Before O'Rourke began acting, the family lived in a trailer park in Anaheim. In addition to her acting, Heather had also developed an intuitive sense of filmmaking and so it was no surprise when she expressed an interest in directing. O'Rourke grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey. Her mother worked as a seamstress and her father was a carpenter. Heathers face was pale, and when her mother touched her hands she noticed that they were cold and that her fingers had a bluish tint to them. Slightly concerned, Kathleen questioned Heather again about how she was feeling. The young actor played Carol-Anne Freeling in all three of Steven Spielberg's Poltergeist films and also had parts in popular TV shows Webster and Happy Days. After that series ended, Heather continued to audition and receive offers and over the course of the next five years she was a familiar face on television. My parents put everything in a trust fund for me. But in . The operation was completed and the intensive care resumed, but Heather showed no sign of improvement. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. Heather spent much of her early life growing up east of San Diego in Santee, a small town with a pioneer history. The question of whether or not Heather was seriously ill was answered some minutes later when Kathleen noticed that Heather was having difficulty eating and that she seemed lethargic. At first, they didnt recognize him but when he introduced himself as Steven Spielberg to them, they became quite flustered. She was ranked at No 65 on VH1's list of '100 Greatest Kid Actors'. To be able to do this though, they would have to look outside of San Diego and so she and her mother (with Heather in tow) began to make regular trips to the Los Angeles area for auditions and tryouts. Dating & Relationship status She is currently single. With the actors now secure, they found their director in Brian Gibson, an Englishman who had directed many projects for British film and television but was a relative newcomer to the U.S. film industry. The shot was painstakingly setup by Spielberg himself and had all the promise of being a spectacular effect on film. This was the famous closet-sucking scene for which they used a special moveable room. This movie was released posthumously. In 1986, the highly anticipated sequel to her first movie, Poltergeist (1982), Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) debuted in theaters; it was her riveting performance in this film that cemented her a place in Hollywood history. They immediately set to the task of writing the screenplay and by the spring of 1983 (not quite a year since the release of the first Poltergeist) had completed it. Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) [3] was an American child actress. Hollywood is truly satanic and needs to die. She died of a heart attack caused by septic shock brought on by congenital stenosis of the intestine. After her parents' divorce, O'Rourke rarely saw her birth father and called her stepfather "Dad". With her mothers permission, doctors performed an exploratory procedure and promptly discovered that Heather indeed had an obstruction in her small intestine that had become infected and had already burst. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, who was also an actress. The agent handling Tammys career recognized this as well and offered to represent Heather, and so soon enough, the photogenic 4-year-old starting getting some exposure. But I like acting a lot. Spielberg realized that this was Heathers way of telling him that the interview was over and so he called in her mother. It was covered up at the time, but the ending of Poltergeist 3 was reshot after she died and they had to reduce how much Carol Anne appeared in it. Heather would continue to remain busy with her many guest spots on television shows and commercials and by the end of 1983, Tammy, who was now 12, had started junior high school and worked only occasionally. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Child Actors & Former Child Actors -- Gone Too Soon. During the time that it took for the ambulance to get there, Heather had remained on the floor, still conscious and coherent, yet listless. They had also overlooked one other important detail: No one had yet contacted any of the original cast most of whom by then, had thriving careers and other commitments, but with a larger production budget than the first film, they were able to avoid disaster by offering generous financial compensation. Still the cautious mother that she was, Kathleen took Heather back to San Diego for several more thorough follow-up examinations before leaving for Chicago in April to start filming Poltergeist III. Now thoroughly alarmed, Kathleen called the local hospital, which advised her to bring Heather in right away. During the time that she was in Chicago, Heather had written Tammy a letter expressing her homesickness for Santee and her hopes of both moving back there and of returning to her old school, but since they were now living in Lakeside, the district zoning stated that, as a resident of Lakeside, Heather had to attend a Lakeside school. Heather was born in 1975 and died at the age of only 12 in 1988 from intestinal stenosis a severe bowel obstruction that the girl evidently had from birth. Finally, he cued her for a screaming demonstration. Her mother worked as a seamstress and her father was a carpenter. Heather O'Rourke appeared destined for greatness after breaking through as a child star in the Poltergeist movies and on Happy Days in the 1980s. But the unnatural movement of the bedroom-set startled Heather and the wire-harness was very uncomfortable, not to mention the huge special effects fans, which constantly blew air in her face and ears for long periods of time, wearing away at her patience. Further details regarding her family background will be updated soon when disclosed. I'd been thinking about it for a while. Heather was still