Fairuza Balk Biography:

Born Fairuza Alejandra Balk on May 21, 1974 in Point Reyes California to father Solomon Feldthouse (a musician) and mother Cathryn Balk (a belly dancer). Fairuza, as her name might infer to some, grew up in a very free, almost hippie-like lifestyle. Her parents split up shortly after her birth and Fairuza was living with her mother, growing up north of San Francisco on a commune/ranch.

By the time she was nine her mother had found work in Vancouver and they went North of the Border to Canada to live. Shortly after Fairuza landed her first acting gig in the TV-movie The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. By 11, mother and daughter were on the move again, this time to England so Fairuza could attend the Royal Academy of Ballet, the Ramona Beauchamp Agency and the Bush Davies Performing Arts School. Her unique look and personality would bring her to the forefront of a widespread search. A 'sequel' called Return To Oz was being cast by Disney and she was chosen from over 1,200 girls to play the part of Dorothy. Her first step onto the big screen with Disney backing her led to more work within the industry. Films like The Worst Witch (a theme that seems to run through Fairuza's life), Discovery, and Deceptions kept her busy.

At 15 she was cast in Milos Foreman's Valmont so mother and daughter packed up once more and headed to Paris. Oddly enough, the following year the duo returned to Vancouver and Fairuza began attending high school like other kids her age. Despite her film success she proved to be a quiet student and completed high school via correspondence courses. Which was fine because her professional life was really just beginning to take off. In 1992 she starred in Allison Ander’s Gas, Food, and Lodging, and received an Independent Spirit Award for Best Actress.

More TV movies followed until the mid-90's when she landed The Craft, the film that will forever keep her within cult status. Again with the witch theme, Fairuza was now a practicing Wiccan, something more than a roel, as she also owns a Wiccan shop in Hollywood called Panpipes Magickal. The Craft, with a huge roster of relatively undiscovered talent, included the likes of Christine Taylor, Skeet Ulrich, Neve Campbell, Robin Tunney, and Breckin Meyer. Though the film pulled in only $25 million with a $15 million budget it became a huge video success and a fave of the teenage girl set.

Since The Craft she has worked steadily and in larger films, playing love interest to Adam Sandler in The Waterboy, a band-aid in Almost Famous, and a role in the truly disturbing but equally great film American History X.

In 2002 Fairuza appeared in the disappointing 1950s street gang movie, Deuces Wild, along with Brad Renfro and Stephen Dorff. That year she gave a touching performance in Rebecca Miller’s indie film Personal Velocity.