Thora Birch (born March 11, 1982) is an American actress, producer, and director. She made her feature film debut in 1988 with a starring role in Purple People Eater, winning a Young Artist Award for 'Best Actress Under Nine Years of Age'. Birch rose to prominence as a child star during the 1990s through roles in films including Paradise, Patriot Games, Hocus Pocus, Monkey Trouble, Now and Then, and Alaska. Birch's breakthrough into adult-oriented roles came with her portrayal of Jane Burnham in American Beauty (1999), for which she was nominated for that year's BAFTA for Best Supporting Actress. Birch received further acclaim—and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress—for starring as Enid Coleslaw in the cult hit Ghost World (2001), and was nominated for an Emmy Award for her work in the 2003 television film Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. Her film credits during the 2000s include Dungeons & Dragons, The Hole, Silver City, and Dark Corners. Birch took a break after producing and starring in the 2012 film Petunia but returned in 2016, appearing in various independent features such as The Last Black Man in San Francisco (2019). Birch played Mary (aka 'Gamma') on the tenth season of AMC's The Walking Dead from 2019–2020. In 2022, Birch made her directorial debut with the Lifetime television film The Gabby Petito Story. She will make her feature directorial debut with an adaptation of Elmore Leonard's novel Mr. Paradise, making her the first woman to direct a Leonard adaptation. Birch was born in Los Angeles, California, to Jack Birch and Carol Connors, ex-pornographic film actors who both appeared in 1972's Deep Throat. She got her first big break at the age of four, when she successfully auditioned for a Quaker Oats commercial.