alert during most of the trip and was able to talk to her attending paramedics but shortly before arriving to the hospital she lapsed into unconsciousness. It wasn't. . O'Rourke and her husband are proud parents to their 2 children, whose identities are under review. In 1987, she got featured in an episode each of Our House and Rocky Road. She suffered a cardiac arrest while being taken to the hospital. They had a lengthy segment on heather where they interviewed her parents. More information about her husband will be updated as soon as possible. She is not dating anyone. She had already been ill for a while with what they thought was probably the flu. She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry. She was diagnosed as have Crohn's disease, and they were treating her she was on steroids and I guess the only side effects were the chipmunk . Still, she believes it was precisely this naivete that ultimately led her to beat out prominent actors, like Poltergeist star Heather O'Rourke, for the role of the Childlike Empress. Heather O'Rourke . Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, [3] [4] to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. With this setup, they could tilt the entire room and camera and with fans blowing, make things look like they were being sucked into the closet by a spectral vacuum cleaner when in reality, objects were sliding by gravity towards the low end of the room. On her mothers advice, Heather accepted and was cast in the movie. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/heather-o-rourke-43478.php, American Female Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century Film & Theater Personalities, 20th Century American Film & Theater Personalities. She initially failed the . While her family was initially too distraught to make a statement, after. Further encouraged by her dance instructor, Tammy finally decided that she wanted to break out of the local talent scene and try to get some serious dancing parts in bigger productions. Well, after you see it a lot of times, it isn't so much. The diagnosis however, puzzled doctors, health officials, and Heathers parents because neither her sister nor her parents got the parasite and this seemed unusual since they lived in the same house and supposedly drank the same water. Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975 in San Diego, California, USA, to Michael and Kathleen. Her mother climbed into the cab for the short trip to the local emergency room. Heather O'Rourke's Parents and Siblings. O'Rourke also made a guest appearance in The New Leave It to Beaver the same year. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. Heather responded appropriately with a loud and piercing scream. Her parents split in 1981, and O'Rourke's mother married part-time truck driver Jim Peele in 1984 while . The girl had to have everything match, from shoes to earrings. That summer, they finished filming their movies and by the Fall of 1981, their mother starting working again, the girls started at new schools, and the acting and auditioning for new parts continued. In between TV appearances she would go on to film Poltergeist II and ultimately Poltergeist III, reprising her now famous character Carol Anne in both films. Hollywood columnist Sidney Skolsky dubbed them the "Irish Mafia", but they preferred to call their group the "Boy's Club". Heather has not shared any information about his family. Spielberg promptly cast her in the horror film Poltergeist (1982) as Carol Anne Freeling, and O'Rourke earned recognition for her performance. You meet a lot of people. But the illness lingered and as pre-production for Poltergeist III approached, Heathers mother and even her agent and manager were worried that she was still ill. She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry. Their family was proud of their talents and the girls even became a little famous locally, but to Tammy and Heather, it was all a normal everyday thing and they were really just a couple of kids having a lot of fun. Loved: roses, swimming, pepperoni pizza, computer games, and more. He thanked them, said goodbye to Heather (who ignored him and continued eating her lunch) and left. But, like any other young girl her age she most of all, loved the occasional all-day shopping excursion, which at times, was exhausting for her mother and sister Tammy. She also holds the distinction of being the youngest (age 5 at the time) actor/actress to utter the line that made the list. She was discovered by director Steven Spielberg when she was visiting MGM's studios. I hope to do a different character some day. Heather answered with surprising frankness for a four-year-old when she informed him that she was not allowed to talk to strangers and that she was waiting for her mother and sister to return with their lunch. Her parents divorced in 1981, and O'Rourke's mother married part-time truck driver Jim Peele in 1984, while . Heather Michele O'Rourke ( San Diego, 27 de dezembro de 1975 San Diego, 1 de fevereiro de 1988) foi uma atriz mirim americana, conhecida pelo papel de Carol Anne Freeling na trilogia dos filmes . O'Rourke became ill in early 1987 and was misdiagnosed by doctors at Kaiser Permanente Hospital as having Crohn's disease. Because she was believed to have Crohn's, she wasn't tested for other issues. When they werent acting, Heather and Tammy also kept busy with plenty of other hobbies as well. The show premiered in March 1980 and lasted until September 1981, and the experience and the exposure on national television helped boost Tammys fledgling career as a dancer. However, the surgery did not help and the little girl died later that day. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. This not only saved them costly embarrassment, but it also greatly increased the chances of the sequels success. Was a fan of River Phoenix with whom she appeared in the 1985 TV movie "Surviving". 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