Heather O’Rourke Biography: Heather Michele O’Rourke was an American child actor who was born on December 27, 1975. She became famous in 1982 for her part as Carol Anne Freeling in the scary movie “Poltergeist.” For this role, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for “Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.” In TV shows, she played Heather Pfister on the A.B.C. comedy “Happy Days,” Melanie on “Webster,” Jillian Marsh on “Finder of Lost Loves,” and Heather on “The New Leave It to Beaver.”
Heather O’Rourke Biography:
Early Life
The O’Rourke family lived in San Diego, California, and Heather Michele was born there on December 27, 1975. Father worked as a builder, and mom made clothes. She has an older sister named Tammy O’Rourke who is also an actor. In 1981, her parents split up. In 1984, while living in a trailer park in Anaheim, California, O’Rourke’s mother married part-time truck driver Jim Peele. The family was able to buy a house in Big Bear Lake, California, thanks to what she did.
Career
Before she was in the first grade, O’Rourke was introduced to American movie pop culture. A stranger came up to her and asked her name while she was waiting for her mother by herself in the M.G.M. Café. When her mother got back, the guy said his name was Steven Spielberg. After getting a part in a movie, O’Rouke became famous overnight. She was easily known at Disneyland, her favorite theme park, and all over California.
Following that, O’Rourke became a well-known TV star on shows like “Happy Days” (1982–1983), “Webster” (1983–1984), and “The New Leave It to Beaver” (1986–1987). Her parts kept coming back in those three shows. A sequel to her first movie, “Poltergeist” (1982), called “Poltergeist II: The Other Side,” was long-awaited and finally came out in theaters in 1986. It was her stunning performance in this movie that cemented her place in Hollywood history.
In January 1987, O’Rourke got flu-like symptoms and her legs and feet swelled up. They rushed her to Kaiser Hospital, where they found out she had the flu. She was eventually told she had Crohn’s Disease, a long-term gut inflammation, because her symptoms wouldn’t go away. Her next movie, “Poltergeist III” (1988), was filmed while she was on medicine, and in some shots her cheeks looked swollen.
Death
O’Rourke stayed healthy until January 31, 1988, which was Super Bowl Sunday. The next morning, her mother saw that her fingers were blue and her hands were cold. After calling the doctor, her mother was about to put on her clothes when O’Rourke passed out on the kitchen floor. When the rescuers got there, O’Rourke said she was fine. O’Rourke had a heart attack in the ambulance and died at 2:43 p.m. on the operating table. He was 12 years old.
Lars Ulrich Biography: Age, Height, Birthday, Career, Family, Personal Life, Net Worth
Heather O’Rourke Biography: Net Worth and Height
Name |
Heather Michele O’Rourke |
Date of Birth | December 27, 1975 |
Death Age | February 1, 1988 (age 12) |
Zodiac sign | Capricorn |
Height | 4′ 8″ |
Relationship Status | – |
Net Worth | $500 thousand |
Social Media | – |
What We Love About Heather O’rourke
She didn’t let being sick get in the way of her
O’Rourke got flu-like symptoms while shooting “Poltergeist III” (1988). Even though she was sick, she never complained on set and didn’t look sick to her coworkers.
She was nominated for many awards.
A Young Artist Award was given to O’Rourke in 1985 for her part in the TV show “Webster.” During her journey, she was up for six Young Artist Awards.
There are five categories for the nominations: “Best Young Actress in a Comedy Series,” “Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture,” “Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Television Series,” “Best Young Actress in a Television Special or Mini-Series,” and “Best Young Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.”
She had many skills.
There were many things that O’Rourke was good at: drawing, writing, singing, and dancing. She also ran for president of the school council when she was in grade school.
5 facts About Her
As a child, O’Rourke was already a star.
He started playing in commercials when he was three, mostly for Mattel and McDonald’s, before getting the part in “Poltergeist” (1982).
Her well-known line
PopSugar’s list of the 100 Best Movie Quotes for 2021 includes O’Rourke’s “They’re here!” from “Poltergeist.”
She loved going shopping.
O’Rourke’s mom says it was very hard to go shopping with her because her daughter had to match everything, from her shoes to her jewelry.
She was talented from birth.
O’Rourke had never taken a class in acting.
She read a lot.
All of O’Rourke’s seventh-grade English students take part in Heather O’Rourke’s Love of Reading Week to honor her love of reading.