Thora Birch is one of the biggest child stars of all time, having risen to fame back in the 90s. She appeared in classics like Hocus Pocus, and she even starred alongside Scarlett Johansson in the underrated Ghost World. She proved herself to be a performer that could hold her own with the best in the business while also stealing scenes in her biggest movies. Despite all of the success that she had through the years, many people noticed that Birch would virtually disappear from the entertainment industry altogether.

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Even though she stands as one of the biggest 90s child stars, Birch was nowhere to be found. Looking back, it seems like there was a key incident that occurred that completely changed everything in her acting career, and her blacklisting seems legitimate when looking at all the evidence. So, what exactly happened with Thora Birch? Let’s dive in and see!

Updated on November 5, 2021, by Michael Chaar: Thora Birch was all the rage throughout the 90s, landing roles in hit films such as Hocus Pocus, Monkey Trouble, and Ghost World, to name a few. Despite her success, she practically fell off the face of the Earth in 2010 after being fired from the off-Broadway revival of Dracula. This all came about after her father, Jack Birch, assaulted a crew member. This was enough to leave the Birch name tainted, ultimately causing Thora to lose out on roles for the foreseeable future. Luckily for Thora, her comeback is well underway and she has taken on roles in The Walking Dead, and Kindred Spirits. Not to mention, she's also found love after marrying her husband, Michael Benton Adler, back in 2018.

Her Rise To Stardom

When looking at Thora Birch’s blacklisting, it’s important to shine a light on her rise to stardom. This will give a ton of insight about her prior work and how completely bizarre it was that she disappeared almost overnight.

According to IMDb, her acting career began back in the '80s on projects like Day by Day and Doogie Howser, but it was her roles in the '90s that really turned things up a notch for the young performer. Despite most of her '80s success being on the small screen, Birch would look to film for her massive break.

Early on in the '90s, Thora blew up when she appeared in huge films like Patriot Games and Hocus Pocus. The latter film is a genuine Halloween classic, and it has been a mainstay in living rooms everywhere for well over 20 years now. Other films like Clear and Present Danger, Now & Then, and American Beauty were all successful and helped the actress achieve a huge following.

Even as the 2000s moved along, she would continue to land steady work. While her projects during that decade were not as huge as her 90s counterparts, Birch was still making things happen on the big and small screen.

Despite having a ton of success and a filmography that any performer would love to have, one event may have changed everything for the performer.

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The Incident That Changed Everything

No matter how popular a performer gets, all it takes is one mistake or one event for them to lose almost everything in the blink of an eye. For Thora Birch, things would change drastically for her after an event in 2010.

The Guardian had a chance to interview Thora Birch some years back, and they would elaborate on the alleged incident that had a huge hand in things changing for the actress.

The article states, “In 2010, she was fired from the off-Broadway theatrical revival of Dracula after it was alleged that Birch's father, Jack, her manager and a frequent presence at his daughter's rehearsals, had physically threatened one of the other actors.”

Now, incidents happen all the time on set, but once things get violent, big problems are around the corner. Even though Birch was not the one getting violent, it still had an effect on her.

She would open up about it, saying, “I pissed a lot of people off over a long period of time and they found a way to upset me, hoping that upset would bring a change in my behavior.” Something like this could have blown over, but instead, things would not get better for Birch, and her career would take a sizable hit.

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Where Is Thora Birch Today?

So, did this incident actually have an impact on Thora Birch getting roles in the entertainment industry? Shockingly, there is a noticeable dip in her work after the incident was made public.

On the big screen, Birch would only have one role between 2010 and 2018, appearing in 2012’s Petunia, according to IMDb. Instead of regularly appearing in roles like she had before the incident, things were totally different now.

As if this wasn’t bad enough, there would be a similar thing happening for her on television, as well. After the incident in 2010, Birch would not land a television project until 2016. This was a massive gap in work, and it gave a lot more credence to her blacklisting rumors.

It looks like things have picked up a bit more for Birch in recent years. She was able to land a role on The Walking Dead back in 2019, and she has appeared in multiple episodes of the show. According to IMDb, she is also back to landing roles on the big screen, which includes her most recent 2020 film, Kindred Spirits.

While blacklisting in Hollywood can often be rumors, it really seems like one incident got Thora Birch practically thrown out of Hollywood. It’s nice to see that she is back where she belongs.

In addition to her career comeback, Thora has also found love! In December of 2018, Birch officially tied the knot with her hubby, Michael Benton Adler, who just so happens to be very familiar with the limelight. Adler is a talent manager and philanthropist, however, it remains unknown whether he represents Thora or not. The duo have shared some epic moments of their time together, particularly their trip to Romania earlier this summer.

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