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. Filming was eventually completed behind schedule in late 1985 and after rushed post-production, the movie premiered in May of the following year. When I have to look really frightened, I concentrate on scary things like losing my kittens or something like that. It is also not known if O'Rourke has any siblings. The obstruction caused an infection that, in turn, brought on septic shock. Before O'Rourke began acting, the family lived in a trailer park in Anaheim. Poltergeist II, although not as successful as the first, did reasonably well at the box-office nonetheless. After the miscarriage she was still feeling life inside of her. Unfortunately, the rising star met a tragic end at the young age of 12; she died of complications caused by a misdiagnosed intestinal stenosis. Heathers signs and symptoms were again becoming flu-like and so her mother kept her comfortable and gave her fluids as recommended by the advice nurse with whom she had consulted earlier by phone. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. Sometimes, the girls even performed onstage together. Her parents split in 1981, and O'Rourke's mother married part-time truck driver Jim Peele in 1984 while . 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. 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 both Heather and Tammys love of sweets (especially chocolate) that gave them the idea to share their delicious obsession with other Big Bear residents by becoming entrepreneurs for a while. Was given the clapperboard from her final movie Poltergeist III. He asked her to scream a lot. So, while Heather was gone filming, the house in Big Bear was sold and they began the moving process. Monday morning, February 1st, Heather awakened for school as usual, and joined her mother who was in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Heather responded appropriately with a loud and piercing scream. I want to continue acting, but I want to be a director. He introduced himself as Steven, asked her what her name was, and if he could talk to her. Heather O'Rourke Age. Aside from that scene and a few others that really frightened her, Heather had great fun making her scary movie both on and off the set. 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. 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. The little actress never refused an autograph. Cha m c b ly d nm 1981 v m ca Heather kt hn vi ti x xe ti Jim Peele vo nm 1984. Her mother worked as a seamstress and her father was a carpenter. After her parents' divorce, O'Rourke rarely saw her birth father and called her stepfather "Dad". When the paramedics arrived, they immediately began assessing her condition and treating her accordingly. When her mother and stepfather arrived they were informed of her condition and that she might have already suffered permanent brain damage due to the episode of cardio-respiratory arrest that occurred during the ambulance trip. I just thought it was too boring. 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. O'Rourke upptcktes som liten av regissren Steven Spielberg. 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. Four days later, the ORourke family and friends gathered to greet the 1976 Bicentennial New Year, and to celebrate the homecoming of Baby Heather; the newest addition to the ORourke family. To celebrate the end of filming, Heathers family planned to vacation the Summer of 1987 before returning to California. On her mothers advice, Heather accepted and was cast in the movie. Heather O'Rourke's Parents and Siblings. After her parents' divorce, O'Rourke rarely saw her birth father and called her stepfather "Dad". "My name is Heather O'Rourke," she said. 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. Kathleens maternal instincts told her otherwise though, and she declined to have anything done and instead, waited. Before O'Rourke began acting, the family lived in a trailer park in Anaheim. 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. CDAN - Blind item #40 revealed . 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 Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke. I hope the Weinstein scandal of last year will be the beginning of the end of this . It's therefore not clear if she has any siblings. And the unusual circumstances of her passing fueled a lot of parent's fears that maybe such a fate could take their children away just as abruptly. 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. Celia Foster, Other Works To the surprise and delight of everyone, it showed that she was indeed still pregnant, though when they found out how and why, the discovery itself was not without some sadness. Though neither of the actor/directors whom she admired went to film school themselves, Heather already had a plan to attend either USC or the rival UCLA to study directing and so working on this production would present a good opportunity for her to start developing her director skills. Kathleen had actually conceived twins, a boy and a girl, and it was the boy who had been miscarried. . She had German, Danish, English, and Irish ancestry. With the room tilted on its side, objects would be literally falling into the closet and finally Heather herself, appearing to be holding horizontally onto the headboard of her bed (but actually vertically suspended by a cable on the ceiling about 30 ft. above the floor) would be raised into the closet, also appearing to be sucked in. Biography. Heather O'Rourke Height and Weight. 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. Of the three Poltergeist films, Heather was most enthusiastic about this particular one because she made the most friends on the set, and, as her director Gary Sherman put it, Heather got to act and not just react, unlike the first two films. The next day he offered the role to her. A year later, she appeared in Poltergeist III, the third installment of the Poltergeist film series. 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. She has been working with the station since 2002. She had an older sister, Tammy O'Rourke, also an actress. Actress. 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. 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. By age five, barely after starting kindergarten, she would be making her first TV show appearance on ABCs Fantasy Island. 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. The movie was Poltergeist. However, the surgery did not help and the little girl died later that day. Heather is most known for her portrayal as Carol Anne Freeling in the 1982 hit movie Poltergeist and its sequels. Details about O'rourke's husband are not available currently. Her last words were "I love you" to her mother. Heather prefers to keep details about her spouse and family members private. They eventually closed-up shop for good and Heather decided to stick with acting. Heather died Feb. 1 on the operating table at Children's Hospital of San Diego. The paramedics immediately began attempting to revive her as the ambulance radioed ahead that cardiac arrest had occurred. Heather O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. I'm really not afraid of spooky things. 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. Next day, again at lunch, Spielberg was back at their table and this time he sat and talked for a little while. Being able to memorize 60 pages of script an hour, she would have already memorized the entire script. 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 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 By the end of summer, they had completed their relocation back to East San Diego County, settling in Lakeside, which was very close to Santee. This website is dedicated to the life and memory of child actress Heather O'Rourke. 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. O'Rourke suffered from giardiasis in 1987 and was later diagnosed with Crohn's disease. Spielberg, who was just finishing up Raiders of the Lost Ark, was preparing to film ET but also had another film project in the works. She was on medication throughout the filming of her next project, Poltergeist III (1988), and her cheeks were puffy in some scenes. 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. That would make me happy because I'd be bringing others pleasure while doing something I like. She quickly won the respect, admiration, and especially the affection of the entire cast and crew, and, as an added consolation for her suffering, Heather was also allowed to take home the two goldfish that had been used for one of her less scary scenes. She died of a heart attack caused by septic shock brought on by congenital stenosis of the intestine. Horoscope and astrology data of Heather O'Rourke born on 27 December 1975 San Diego, California, with biography. Like her co-stars, Heathers career had also gained momentum after her debut in Poltergeist and so by the time that she signed on for Poltergeist II and the film went into pre-production, she had spent three years on prime time TV with regular series and TV movies to her credit. The next morning, February 1, sitting at the breakfast table, she couldn't swallow her toast or Gatorade. I won't get it until I'm 18, so I'll use it for college. However, the girl's health kept worsening. Why do people want my autograph? O'Rourke likes spending her free time with her husband . 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. Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 - February 1, 1988) [3] was an American child actress. Sam captioned the post, "From landing to TV . After the success of Poltergeist, with her own agent and manager, Heather began to appear regularly on television, first landing a recurring role on Happy Days in the Fall of 1982. The only unanswered questions were, could she act, and more importantly, could she scream convincingly? This is a look back at her life and legacy. Heather was started on medication for Crohns disease to minimize further inflammation and damage to her intestine. The same year, she did the television film Massarati and the Brain as well. That means she died of shock caused by infection in the blood, which in turn was caused by a birth defect that made a section of her intestine abnormally narrow. 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. 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