Portrait of Heather O'Rourke

Birthday profile

Heather O'Rourke

Heather O'Rourke, American actress (died 1988)

Born
December 27, 1975
Died
February 1, 1988
Zodiac sign
Capricorn
Birth year
1975

About Heather O'Rourke

Heather Michele O'Rourke (December 27, 1975 – February 1, 1988) was an American child actress. She had her breakthrough starring as Carol Anne Freeling in the supernatural horror film Poltergeist (1982), which received critical acclaim and established her as an influential figure in the genre. She went on to reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), the last of which was released posthumously. O'Rourke also worked in television, appearing in the recurring roles of Heather Pfister on the comedy series Happy Days (1982–1983) and Melanie in the sitcom Webster (1983), as well as starring as Sarah Brogan in the television-film Surviving: A Family in Crisis (1985). Throughout her career, O'Rourke was nominated for six Young Artist Awards, winning once for her role in Webster. On February 1, 1988, O'Rourke died following two cardiac arrests, her cause of death later being ruled as congenital stenosis of the intestine complicated by septic shock. Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke.

Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.

Career and life highlights

Heather O'Rourke timeline

  1. Heather Michele O'Rourke was born on December 27, 1975, in San Diego, to Kathleen and Michael O'Rourke.
  2. She went on to reprise the role in Poltergeist II: The Other Side (1986) and Poltergeist III (1988), the last of which was released posthumously.

The world when Heather O'Rourke was born

Heather O'Rourke was born in 1975. The year snapshot below places that birthday in its cultural and historical setting: the music and films people were following, the headlines shaping public life, and the everyday prices families encountered.

Culture in 1975

  • #1 song"Love Will Keep Us Together" – Captain & Tennille
  • Top movieJaws
  • Top TV showAll in the Family
  • Best-selling bookShogun – James Clavell

Headlines and milestones

  • Major sports momentMuhammad Ali vs Joe Frazier III "Thrilla in Manila"
  • Top headlineFall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
  • Technology milestoneAltair 8800 — first personal computer kit
  • Defining fadPet Rocks — 1.5 million sold
  • Notable inventionPet Rock
  • World population4.09 billion

United States snapshot

  • U.S. leaderGerald Ford
  • Sports championCincinnati Reds (World Series)
  • Also wonGolden State Warriors (NBA)
  • U.S. population215.9M

1975 versus 2026

These figures put everyday life in Heather O'Rourke's birth year beside the site's latest United States snapshot.

Measure19752026
Gas$0.57$3.45/gal
Average home$28,900$435,000
Average income$14,700$67,500
Minimum wage$2.10$7.25/hr (federal)
Movie ticket$2.05$11.95
Postage stamp$0.10$0.73
Population215.9M341 million

Sources and editorial standards

This profile combines a biographical source with structured birthday and historical context. Sources recorded for this profile: Wikipedia, IMDb, Wikidata. See our editorial policy for sourcing, corrections, and review standards.

Read the source biography on Wikipedia. Wikipedia text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.