Editing Mika Boorem (section)

==Life and career==
===Early life===
Boorem was born on August 18, 1987, at [[Carondelet St. Joseph's Hospital]] in [[Tucson, Arizona]], to Holly (née Thomas) and Benjamin Boorem.<ref name=azds>{{cite news|work=[[Arizona Daily Star]]|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/25574760/arizona_daily_star/|title=Tucson-Born Stars in the Making|date=September 28, 2001|page=E1|location=Tucson, Arizona|last=Villarreal|first=Phil|via=Newspapers.com}} {{open access}}</ref> She has one older brother, Benjamin Jr.<ref name=azds/> Her father is a [[gemology|gemologist]].<ref name=hollywoodcon/> She began acting in local theater in Arizona, and subsequently moved to [[Los Angeles]] with her family, where she attended [[Lycée Français de Los Angeles|Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles]], a French-English [[Bilingual education|bilingual school]].<ref name=azds/>

===Work as a child actress===
After appearing as herself in the [[direct-to-video]] of ''[[Disney Sing-Along Songs]]'' called ''[[Disney Sing-Along Songs#Beach Party at Walt Disney World (1995)|Beach Party at Walt Disney World]]'' in 1995, Boorem had her first televised role in 1996 as a guest on the series ''[[Touched by an Angel]]''.<ref name=azds/> That was followed by a supporting part in ''[[The Education of Little Tree (film)|The Education of Little Tree]]'' (1997), based on the controversial [[The Education of Little Tree|memoir of the same name]] by [[Asa Earl Carter|Forrest Carter]]. David Noh of ''[[Film Journal International]]'' deemed her performance as a young friend of the titular [[Cherokee]] character "delightful."<ref name=tree>{{cite web|work=[[Film Journal International]]|author=Noh, David|url=http://www.filmjournal.com/education-little-tree|title=''The Education of Little Tree''|date=November 2, 2004|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121071555/http://www.filmjournal.com/education-little-tree|archive-date=November 21, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> For her performance, she was nominated for a [[Young Artist Award]].<ref name=amg>{{Cite web|work=[[AllMovie]]|last=Buchanan|first=Jason|url=https://www.allmovie.com/artist/mika-boorem-p266061|publisher=AllRovi|access-date=November 21, 2018|title=Mika Boorem Biography}}</ref> The same year, Boorem had a guest role playing the young [[Ally McBeal (character)|Ally McBeal]] in the 1997 [[List of Ally McBeal episodes#Season 1 (1997–98)|pilot episode]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|url=https://variety.com/2000/scene/people-news/mika-boorem-1117797941/|title=Mika Boorem|author=''Variety'' Staff|date=November 2, 2000|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121055843/https://variety.com/2000/scene/people-news/mika-boorem-1117797941/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> She also had a supporting role in ''[[List of The Waltons episodes#Reunion movies (1982–1997)|A Walton Easter]]'', a television film spin-off from ''[[The Waltons]]'', which aired in the spring of 1997.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|date=March 25, 1997|url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/a-walton-easter-1200449098/|author=Scott, Tony|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121063922/https://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/a-walton-easter-1200449098/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|title=A Walton Easter|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> She subsequently had a supporting role in the Christmas film ''[[Jack Frost (1998 film)|Jack Frost]]'' (1998) starring [[Michael Keaton]],<ref name=azds/> for which she was nominated for a [[YoungStar Award]] for Best Actress in a Drama Film.<ref name=jackfrost>{{cite book|title=The Christmas Encyclopedia|edition=3rd|page=252|publisher=McFarland|location=Jefferson, North Carolina|isbn=978-1-476-60573-9|last=Crump|first=William D.|date=August 28, 2013}}</ref>

She then had a part in [[Walt Disney Pictures|Disney]]'s live-action film ''[[Mighty Joe Young (1998 film)|Mighty Joe Young]]'' (1998), playing the young counterpart of [[Charlize Theron]]'s character.<ref name=azds/> She appeared on television again as a main cast member of the comedy series ''[[The Tom Show]]'', which aired for one season between 1997 and 1998; in the series, she portrayed the daughter of a television producer, played by [[Tom Arnold (actor)|Tom Arnold]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=The Tom Show|date=September 14, 1997|last=Richmond|first=Ray|url=https://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/the-tom-show-1117329499/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121020450/https://variety.com/1997/tv/reviews/the-tom-show-1117329499/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In late 1999, Boorem had a supporting role in the ensemble drama ''[[Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her]]'', opposite [[Glenn Close]] and [[Cameron Diaz]].<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Flixster]]|title=Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her|date=January 22, 2000|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/things_you_can_tell_just_by_looking_at_her/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171128131243/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/things_you_can_tell_just_by_looking_at_her/|archive-date=November 28, 2017}}</ref>

