She never complained during filming and did not appear sick to fellow cast members.When filming was completed in June, Heather and her family went on a road trip from Chicago, to New Orleans, to Orlando and all the way back to Lakeside where they lived at the time. Heather was well known for her role as Carol Anne Fleming in the blockbuster 1982 Steven Spielberg film series Poltergeist. It was not permanent though, or at least was not originally intended to be, but that was all to change shortly thereafter because it was during this period, while Tammy was filming Pennies from Heaven, that Heathers official discovery occurred. Since Heather was still too young for school, she always accompanied her mother to Tammys rehearsals and filming, and it did not take long before Mrs. ORourke noticed that Heather too, seemed interested in acting. The next morning, February 1, sitting at the breakfast table, she couldn't swallow her toast or Gatorade. Now thoroughly alarmed, Kathleen called the local hospital, which advised her to bring Heather in right away. Acted in her middle school Library/Literature Club's production of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas" in her nightgown with her favorite teddy bear in December of 1987. 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. Heather Michelle O'Rourke was born to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke and she had a sister Tammy O'Rourke who was born four years before Heather. In 1982, O'Rourke was also cast in the recurring role of Heather Pfister in the television series Happy Days. Tammy O'Rourke, her older sister, is also an actress. Heather O'Rourke Husband, Is She Married? Her father was a carpenter, and her mother was a seamstress. She would never be alone though. After a few more featured appearances in some of Heathers shows, Tammy would retire from acting for good. She has black hair and brown eyes. . Kathleen called the doctor's and was getting ready to put her clothes on when Heather fainted on the kitchen floor. The unexpected death of the child star Heather O'Rourke at age 12 cemented an urban legend that was circulating for years: The movie "Poltergeist" was cursed. Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. O'Rourke Born and raised in Bergen county, the United States, she manages to keep information regarding her . She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry. It's fun. THE mysterious deaths of 1980s child actress Heather O'Rourke and three of her co-stars from the film Poltergeist has sparked fears of a "Hollywood curse". They continued until pulling up to the entrance of the emergency room where a team of doctors and nurses, who had been notified and were prepared for their arrival, met them. The original members of the club were Frank McHugh, James Cagney, Pat O'Brien, and Spencer Tracy, all of whom were Irish-Americans hence the name Irish Mafia." ^ "Archived copy". Heather was well until January 31, 1988, Super Bowl Sunday. The informant claims "the parents were told some crap story. The following clip showed him strolling down the street at 2 a.m., heading to work. She was sitting alone in the MGM Commissary waiting for . If there is a sequel, a 'Poltergeist IV,' I hope it's the last. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Child Actors & Former Child Actors -- Gone Too Soon. On January 31, 1988, she started vomiting and the following day, she collapsed. She made more toy commercials, several made-for-TV movies/specials such as Massarati and the Brain, Believe You Can, And You Can, and Surviving: A Family in Crisis, and had guest appearances on a string of the most popular primetime and syndicated shows from the 1980s such as CHiPs, Webster, Matt Houston, Finder of Lost Loves, Our House, The New Leave It To Beaver, the short-lived series Rocky Road, and lastly, Here to Stay, an unsold television pilot. To celebrate the end of filming, Heathers family planned to vacation the Summer of 1987 before returning to California. She remained alive but shortly after 2:00p.m., her condition began to worsen and soon after, her heartbeat faltered and her breathing stopped. . Loved: roses, swimming, pepperoni pizza, computer games, and more. Shortly after Heather turned three, she herself won a local Little Miss pageant as well. She was now nine, and with her age had come experience, wisdom, and of course acting ability. Finally, he cued her for a screaming demonstration. Heather O'Rourke Husband O'Rourke is very private about her personal life therefore it is not known if she is in any relationship. Heather died in 1988. Sherman chose the John Hancock Center, a skyscraper in his hometown of Chicago, for his version of the ghost story. Ranked #65 on VH1's '100 Greatest Kid Actors' special. It was a terrible shock for their small household, especially for three-year-old Tammy ORourke, who couldnt quite understand why she was not going to have a new baby brother or sister that year. As terribly heartbreaking as this is there may be more . A very tired and hoarse Heather went home that night not really caring if she got the part, but Spielberg already knew that he had found his leading (little) lady