Her older sister, . When MGM started the Pennies from Heaven production in the summer of 1980, rehearsing and filming was several days a week beginning early in the morning and often lasting all day long. The movie was Poltergeist. The paramedics immediately began attempting to revive her as the ambulance radioed ahead that cardiac arrest had occurred. In a strange and yet consistent coincidence, MGM, as with the original Poltergeist, was once again unable to entice the writer/producer/director team of Poltergeist II to do another sequel that soon, and so again scrambled to find someone to take the helm for the third film. The film, which was released in 1982, made her an instant child star. Drugs were commonplace. Heather O'Rourke made a guest appearance on "CHiPs" in "Fun House" as Lindsey.. View agent, publicist, legal and company contact details on IMDbPro, Child Actors & Former Child Actors -- Gone Too Soon. O'Rourke had an elder sister named Tammy, who was also an actress. O'Rourke was buried at the Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. O'Rourke became ill in early 1987 and was misdiagnosed by doctors at Kaiser Permanente Hospital as having Crohn's disease. She was only twelve years old. The shot was painstakingly setup by Spielberg himself and had all the promise of being a spectacular effect on film. When the paramedics came in, Heather insisted that she was "really okay" and was worried about missing school that day. Her father Jzsef Barsi was an abusive alcoholic, who steadily grew more . Appeared on the doll box for Mattel's "My First Barbie" in 1980. [on the first two Poltergeist movies]: The first one I saw 12 times. O'Rourke also made a guest appearance in The New Leave It to Beaver the same year. What made her death especially unsettling was the fact that she lacked prior . May 25, 1988. 131 Heather O Rourke Photos and Premium High Res Pictures - Getty Images CREATIVE Collections Project #ShowUs Creative Insights Custom Content EDITORIAL VIDEO BBC Motion Gallery NBC News Archives MUSIC BLOG BROWSE PRICING BOARDS CART SIGN IN Editorial Images Images Creative Editorial Video Creative Editorial FILTERS CREATIVE EDITORIAL VIDEO All Spielberg promptly cast her in the horror film Poltergeist (1982) as Carol Anne Freeling, and O'Rourke earned recognition for her performance. When this occurred, the infectious contents spilled into Heathers abdomen and bacteria had entered her bloodstream, where they rapidly multiplied and spread throughout her body. You meet a lot of people. She is 46 years old and is a Capricorn. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. 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!" Heather O'Rourke is an American Emmy Award-winning Anchor/Reporter working for WABC in New York City as a Traffic Anchor. Kathleen had actually conceived twins, a boy and a girl, and it was the boy who had been miscarried. She had already been ill for a while with what they thought was probably the flu. 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 was the child actress made famous by Poltergeist, directed by Steven Speilberg . Early on, when they were still making their debut on the local talent circuit, their father was tolerant and even supportive of what they were doing since their activities did not dominate or disrupt family life, but as Tammy started filming Annie and Heather started filming Poltergeist at about the same time, it became apparent that even though he was proud of them, he did not want to share his family that much. Before O'Rourke began acting, the family lived in a trailer park in Anaheim. Heather O'rourke Husband ,Married and Children Heather is a married woman. You could fall asleep. Drew Barrymore had auditioned, but Spielberg felt she wasnt quite right for that particular movie (he gave her a part in ET instead though, which launched her career) and so he kept on looking. After Heather moved to Big Bear, she continued to work steadily but her acting always revolved around her home life. Under medical supervision with a local doctor in Chicago though, Heather seemed to improve, and she tolerated the duration of the treatment quite well. She is best remembered for her roles of 'Carol Anne Freeling' in the Poltergeist horror movie franchise (1982, 1986, and 1988). C b c mt ch gi, Tammy O'Rourke, cng l mt din vin. 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. This website is dedicated to the life and memory of child actress Heather ORourke. If there is a sequel, a 'Poltergeist IV,' I hope it's the last. The little actress never refused an autograph. LOS ANGELES (AP) The death of 12-year-old Poltergeist actress Heather O'Rourke was distinctly unusual because she lacked prior symptoms of the bowel defect that reportedly killed her, gastrointestinal doctors say. Was featured on The Great Mouse Ride in Disney World. She would have graduated in 1989. Heather was well known for her role as Carol Anne Fleming in the blockbuster 1982 Steven Spielberg film series Poltergeist. The same year, she did the television film Massarati and the Brain as well. 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. They admitted her to the hospital this time and did a complete examination. 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. The only unanswered questions were, could she act, and more importantly, could she scream convincingly? Heather had been Ill before we started shooting and her parents had been taking her to doctors. A year later, she appeared in Poltergeist III, the third installment of the Poltergeist film series. 1 de fevereiro de 1988 (12 anos) Foi sepultada no Westwood Village Memorial Park Cemetery. She also loved to make and sweets. Heather Michele O'Rourke was born in San Diego, California, on December 27, 1975, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. About Latest Posts Heather O'rourke Husband Heather is a married woman. 