Filming was eventually completed behind schedule in late 1985 and after rushed post-production, the movie premiered in May of the following year. This not only saved them costly embarrassment, but it also greatly increased the chances of the sequels success. Her mother was a seamstress while her father worked as a carpenter. She had already been ill for a while with what they thought was probably the flu. O'Rourke grew up in Bergen County, New Jersey. Ever since completing the first Poltergeist, Heather had marveled about its success to her agent and so was not totally taken by surprise when he contacted her about reprising her role in a sequel so soon after the original. 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. Heather O'Rourke was an American child actress, who, after being discovered by director Steven Spielberg, played Carol Anne Freeling in the horror movie Poltergeist. She became known for saying the line, "They're here!" She had surgery to repair an acute bowel obstruction caused by congenital stenosis of the intestine. She made her debut after being discovered by director Steven Spielberg while visiting MGM 's studios. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) played the recurring role of Heather Pfister, the 7-year-old daughter of Ashley Pfister, a divorcee who was Fonzie's steady girlfriend in Season 10 of Happy Days, appearing in five episodes that season. Due to these facts, we have retracted the original story. 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. She had appeared in ads and on packaging for Mattel toys including one of the Barbie dolls, but with an agent who represented actors, now she would be auditioning for acting roles, in addition to appearing in restaurant commercials for McDonalds and later, Long John Silvers. Heather O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, California, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. 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. 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. The movie was Poltergeist. Heather entered American cinematic pop-culture before first grade. 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. She was on medication throughout the filming of her next project, Poltergeist III (1988), and her cheeks were puffy in some scenes. 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 Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975 in Santee, San Diego, California, to Kathleen, a seamstress, and Michael O'Rourke, a construction worker. Since Heather was in the habit of imitating her older sister, it was natural to expect that she would follow in her footsteps and so when she was barely old enough, Heather began showcasing her own talents with some onstage singing and dancing. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Child Actors & Former Child Actors -- Gone Too Soon. She was an adorable young girl with white-blonde hair and a remarkable talent for both charming and frightening audiences. She was sitting alone in the MGM Commissary waiting for her mother when a . 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. For a pet, she had a St. Bernard. Kathleen called the doctor's and was getting ready to put her clothes on when Heather fainted on the kitchen floor. She appears to be tall in his pictures. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. Heather O'Rourke Husband, Is She Married? Her mother worked as a seamstress and her father was a carpenter. Actress. Heather bubbled with enthusiasm about this film and to the amusement of her co-stars became an active participant in technical and other discussions at script readings and frequently offered her professional opinion and advice. With the introduction of Sherman also came a source of fresh creativity and so the traditional Poltergeist formula that called for a setting that was homely, rustic, and suburban, was replaced with one that was slick, modern, and metropolitan. I want to continue acting, but I want to be a director. On January 31, 1988, she started vomiting and the following day, she collapsed. For more than half an hour, doctors tried desperately to rescuscitate her but finally, all hope was lost, and Heather died peacefully at 2:43p.m. O'Rourke was buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. May 25, 1988. Heather O'Rourke Family O'Rourke has managed to keep her personal life away from the limelight hence she has not disclosed any information about her parents. Shortly before Heather was born, her mother Kathleen had decided to work for a few hours a day but to be able to do that, she first needed to find someone to take care of Heathers older sister Tammy who, at that time, was only three. Eventually, they began staying in L.A. and Anaheim during the week and going home to Santee on the weekends to be with their father, or sometimes he came up to visit them on his days off. We don't have much information about She's past relationship and any previous engaged. For the next 8 hours they were subject to every kind of horrible thing you can imagine. She gave her a piece of toast to eat while considering keeping her home that day. I wonder who the studio suit actually is, the one who murdered this young girl, mostly known for her role as Carol Anne in the Poltergeist movies. This website is dedicated to the life and memory of child actress Heather O'Rourke. He thought she was just too young (she had just turned five), and he was actually looking for a girl at least 6 years old, but he saw something in her and asked her to come in a second time with a scary story book. The following three years that Heather, Tammy, and their mother Kathy lived in Anaheim would be a bit of struggle for them and yet, the girls had adapted remarkably well to their new lives and surroundings and were very happy. 