Fairuza Balk

Legend has it that she was named Fairuza because her father, an expert in Persian culture, exclaimed that word the moment she was born, Fairuza meaning Turquoise in Persian, and Balk's eyes being of that color. Soon after her parents split, Fairuza became a world traveller. Raised for the first part of her life in San Francisco, she and her mother moved to Vancouver when Fairuza counted nine years of age. At the age of 11, she moved to London, where she attented various prestigious ballet and acting schools. At that age also, she was picked by the Walt Disney Company to act in the movie Return to Oz[?]. In 1988, she moved to Paris, to do more work as an actress and by 1989 she was back in Vancouver, and she began to attend high school. Soon, however, she decided to take correspondence courses instead.

Then, she went back to Hollywood, where she began to be more and more noticed as an actress. In 1992, she was awarded an Independent Spirit Award[?] , in the category of Best Actress.

Balk was soon cast in The Craft, in which she forms a teenage coven along with Neve Campbell, Rachel True and Robin Tunney. This was particularly appropriate casting, as Fairuza is a wiccan in real life, and she owns a store dedicated to that religion, named Panpipes Magickal.

Balk also had a memorable performance as a neo-nazi opposite Edward Norton in American History X.

Balk has been romantically linked to British[?] actor David Thewlis[?]. She also dated Marilyn Manson, but they have since split.

Filmography

• The Best Christmas Pageant Ever[?] (1983, television movie)
• Return to Oz[?] (1985, movie)
• The Walt Disney Comedy and Magic Review[?] (1985, video)
• Deceptions[?] (1986, tv movie)
• The Worst Witch[?] (1986, tv movie)
• Discovery (1986, movie)
• Poor Little Rich Girl: The Barbara Hutton Story[?] (1987, tv movie, she played Barbara Hutton[?] at 12)
• The Outside Chance of Maximilian Glick[?] (1988, Australian produced video.
• Valmont[?] (1989, French movie)
• Deadly Intentions....Again[?] (1991 tv movie)
• Gas Food Lodging[?] (1992 movie)
• Shame (1992 tv movie)
• The Danger of Love[?] (1992 tv movie)
• Murder in the Heartland[?] (1993 tv movie)
• Imaginary Crimes[?] (1994 movie)
• Tollbooth[?] (1994 movie)
• Things to Do in Denver When You're Dead[?] (1995 movie, alongside Andy Garcia[?])
• Shadow of a Doubt (1995 tv movie)
• The Craft (1996 movie)
• The Island of Doctor Moreau[?] (1996 movie)
• The Witching Hour[?] (1996 tv movie, as herself)
• The Maker[?] (1997 movie)
• American Perfekt[?] (1997 movie)
• There's no Fish Food in Heaven[?] (1998 movie)
• American History X (1998 movie)
• The Waterboy[?] (1998 movie)
• Fairuza Returns to Oz[?] (1999, video documentary interview)
• Fairuza Goes to Oz[?] (1999 video)
• The Sopranos (tv series, she was in three episodes in 1999)
• Family Guy (tv series, she was a voice in one episode in 1999)
• Red Letters[?] (2000 movie)
• Almost Famous[?] (2000 movie)
• What is It?[?] (2000 movie, voice)
• Personal Velocity[?] (2002 movie)
• Deuces Wild[?] (2002 movie)
• Grand Theft Auto: Vice City (2002 video game, as the voice of Mercedes Cortez)