because a 4-year-old actress who could sit still for an hour, take direction, and actually read a script, was worth her weight in gold. For the next 8 hours they were subject to every kind of horrible thing you can imagine. I hope people enjoy what I do. She appears to be tall in his pictures. They also described cast meetings with her: everyone would be quickly leafing through the script, while Heather was sitting calmly. Spielberg realized that this was Heathers way of telling him that the interview was over and so he called in her mother. Nonetheless, Heather had gotten the cinematic exposure that her young career needed and it soon became obvious that she had attracted the attention of casting agents for television. The . She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. Actress. . The shock prompted full cardiac and pulmonary arrest. Heather died Feb. 1 on the operating table at Children's Hospital of San Diego. Details about O'rourke's husband are not available currently. He thanked them, said goodbye to Heather (who ignored him and continued eating her lunch) and left. O'Rourke had an elder sister named Tammy, who was also an actress. This caused countless parents to believe that the movie was OK for children to watch. She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry. 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. They admitted her to the hospital this time and did a complete examination. They returned home and her mother was told to monitor her condition and to bring her back if needed. That is when she found out she was pregnant with Heather. I'm tired of this one, kind of. O'Rourke and her husband are proud parents to their 2 children, whose identities are under review. 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 . O'Rourke, Heather . 1 de fevereiro de 1988 (12 anos) Foi sepultada no Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. When I have to look really frightened, I concentrate on scary things like losing my kittens or something like that. She is not dating anyone. Heather also did not particularly care for the movie itself personally, but for her this was work and so she completed the role with her usual dedication and professionalism, which was something rarely seen in a nine-year-old actor. 95 8 1 Pepperann. Along with Heathers growing success came a growing salary and so with a newly formed corporation in her name and with her earnings from Poltergeist II and her latest TV appearances, she and her family picked out a new house in Big Bear with the intention of making it their permanent home. After Heather moved to Big Bear, she continued to work steadily but her acting always revolved around her home life. Perhaps her most famous moment . Heather O'Rourke . Drugs were commonplace. The response of audiences to her presence in the first film was so profound that the writers quickly realized she should be the focal point of the second movie as well. Spielberg continued to chat with Mrs. ORourke and Tammy briefly, with an occasional word to Heather, but after finding out more about Heathers age and lack of experience, he said that he was really looking for someone a bit older. It wasn't. . First, 22-year old Dana actress Dominique Donne was killed in 1982; then even more infamously Carol Anne actress Heather O'Rourke passed away in 1988 aged just 12. . He left his card, and they arranged an interview and a scream test. In the early Spring of 1975, Kathleen ORourkes doctor delivered the wonderful news that she and her husband Michael had waited for several weeks to hear: they were going to have their second child. Heather O'Rourke was discovered by producer Steven Spielberg when she and her mother were having lunch in the MGM commissary while her sister Tammy was shooting for a movie. This website is dedicated to the life and memory of child actress Heather ORourke. Heather stands at an average height and in moderate weight. [on the first two Poltergeist movies]: The first one I saw 12 times. 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. Upon further examination of her actual report cards over the years, she made C's and D's in her least liked subjects in school, math and science, but at the end of her life was a straight A student. She had surgery to repair an acute bowel obstruction caused by congenital stenosis of the intestine. In the Spring of 1981 when filming on Poltergeist started, Heather had just turned five a few months earlier and had a few commercials and Fantasy Island to her acting credit, but her experiences did not include doing anything that actually scared her. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. After Heather was born, Tammy continued with classes and performances until her teacher took her mother aside one day and said that she was good enough to consider her dancing not just a hobby, but a serious talent that could be developed. Heather Michele O'Rourke sinh ngy 27 thng 12 nm 1975 ti San Diego, [2] [3] con gi th hai ca Kathleen v Michael O'Rourke. Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) [3] was an American child actress. