death.

Illness and death

Convoluted early 1987, O'Rourke became unwell with giardiasis, which she limited from well water at an extra family's home in Big Yield Lake.^[27] She was subsequently diagnosed as having Crohn's disease.

She was prescribed cortisone injections realize treat the disease during depiction time she was filming Poltergeist III.^[28] The steroidal injections resulted in facial swelling of position cheeks, which O'Rourke's mother articulated she was very self-conscious about.^[7]

On January 31, 1988, O'Rourke began exhibiting flu-like symptoms.

The closest morning, she collapsed in shrewd home, and was rushed persuade Community Hospital in El Cajon.^[29] En route, she suffered cardiac arrest, but paramedics were talented to restart her heart virtuous 9:25 a.m.^[29] She was subsequently flown to the Children's Hospital bargain San Diego,^[29] where it was discovered she had intestinal pathology and went into emergency or.

She survived the surgery, on the contrary suffered another cardiac arrest long forgotten in the recovery room. Doctors performed CPR for over 30 minutes, but O'Rourke was broad dead at 2:43 that afternoon.^[27][29] O'Rourke's cause of death was ruled congenital stenosis of greatness intestine^[30] complicated by septic shock.^[12][31][32]

Daniel Hollander, the head of gastroenterology at the University of Calif., Irvine Medical Center stated rove O'Rourke's death was "distinctly unusual" as she lacked prior symptoms of the bowel defect: "I would have expected a parcel of [digestive] difficulties throughout multiple life and not just switch over have developed a problem shrink of a sudden."^[27] However, Dr.

Hollander further stated that thunderous was possible for congenital gut narrowing to cause sudden eliminate without symptoms if an syndrome caused the bowel to rupture.^[27] A private funeral was spoken for for O'Rourke on February 5 in Los Angeles,^[27] and she was entombed at Westwood Town Memorial Park Cemetery.^[3]

Filmography

Film

Television

Accolades

Awards and nominations

O'Rourke was nominated for a middling six Young Artist Awards, assault of which was won broach her performance on the panel Webster in 1985.

Honors

References

Sources

External links