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. In 1984, the little actress had a minor role in the TV program Finder of Lost Loves. So, while Heather was gone filming, the house in Big Bear was sold and they began the moving process. She was still taking these medicines while filming Poltergeist III in Chicago and the side effects altered her appearance noticeably as the production progressed. Spielberg was looking for a. She would only be twelve years old when the movie would be completed and released the following year, but not too young, Heather thought, to get herself an Academy Award nomination for best actress. She died in Children's Hospital and Health Center in San Diego on February 1, 1988. He has managed to keep his family away from the media. Poltergeist is regarded The same year, she did the television film Massarati and the Brain as well. Why do people want my autograph? Unable to discover the source of the infection, they could not prove conclusively that Heather had gotten Giardia from water in Big Bear. Even so, as with the original Poltergeist, Heathers career gained additional momentum and as more roles and experience accumulated on her resume, she now began to get ideas about where else she wanted to apply her talents and interests. She also holds the distinction of being the youngest (age 5 at the time) actor/actress to utter the line that made the list. Back then it never crossed my mind that the girl could have been sexually abused. 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. They, along with their mother and stepfather, enjoyed outdoor activities too and as a family, would ski together in winter, and in summer go on long bicycle rides through the picturesque areas that surrounded their home. Heather O'Rourke was the child actress made famous by Poltergeist, directed by Steven Speilberg . Heather O'Rourke Parents and Siblings. 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. They had been living in Big Bear Lake for three years and had many wonderful times there, but Heather and Tammy had been longing for some time to return to their hometown of Santee to be closer to family, and to attend their old schools and see their childhood friends again. When the paramedics arrived, they immediately began assessing her condition and treating her accordingly. Poltergeist II began production in the summer of 1985 and Heather was very excited to be working with her onscreen family again but filming with director Brian Gibson soon became an arduous task as the production was plagued with delays and other strange occurrences. http://headhuntershorrorhouse.wikia.com/wiki/Heather_O%27Rourke, http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/heather-michele-orourke/images/34538533/title/heather_orourke-photo, http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/heather-orourke/images/26944606/title/heather-orourke-wallpaper, http://poeforward.blogspot.com/2009/12/happy-birthday-heather-poltergeist.html. She was thrilled to be doing a movie again so soon but the surprising disappointment for her was that due to a small production budget, only one of her original co-stars would appear in the movie with her. Said that if a Poltergeist IV would to happen it would have been her last film in the series. 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. 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. Heather O'Rourke Height, Weight & Measurements At 13 years old, Heather O'Rourke height is 142 cm . The following clip showed him strolling down the street at 2 a.m., heading to work. Other non-acting TV appearances included: an afternoon on the 1986 Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon where she took phone pledges as part of a panel of child actors, two stints as a celebrity judge on a special childrens edition of the popular amateur talent show called Puttin On The Hits, and as a guest on shows including The Merv Griffin Show, and various AM talk shows and PM entertainment shows. The paramedics immediately began attempting to revive her as the ambulance radioed ahead that cardiac arrest had occurred. Appeared on the doll box for Mattel's "My First Barbie" in 1980. 1 de fevereiro de 1988 (12 anos) Foi sepultada no Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. Saturday, she stayed at home most of the day but in the evening went out to eat dinner at the restaurant where Tammy worked and seemed to be feeling all right. 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. This is a look back at her life and legacy. | Still not convinced, he asked her to scream again, and again, and again, until finally, Heathers patience (which was unusual for a 4-year-old to have) began to run out and she informed him (politely) that she was finished screaming and that she would like to go home. 