Heather O'Rourke

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Heather O'Rourke's grave site

Heather Michele O'Rourke (* 27. December 1975 in San Diego , California ; † 1. February 1988 ibid) was an American child actress that her role as Carol Anne in Poltergeist - trilogy became known. She then had a recurring role in the sitcom Happy Days between 1982 and 1983 and appeared as a guest star in television series such as Fantasy Island , CHiPs or Matt Houston, as well as in two television films.

Life

Early life

Heather Michele O'Rourke was born in San Diego on December 27, 1975, the second daughter of Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke . Her older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, had also been an actress since 1980. Heather has appeared in various television commercials since she was three. Among them were well-known brands such as Mattel and McDonald’s .

O'Rourke was discovered in 1980 at the age of four by Steven Spielberg , who was looking for an actress suitable for the role of five-year-old Carol Anne for his planned Poltergeist film . Although he initially thought her too young, after an interview and a scream test, he changed his mind and gave her the role. Drew Barrymore was originally considered for the role of Carol Anne . Instead, she got one of the main roles in Spielberg's ET - The Extra-Terrestrial .

Film career

A year after her discovery by Spielberg, O'Rourke had her first supporting role as an actress in an episode of the television series Fantasy Island in 1981 .

The first Poltergeist film was released in June 1982, and O'Rourke's phrase "They're he-eere!" Became part of American pop culture . The American Film Institute selected him as number 69 on their list of the 100 best movie quotes from American films. After the great success of the first part, O'Rourke took on the role of Carol Anne in the sequels from 1986 and 1988.

From 1982 to 1983 she was part of the cast of the sitcom Happy Days in the role of Heather Pfister for twelve episodes . She also appeared in supporting roles in the television films Massarati and the Brain and ... and found no way out .

Sickness and death

O'Rourke suffered from a congenital intestinal stenosis , which led to health problems from the beginning of 1987. She was misdiagnosed as Crohn's disease and was treated with cortisone. After filming for Poltergeist III - The Dark Side of Evil , O'Rourke died on February 1, 1988 at the age of twelve from complications from an emergency surgery for an intestinal obstruction . She was buried in Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery in Westwood , Los Angeles .

Effect and afterlife

Poltergeist III was published and dedicated to her in memory only four months after O'Rourke's death. The last scene of the film was rewritten after her death and shot with a double that could only be seen from behind. There are different statements from actors and producers as to whether the originally planned ending has already been shot or whether O'Rourke died before the end of the shooting.

In May 1988, O'Rourke's mother sued the attending physicians and the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in San Diego, where her daughter had received the misdiagnosis. The lawsuit was withdrawn after an undisclosed amount was paid.

In 2008, the US television satellite operator DirecTV used clips from Poltergeist with O'Rourke for a commercial, which were combined with new recordings by Craig T. Nelson , the film father of Carol Anne . The commercial met with a lot of criticism as DirecTV would market the actress, who had died twenty years ago, and her tragic death. According to the operator, however, this was done with an agreement from O'Rourke's mother, who would understand the spot as a “wonderful tribute” to her daughter.

At the 2010 Academy Awards , a film montage with excerpts from the most famous horror films was shown as an honor, as this genre was only rarely nominated for an Oscar. Heather O'Rourke's most famous scene from Poltergeist with her exclamation “They're he-eere!” Was also shown among the film clips .

Filmography

literature

  • People Magazine: Gone Too Soon: Remembering 65 Celebrities Who Died Too Young Time Home Entertainment 2007, ISBN 978-1-933821-17-7

Web links

Commons : Heather Michele O'Rourke  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Heather O'Rourke, 12; Starred in 'Poltergeist'. In: The New York Times. February 3, 1988, accessed December 4, 2014 .
  2. ↑ Heather O'Rourke - MovieActors.com. Retrieved April 30, 2016 .
  3. ↑ Jackie Willis: Drew Barrymore Reveals the Lies She Told Steven Spielberg in an Attempt to Land 'Poltergeist' Part. November 6, 2015, accessed April 30, 2016 .
  4. ↑ American Film Institute: AFI'S 100 GREATEST MOVIE QUOTES OF ALL TIME. June 21, 2006, accessed April 28, 2016 .
  5. ↑ Burt A. Folkart: Poltergeist 'Star Heather O'Rourke Dies at Age of 12. (No longer available online.) In: Los Angeles Times. February 3, 1988, archived from the original on May 18, 2011 ; accessed on December 4, 2014 .
  6. ↑ knerger.de: The grave of Heather O'Rourke
  7. ↑ David Furtney: Mystery of the Re-Shot ending. Retrieved April 30, 2016 .
  8. ↑ Bob Baker: Suit Blames Doctors in Death of Young Actress. In: Los Angeles Times. May 26, 1988. Retrieved April 29, 2016 .
  9. ↑ Ty Burr: What 'Poltergeist' cursed? January 31, 1997, accessed April 29, 2016 .
  10. ↑ Larry Carroll: GIVEN HEATHER O'ROURKE'S TRAGIC DEATH, DOES DIRECTV'S NEW 'POLTERGEIST' COMMERCIAL GO TOO FAR? October 7, 2008, accessed April 30, 2016 .
  11. ↑ Tim Nudd: Is DirecTV's 'Poltergeist' spot in bad taste? October 13, 2008, accessed April 30, 2016 .
  12. ^ Horror at the Oscars (History / Tribute). February 28, 2011, accessed April 29, 2016 .
personal data
SURNAME O'Rourke, Heather
ALTERNATIVE NAMES O'Rourke, Heather Michele (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American film actress
DATE OF BIRTH December 27, 1975
PLACE OF BIRTH San Diego , California, United States
DATE OF DEATH February 1, 1988
Place of death San Diego , California, United States