Thora Birch Was Once a Child Actor It-Girl — Here’s What She’s up to Now

There are some child stars that instantly hold a place in your heart, and it’s usually the precocious ones. This is true of actor Thora Birch, whose child-actor roles in classics like Hocus Pocus and Now and Then propelled her to superstardom.

Once one of Hollywood’s most recognizable child and teen stars, Thora was everywhere in the late ’90s and early 2000s, delivering iconic performances that made her a fixture of pop culture. However, she stepped away from the spotlight at the height of her fame, and fans have been eager to know what she’s been up to, what she looks like today, and whether she still acts.

Here’s everything to know about Thora Birch now, from her career moves to her colorful life outside of Hollywood.

Since her childhood stardom, Thora has continued finding success in the entertainment industry, both behind and in front of the camera. After growing up in the limelight, she took on more mature roles in films such as American Beauty, Ghost World, and the Lifetime movie Homeless to Harvard: The Liz Murray Story. Thora received an Emmy nomination for the latter project.

Those roles redefined her standing in Hollywood and allowed her to explore diverse roles in films and TV shows, including The Last Black Man in San Francisco, a recurring role on The Walking Dead, and the 2024 political drama Thirsty.

In 2022, Thora also expanded her talents by directing her first film. She teamed up with Lifetime to make her directorial debut for The Gabby Petito Story. The movie told the real-life story of Gabby Petito, a vlogger who went missing and was later found dead during a cross-country road trip with her fiancé, Brian Laundrie, who admitted to taking her life before ultimately being found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Thora also starred in the film as Gabby’s mother, Nicole. However, she told IndieWire that directing was always something she wanted to add to her resume, even during her child star days.

“I started acting when I was four [years old], and by age nine, I had it more concretely in my mind what acting really was,” Thora said. “I loved it and definitely wanted to continue that, but always thought, ‘Oh, in the future, when I’m an adult, I would like to direct as well.’

"Up until that point, every shoot I had been on, if anyone had a question, it was like, ‘Well, go ask the director.’ I think it was the excitement that maybe I would have the answers," she continued. "That was the appeal, being the sort of puppet master — or if not that, then at least the imagination captain.”

Thora also made changes to her personal life as she grew up in the public eye. In 2018, she married Michael Benton Adler. For the most part, the couple lives a quiet life. However, their lives became a bit rowdier after they were involved in an altercation with a fan.

According to a video obtained by TMZ, Thora and Michael were leaving a BAFTA Tea Party in Beverly Hills, Calif. in January 2026 when a man approached her to sign photos he had of her.

The request caused Michael to charge at the fan, accusing him of harassing his wife all weekend. At one point, he allegedly grabbed the photos from the autograph seeker and ripped them up. Thora also yelled to the man, “I’ll f---ing knock you out,” while being held back by her husband. Eventually, she signed the photos, and Michael discussed the ordeal on camera.

“For all you people out there, don’t listen to this stuff. These people are wrong. They’re bad people,” he said. “All we were trying to do is walk out.”

Soon after the video circulated, Michael released a statement to TMZ explaining what happened during the public spat.

“Thora Birch and I wanted to address the incident Saturday,” he wrote. “We are deeply regretful of its escalation. As we left an event, my wife, Thora, was accosted by a professional autograph seeker who followed us to our car from a private area. Thora was trying to de-escalate the situation. She is Jewish, has close family in Israel, and was simply trying to place an accent. Again, we deeply apologize for this being misunderstood.”

Thora, for her part, didn’t address the incident publicly.