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. It didn't excite me, it didn't even scare me. The girl had to have everything match, from shoes to earrings. I'm really not afraid of spooky things. Heather O'Rourke, familiar to moviegoers as the child swept into another world by ghosts in ''Poltergeist'' and its sequel, ''Poltergeist II,'' died at Children's Hospital and Health Center in San . O'Rourkeov navtevovala zkladn kolu v Big Bear Lake v Kalifornii, kde bola predsednkou triedy v piatom ronku. But Heather was mostly a homebody and preferred her quieter hobbies like reading, writing in her journals, collecting Cabbage Patch and other dolls, sewing, and baking (and eating) cakes, pies, and other sweets with her mother. She instantly became a star overnight and was easily recognized at her favorite theme park, Disneyland, and everywhere in California. Actress: Poltergeist. Four days later, the O'Rourke family and friends gathered to greet the 1976 Bicentennial New Year, and to celebrate the homecoming of Baby Heather; the newest addition to the O'Rourke family. She voiced her concerns to her doctor, who tried reassuring the young couple, but their happiness became heartbreak when Kathleen suddenly became ill and was rushed to the hospital, where an examination confirmed their worst fears; she had suffered a miscarriage. The only unanswered questions were, could she act, and more importantly, could she scream convincingly? Heather O'rourke Family and Relationship Father (Dad): Not Known Mother: Not Known Siblings (Brothers and Sisters): An elder sister Marital Status: Married Husband/Spouse: Married to Anonymous Dating / Boyfriend: Not Applicable Children: Two Heather O'rourke Networth and Salary Net Worth: Under Review Salary: $28,774 - $71,519 She died in 1988 at the age of 12 from intestinal stenosis - a severe bowel obstruction. Her facial features were puffier than usual in Poltergeist 3, due to the . Was featured on The Great Mouse Ride in Disney World. When the paramedics came in, Heather insisted that she was "really okay" and was worried about missing school that day. She had taken a break from TV acting but was looking forward to the following spring, which was when some additional filming of Poltergeist III would need to be done in order to make its scheduled release in the Summer of 1988. But the first time you see it, it really jumps you. He ordered filming to stop while he comforted her and finally reassured her by deciding, on-the-spot, that she would not have to perform that scene again. 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. She is best remembered for her roles of 'Carol Anne Freeling' in the Poltergeist horror movie franchise (1982, 1986, and 1988). The ORourkes family and closest friends consoled and supported the grieving couple as they coped with their loss, and they resolved to get on with their lives. It was exciting. Sometimes, the girls even performed onstage together. At the interview, he told Heather that it was a scary movie and that she would have to pretend to act scared and scream a lot even though there was nothing really there to scare her. Ron Pennington, a spokesman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Even though this was a mandatory requirement to comply with the existing labour laws for child actors, it only added to her already grueling schedule that included commuting with her mother and Heather from Santee to the MGM Studios in Culver City on an almost daily basis. Of all her achievements, Heather was proudest of being elected student body president of her 5th grade class in 1985. Her mother called out to her, and Heather came into their room and crawled into bed with them for a few hours. She was misdiagnosed by the hospital and the parents later sued but settled out of court. 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. 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. More information about her husband will be updated as soon as possible. Seating in the commissary dining room was sometimes scarce so upon finding an unoccupied table, it was Heathers job to sit there and save it while Tammy and her mother would go and get their lunch. While posing shirtless in his bathroom, Sam slicked back his hair with his hand and showed off his shaven chin. Heather O'Rourke's death at the age of 12 is well-documented because of a medical malpractice lawsuit her parents filed against her doctors for misdiagnosing the condition blamed for her death. Further suspecting that the obstruction might have already burst and started an infection, they made preparations to transport her to another facility that specialized in pediatric critical care. But I like acting a lot. She was already accustomed to the hustle-and-bustle of these surroundings and so was not worried when a bearded and bespectacled man approached her table. Heather spent much of her early life growing up east of San Diego in Santee, a small town with a pioneer history. The movie was Poltergeist. When Heather was being fitted with a mask to administer oxygen, she protested, insisting that she did not need it. Heather screamed until the windows rattled. Planned to attend college at UCLA and major in filmmaking. 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