Thora Birch became an instant star in her very first film appearance in the movie Purple People Eater in 1988, for which she garnered a Young Artist Award for “Best Young Actress Under Nine Years of Age”. She would then reinforce her status as a child star with outstanding performances in a number of films, such as All I Want for Christmas, Patriot Games, Hocus Pocus, Monkey Trouble, Now and Then, and Alaska.
Hailed as an indie-film heroine for her performance in Ghost World and American Beauty. Thora Birch received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress for her work in the former and a BAFTA nomination for Best Supporting Actress for the latter. Unfortunately, she didn’t go beyond that. And as it turned out, Ghost World supporting actress Scarlett Johansson became an even bigger star than her!
Anne Heche
Anne Celeste Heche rose to mainstream popularity after performing a dual role in the soap opera Another World and in various movies like Donnie Brasco, Volcano, Six Days, Seven Nights, and Return to Paradise. In 2004, the American actress won a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her part in the movie Gracie's Choice, and a Tony nomination for Best Actress in a Play for her performance in Broadway's Twentieth Century.
After her famed relationship with comedian Ellen DeGeneres though, Anne Heche’s career suffered a major decline. Her reputation took a further hit when the public found out that she was suffering from some kind of mental illness. Heche revealed on national TV that she had an alter ego who was God’s daughter and Jesus Christ’s sister, named "Celestia". Apparently, the alter ego also communicated with Aliens. In August 2022, Anne tragically passed away.
Linda Fiorentino
Linda Fiorentino landed her first acting role in 1985 when she was chosen as the lead star in the coming-of-age movie Vision Quest. Soon after, the American actress garnered critical acclaim for her play in the action movie “Gotcha!”. Following her success in Vision Quest and Gotcha, she continued to star in various films, such as After Hours, Queens Logic, and Jade.
Linda Fiorentino’s acting career rose to new and greater heights when she starred in the sci-fi action comedy film Men in Black, followed by other prominent movies like Dogma, Where the Money Is, and Liberty Stands Still. She received the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, the London Film Critics Circle Award for Actress of the Year, and a nomination for a BAFTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role for her play in the 1994 movie Last Seduction.
Edward Furlong
Edward Furlong received a Saturn and MTV movie award for his exceptional portrayal of the character John Connor, in the science-fiction action film Terminator 2: Judgment. A year later, he garnered yet another Saturn Award nomination for his performance in Pet Sematary and his first Young Artist Award for his work in A Home of Our Own alongside Kathy Bates, and he shared an ensemble nomination with the cast of the film as well.
But similar to his character in Terminator, Furlong was a troubled young man in real life, and his alcoholism and addiction ruined his promising career start. The American actor was apprehended by police officers twice for substance abuse, and on May 13th managed to escape jail sentence following a rehab program agreement that lasted for 90 days. Furlong has been in prison for a total of 61 days.
Erika Christensen
Erika Christensen has worked in various films throughout her career as an actress, including roles in Traffic, Swimfan, The Banger Sisters, The Perfect Score, and more. For her role in Traffic, she was awarded the MTV Movie Award for Breakthrough Female Performance and the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. She also received a Gracie Award for her role in the NBC family drama series, Parenthood.
Though many will best remember Erika Christensen as the fanatical character in Swimfan. Following her various awards and accolades for her role in Traffic and Parenthood, her career became somewhat stagnant. Today, Christensen stars on ABC’s drama series Ten Days in the Valley, together with Kyra Sedgwick.