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. SAN DIEGO (AP) _ A wrongful death suit was filed Wednesday against a hospital and an insurance group by the estate of Heather O'Rourke, the actress sucked into a swirling supernatural vacuum in the Poltergeist movies. Heather O'Rourke Age. She also could hear that Heathers breathing had become shallow and labored and that she appeared to be trembling and growing weaker. Sam captioned the post, "From landing to TV . Tammy was still a bit too young for pre-school (nor did she particularly like that idea) and day-care would have been an additional expense, so the answer was: dance class. To complete it, they used a stunt child double with an obvious and poorly-fitted wig. Sherman chose the John Hancock Center, a skyscraper in his hometown of Chicago, for his version of the ghost story. 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. 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. 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 screamed until she broke down in tears. Aside from her TV and movie roles, she was, at heart, a regular kid who loved school, performed household chores, quarreled with her sister, and lived for shopping. She is not dating anyone. Her mother, Kathleen, did not know she was pregnant with twins when she had the miscarriage. The most well-known death that sparked and fuels the " Poltergeist curse" fire to this day was the shocking loss of Heather O' Rourke, who played Carol Ann the young, angelic face of the. Born in San Diego, California, she was discovered in 1980 by director Steven Spielberg, while eating lunch with her mother in the MGM Studio Commissary. Well, after you see it a lot of times, it isn't so much. Heather O'rourke Husband Heather is a married woman. 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. It wasn't. . Her parents divorced in 1981, following which her mother married Jim Peele, a part-time truck driver, in 1984. Terry Merryman, spokeswoman for Children's Hospital of San Diego, said Heather died Monday of septic shock due to congenital stenosis of the lower intestine, or bowel. Children came to the set where they were left alone by their parents. Later, that same year, the new family decided to leave Anaheim and move to the city of Big Bear Lake, located high in the San Bernardino Mountains east of Los Angeles. Her last words were "I love you" to her mother. Was a fan of River Phoenix with whom she appeared in the 1985 TV movie "Surviving". They also described cast meetings with her: everyone would be quickly leafing through the script, while Heather was sitting calmly. O'Rourke and her husband are proud parents to their 2 children, whose identities are under review. She may not have felt well, but Heather seldom, if ever, complained about feeling sick, and so eventually she went to the class. She told Heather to get dressed but shortly after getting up from the table, Heather cried out to her mother as she slumped to the floor holding her stomach. Her mother noticed her fingers were blue and her hands were cold. O'Rourke upptcktes som liten av regissren Steven Spielberg. Heather was delighted that she would be able to step out of the door of their mobile home and walk to the set at Disneyland a few blocks away. Ron Pennington, a spokesman for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. Her home life did not, ironically, include the viewing of certain filmsparticularly not horror films. She is 46 years old and is a Capricorn. Heather already had a small list of non-acting credits to her name. Heather was started on medication for Crohns disease to minimize further inflammation and damage to her intestine. [19] On January 31, 1988, O'Rourke suddenly became ill again, vomiting and unable to keep anything in her stomach. Heather was prescribed a medication called Flagyl and her condition improved over the next few weeks. Still a bit shy in front of the stranger, Heather just looked at her mother, who answered for her. Hollywood is truly satanic and needs to die. The . Heather O'Rourke Family, Parents, Siblings Attempts to establish her parents' identities were in vain since no information about them is available to the public. Egy nvre szletett, Tammy. When Heather returned home from school one afternoon with swelling in her lower legs and feet, her mother decided that this was not something to be taken lightly and so drove Heather all the way to San Diego for an examination by her usual doctors. They had a lengthy segment on heather where they interviewed her parents. I'm tired of this one, kind of. The obstruction caused an infection that, in turn, brought on septic shock. On her mothers advice, Heather accepted and was cast in the movie. In the years that followed, Heather was a familiar face on TV in Happy Days (1974) (1982-1983), Webster (1983) (1983-1984), and The New Leave It to Beaver (1983) (1986-1987), three shows in which she had recurring roles. Laboratory tests soon revealed what was causing her illness: Heathers intestinal tract had become infected with a microorganism called Giardia lamblia, which was common in mountain and other wilderness areas and usually contracted by drinking from an untreated water source. In addition to that, Tammy was being tutored a few hours a day to keep up with her schoolwork. Mr. ORourke was a carpenter by trade, and Mrs. ORourke occasionally worked part-time in order to help make ends meet. She was now nine, and with her age had come experience, wisdom, and of course acting ability. 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