Editing Thora Birch (section)

== Early life ==
Birch was born in [[Los Angeles]], California, to Jack Birch and [[Carol Connors (actress)|Carol Connors]], ex-pornographic film actors who both appeared in 1972's ''[[Deep Throat (film)|Deep Throat]]''.<ref name="Healy Dec 2010">{{cite news |last=Healy |first=Patrick |title=Actress Thora Birch Fired From 'Dracula' |url=http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/actress-thora-birch-fired-from-dracula/ |access-date=2022-09-18 |department=ArtsBeat |work=The New York Times |date=2010-12-14 |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=O'Neal |first=Sean |title=Thora Birch's creepy ex-porn star dad gets her fired |url=https://www.avclub.com/thora-birchs-creepy-ex-porn-star-dad-gets-her-fired-1798223158 |access-date=2022-09-18 |website=The A.V. Club |date=2010-12-14}}</ref><ref name="Sharbutt 1978">{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1356&dat=19780213&id=CLFPAAAAIBAJ&sjid=xAUEAAAAIBAJ&pg=7135,3674037 |last=Sharbutt |first=Jay |title=Young Gong Show Introducer Carol Connors Rings Bell |agency=Associated Press |newspaper=Ocala Star-Banner |date=13 February 1978 |page=3B |issn=0163-3201 |access-date=18 September 2022 |via=News.google.com}}</ref>  She is of [[Germans|German]], [[Nordic countries|Scandinavian]], [[French Canadians|French-Canadian]] and [[Italians|Italian]] ancestry.<ref name="Gray Mar 2002">{{cite news |last=Gray |first=Marianne |url=http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2002/03/17/arts/ane09.asp |title=Getting her own thing going |work=The Sunday Times |publication-place=Johannesburg |date=2002-03-17 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20020526030557/http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/2002/03/17/arts/ane09.asp |archive-date=2002-05-26}}</ref> Her forename is derived from that of [[Norse mythology|Norse god]] of thunder and lightning, "[[Thor]]", which would have been her name if she had been born a boy.<ref name="Biography.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.biography.com/people/thora-birch-9542486 |author=<!--anonymous author, no byline--> |title=Thora Birch Biography |date=April 2, 2014 |publisher=A&E Television Networks |website=Biography.com |archive-date=2018-03-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180323122236/https://www.biography.com/people/thora-birch-9542486}}</ref><ref name="Fearless Thora"/> She has a younger brother, Bolt Birch.<ref name="Spencer Aug 2019">{{cite web |first=Ashley |last=Spencer |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/what-happened-to-thora-birch-star-of-ghost-world/ |title=What Happened to Thora Birch? |website=[[Vice (magazine)|Vice]] |date=August 2, 2019 |access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>

Because of their own experience with the entertainment industry, Birch's parents were reluctant to encourage her to act, but were persuaded to show Birch's photograph to talent agents by a babysitter who noticed her imitating commercials.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ktla.com/entertainment/thora-birch-makes-her-directorial-debut-by-telling-the-story-of-gabbie-petito/|title=Thora Birch makes her directorial debut by telling the story of Gabby Petito|website=KTLA|date=September 26, 2022|access-date=June 15, 2023}}</ref> Birch got her first big break at the age of four, when the babysitter accompanied her to a successful audition for a [[Quaker Oats Company|Quaker Oats]] commercial.<ref name="Fearless Thora">{{cite web |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/goingout/film/fearless-thora-is-a-teen-in-peril-6331572.html |author=<!--anonymous author, no byline--> |title=Fearless Thora is a teen in peril |website=Evening Standard |publication-place=London |date=2001-04-10 |access-date=2022-09-18}}</ref>