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. 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. She was sitting alone in the MGM Commissary waiting for her mother when a . 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. Heathers new-found success would come at a price though, and during the filming of Poltergeist, at the very beginning stages of her career, the lives of her, and her sister and mother changed practically overnight and were not completely without their share of stress and unhappiness. Heather O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, California, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. She has been working with the station since 2002. 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. They also described cast meetings with her: everyone would be quickly leafing through the script, while Heather was sitting calmly. Heather already had a small list of non-acting credits to her name. She started with tap lessons, and liked it so much that after a short time began performing in little recitals with her class. Soon enough she was earning an estimated $100,000 a year, money which her parents came to depend on. O'Rourke was also known for making numerous television appearances as a guest. Spielberg realized that this was Heathers way of telling him that the interview was over and so he called in her mother. She remained alive but shortly after 2:00p.m., her condition began to worsen and soon after, her heartbeat faltered and her breathing stopped. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. The operation was a common procedure with a high rate of success and recovery, and was routinely performed on pediatric patients at Childrens Hospital, and Heathers mother immediately agreed to it, but because of the overwhelming bacterial infection, septic shock, and apparent brain damage that she had suffered, Heathers condition was uncertain even before the surgery was attempted, and so her mother was also informed that Heather might not survive. In 1984, their mother Kathy met and married a part-time truck-driver named Jim Peele who lived in the same mobile home park. 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. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, who was also an actress. 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'Rourke upptcktes som liten av regissren Steven Spielberg. Her career as a child actress enabled her to earn a decent amount of money. A couple of years ago, I decided it would be a different experience to work behind the camera. Eventually, the medications were to be gradually reduced according to the standard of treatment and so by the end of principal filming in June of 1987, Heathers appearance began returning to normal. For a pet, she had a St. Bernard. I don't think it would scare anyone. This living arrangement made it easier for Tammy to fulfill her dance role, but it also meant giving up certain things such as spending time with family and school friends from Santee. But her mother was not convinced and again returned to San Diego when Heathers symptoms persisted despite taking the prescribed medications. They eventually closed-up shop for good and Heather decided to stick with acting. Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, [3] [4] to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. 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. "My name is Heather O'Rourke," she said. After Heather was stabilized, her mother was informed of her critical condition and that she would have to be transported by LifeFlight helicopter to another hospital. Heather's parents, who live in Big Bear but are also believed to have a home in San Diego, were too distraught to comment, Wardlowe said. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. Heather seemed confident about being able to do this and so together, they relayed back and forth, Spielberg giving lines and direction, and Heather following along. Heather Michele O'Rourke was born to parents Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, California. The ER team immediately took over the resuscitation of Heather and after several long minutes, succeeded in restoring her vital signs. 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. Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) [3] was an American child actress. Heather O'rourke Parents Details about her parents are not known to the public, however, she has a sibling, an elder sister. Two years later, she reprised her role of Carol Anne Freeling in the sequel of Poltergeist, titled Poltergeist II: The Other Side. 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. That miracle was finally realized when, two days after Christmas 1975, in San Diego, California, Heather Michele O'Rourke was born. One of those ten, was Tammy. 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. This not only saved them costly embarrassment, but it also greatly increased the chances of the sequels success. They had a lengthy segment on heather where they interviewed her parents. 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. Kathleen O'rourke is the mother of poltergeist actress, #Heatherorourke. On January 31, 1988, she started vomiting and the following day, she collapsed. I'm tired of this one, kind of. 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. 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. This movie was released posthumously. . Heather O'Rourke is a Capricorn and was born in The Year of the Rabbit Life Heather O'Rourke was born in Santee, CA on Saturday, December 27, 1975 (Generation X generation). However, the girl's health kept worsening. 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