Balk, Fairuza 1974–

PERSONAL

Full name, Fairuza Alejandra Balk; some sources cite original name as Fairuza Alejandra Feldthouse; born May 21, 1974, in Point Reyes Station, CA; raised in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada; daughter of Solomon Feldthouse (a folk musician) and Cathryn Balk (a dancer and teacher of Middle Eastern and flamenco dancing). Education: Attended Vancouver Academy of Music and Bush Davies Performing Arts School, England. Avocational Interests: Reading, writing, singing, dancing, playing the guitar and piano.

Addresses: Agent—The Gersh Agency, 232 North Canon Dr., Beverly Hills, CA 90210-5302. Manager—Untitled Entertainment, 331 North Maple Dr., Third Floor, Beverly Hills, CA 90210.

Career: Actress. Panpipes (occult craft store), California, former owner.

Member: Screen Actors Guild.

Awards, Honors: Saturn Award nomination, best performance by a younger actor, Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, and Young Artist Award nomination, best starring performance by a young actress in a motion picture, Young Artist Foundation, both 1986, for Return to Oz; CableACE Award nomination, best supporting actress in a movie or mini-series, National Cable Television Association, 1992, for Shame; Independent Spirit Award, best female lead, Independent Features Project/West, 1993, for Gas Food Lodging; Enzian Award for artistic achievement, Florida Film Festival, 1994; MTV Movie Award (with Robin Tunney), best fight, and Saturn Award nomination, best supporting actress, both 1997, for The Craft; Online Film Critics Society Award (with others), best ensemble cast performance, Screen Actors Guild Award nomination (with others), outstanding performance by the cast of a theatrical motion picture, and Blockbuster Entertainment Award nomination, favorite supporting actress—drama/romance, all 2001, for Almost Famous.

CREDITS

Film Appearances:

Dorothy Gale, Return to Oz (also known as The Adventures of the Devil from the Sky and Oz), Buena Vista, 1985.

Molly, Discovery (also known as Zargon), Showscan Film Corporation, 1986.

Celia Brzjinski, The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick (also known as Bright Spark), Northern Lights, 1988.

Cecile de Volanges, Valmont, Orion, 1989.

Shade, Gas Food Lodging, IRS Releasing, 1992.

Doris, Tollbooth, New Line Cinema, 1994.

Sonya, Imaginary Crimes, Warner Bros., 1994.

Lucinda, Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead, Miramax, 1995.

Aissa, The Island of Dr. Moreau, New Line Cinema, 1996.

Nancy, The Craft, Columbia/TriStar, 1996.

Alice, American Perfekt, American Perfekt Productions, 1997.

Bella Sotto, The Maker, Maker Productions, 1997.

Mona, There's No Fish Food in Heaven (also known as Life in the Fast Lane), Lions Gate Films/Storm Entertainment, 1998.

Stacey, American History X, New Line Cinema, 1998.

Vicki Vallencourt, The Waterboy, Buena Vista, 1998.

Theresa Calico, Great Sex, 1999.

Killer's Head, 1999.

Sapphire, Almost Famous (also known as Something Real, Stillwater, The Uncool, and Untitled Cameron Crowe Project), DreamWorks, 2000, director's cut released as Untitled: Almost Famous the Bootleg Cut. Annie, Deuces Wild (also known as Deuces Wild—Wild in den Strassen), United Artists, 2002.

Herself, Film Trix 2002 (short documentary), Cornuko-pia Entertainment/Lowbar Productions, 2002.

Paula, Personal Velocity: Three Portraits (also known as Personal Velocity), United Artists, 2002.

Amber, Don't Come Knocking, United International Pictures/Sony Pictures Entertainment, 2005.

Lola, A Year and a Day, Minetta Lane Productions, 2005.

Voice of Snail, What Is It?, Volcanic Eruptions, c. 2005.

Logan's mother, Wild Tigers I Have Known, Cut and Paste Films, 2006.

Television Appearances; Miniseries:

Penny Richards, Deceptions, NBC, 1985.

Caril Ann Fugate, Murder in the Heartland, ABC, 1993.

Television Appearances; Movies:

Barbara Hutton at the age of twelve, Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story, NBC, 1987.

Stacey, Deadly Intentions … Again?, ABC, 1991.

Lisa Carlin, The Danger of Love, CBS, 1992.

Lizzie Curtis, Shame, Lifetime, 1992.

Angel Harwell, Shadow of a Doubt, NBC, 1995.

Gretchen Van Buren, Red Letters, HBO, 2000.

Television Appearances; Specials:

Beth Bradley, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, ABC, 1983.

Herself, The Whimsical World of Oz (documentary),PBS, 1985.

Mildred Hubble, The Worst Witch, HBO, 1986.

Herself and Nancy Downs, The Witching Hour (also known as The Making of "The Craft'), 1996.

Herself, Canned Ham: The Waterboy The Comedy Network, 1998.

Television Appearances; Awards Presentations:

2000 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards, Fox, 2000.

Television Appearances; Episodic:

"Milos Forman: Portrait," American Masters, PBS, 1989.

Voice of Connie DiMico, "Peter, Peter, Caviar Eater," Family Guy (animated; also known as Padre de familia and Padre del familia), Fox, 1999.

Voice of Connie DiMico, "Let's Go to the Hop," Family Guy (animated; also known as Padre de familia and Padre del familia), Fox, 2000.

FBI agent Deborah Ciccerone/Danielle, "Army of One," The Sopranos (also known as Made in New Jersey), HBO, 2001.

Voice of Connie DiMico, "And the Wiener Is …," Family Guy (animated; also known as Padre de familia and Padre del familia), Fox, 2001.

Voice of Penny, "Only a Dream: Part 1," Justice League (animated; also known as JL, JLA, and Justice League Unlimited), Cartoon Network, 2003.

Stacia, "Pick Me Up," Masters of Horror, Showtime, 2006.

Stage Appearances:

Dottie Smith, Killer Joe, Soho Playhouse, New York City, 1998.

RECORDINGS

Videos:

(In archive footage) Dorothy Gale, The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Revue (short), Walt Disney Home Video, 1985.

Fairuza Returns to Oz, Anchor Bay Entertainment, 1999.

Conjuring "The Craft," Columbia/TriStar Home Video, 2000.

(Uncredited) Moby's love, Moby: Play—The DVD, V2 Records, 2001.

Personal Velocity: Creating "Personal Velocity," Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Video, 2003.

Personal Velocity: In Conversation Rebecca, Parker, Fairuza, and Kyra, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer/United Artists Home Video, 2003.

Music Videos:

ZZ Top, "Breakaway," 1994.

Soul Defense Network, "Funky Ajoyah," c. 1997.

Moby, "Natural Blues," 2000.

Video Games:

Voice of Mercedes Cortez, Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (also known as Vice City), Capcom, 2002.

Voice of Lady T'Lak, Lords of Everquest, Sony Online, 2003.

OTHER SOURCES

Periodicals:

Interview, October, 1998.

Maclean's, November 20, 1989.

Movieline, November, 1998, p. 13.

US Weekly, September 25, 2000, pp. 78-79.