Also in 2000, Boorem had a central role in the [[American Revolutionary War|Revolutionary War]] historical drama ''[[The Patriot (2000 film)|The Patriot]]'' (2000), playing the daughter of a soldier (portrayed by [[Mel Gibson]]).<ref name=azds/> For her performance, she was nominated for her third [[Young Artist Award]] as part of an ensemble cast.<ref name=amg/> She subsequently appeared opposite [[Morgan Freeman]] and [[Anton Yelchin]] in the thriller ''[[Along Came a Spider (film)|Along Came a Spider]]'' (2001), playing the kidnapped daughter of a United States Senator.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[TV Guide]]|url=https://www.tvguide.com/movies/along-came-a-spider/tv-listings/134601/|title=Along Came A Spider|publisher=NTVB Media|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121070729/https://www.tvguide.com/movies/along-came-a-spider/tv-listings/134601/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> The following year, she was again cast opposite Yelchin with a lead in the drama ''[[Hearts in Atlantis (film)|Hearts in Atlantis]]'' (2001), playing a young girl who has mysterious interactions with an elderly man (played by [[Anthony Hopkins]]) in her community.<ref name=azds/> A supporting role in [[Penny Marshall]]'s period drama ''[[Riding in Cars with Boys]]'' (2001) followed,<ref name=azds/> and a part as the younger sister of [[Kate Bosworth]] in the surf film ''[[Blue Crush]]'' (2002). In 2003, she had a supporting role opposite [[Julia Stiles]] and [[Shirley MacLaine]] in the romantic comedy ''[[Carolina (2003 film)|Carolina]]''.<ref name=tvg>{{cite web|work=[[TV Guide]]|publisher=NTVB Media|url=https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/mika-boorem/credits/166626/|access-date=November 21, 2018|title=Mika Boorem Credits}}</ref> Between 2002 and 2003, Boorem had a recurring guest role on the sixth season of the series ''[[Dawson's Creek]]'', portraying Harley Hetson.<ref>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|url=https://ew.com/tv/dawsons-creek-guest-stars/|title=Celebs you forgot were on Dawson's Creek|last=Ross|first=Robyn|date=March 29, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180405072608/https://ew.com/tv/dawsons-creek-guest-stars/|archive-date=April 5, 2018|publisher=[[Meredith Corporation]]}}</ref> For her role, she earned a [[Teen Choice Award]] nomination for Choice TV Sidekick.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Turner Classic Movies]]|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/355951%7C0/Mika-Boorem/|title=Mika Boorem|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160527132009/http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/355951%7C0/Mika-Boorem/|archive-date=May 27, 2016|publisher=[[Turner Broadcasting System]]|series=Leonard Maltin Classic Movie Guide|author=Maltin, Leonard|url-status=live|author-link=Leonard Maltin}}</ref>

===Transition to teen and adult roles===
In 2004, Boorem starred opposite [[Alexa Vega]] in the teen comedy ''[[Sleepover (film)|Sleepover]]'', followed by a supporting part in the dance film ''[[Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights]]'' (2004).<ref name=tvg/> In the independent drama ''[[Smile (2005 film)|Smile]]'' (2005), Boorem portrayed a teenager from [[Malibu, California|Malibu]] who befriends a young [[Chinese people|Chinese]] woman with a facial deformity, played by [[Yi Ding (actress)|Yi Ding]].<ref name=smile>{{cite web|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|title=Smile|url=https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/smile-2-1200526665/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181121013517/https://variety.com/2005/film/markets-festivals/smile-2-1200526665/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|last=Chang|first=Justin|date=April 7, 2005}}</ref> Critic Justin Chang of ''[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]'' deemed the film a "well-meaning but dramatically lopsided tearjerker."<ref name=smile/>

The following year, Boorem starred as the lead in ''[[The Initiation of Sarah (2006 film)|The Initiation of Sarah]]'', an [[Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family]] television film and remake of the [[The Initiation of Sarah|1978 horror film of the same name]],<ref>{{cite web|work=[[TV Guide]]|publisher=NTVB Media|url=https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-initiation-of-sarah/photos/283891/76764/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121013935/https://www.tvguide.com/tvshows/the-initiation-of-sarah/photos/283891/76764/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|title=The Initiation of Sarah|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> as well as in the television drama film ''Augusta, Gone'', in which she portrayed a teenaged drug addict. Tom Jicha of the ''[[Sun-Sentinel]]'' praised her performance in the film, writing: "... the meatiest role belongs to Mika Boorem. The relative unknown plays Augusta Dudman, a 14-year-old with typical teenage insecurities and self-esteem problems. This makes her willing prey for a more advanced child of the streets named Rain, who introduces Augusta to the temptations of drugs and sex. Boorem handles the role as if she's in it for more than a paycheck, which cannot be said of all her co-stars."<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Sun-Sentinel]]|location=Fort Lauderdale, Florida|title=Real Tragedy in Bootcamp Beclouds Film|date=March 13, 2006|url=https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2006-03-13-0603100535-story.html|last=Jicha|first=Tom|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121015230/https://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/fl-xpm-2006-03-13-0603100535-story.html|archive-date=November 21, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2007, she had a guest-starring role on the medical drama series ''[[House (TV series)|House]]'', appearing in the episode "[[Insensitive (House)|Insensitive]]" as a teenager suffering from [[Congenital insensitivity to pain with anhidrosis|CIPA]], a condition that prevents her from sensing pain.<ref>{{cite book|last=Challen|first=Paul|title=The House That Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide|page=302|year=2010|publisher=[[ECW Press]]|location=Toronto|isbn=978-1-554-90308-5}}</ref>

She guest-starred on the series ''[[Ghost Whisperer]]'' in 2008, appearing in the episode "Bloodline,"<ref name=tvg/> and the same year had a minor role in the drama ''[[Trucker (film)|Trucker]]''.<ref name=tvg/> Boorem was also featured in [[David Cook (singer)|David Cook]]'s music video "[[Light On]]" in 2008. In 2010, she had a supporting part as the ghost of a psychiatric patient in [[John Carpenter]]'s psychological horror film ''[[The Ward (film)|The Ward]]'', opposite [[Amber Heard]] and [[Danielle Panabaker]].<ref name=ward>{{cite web|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/ward-film-review-30025|title=The Ward: Film Review|last=Rechtshaffen|first=Michael|date=October 14, 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180627230857/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/ward-film-review-30025|archive-date=June 27, 2018}}</ref> ''[[The Hollywood Reporter]]''{{'}}s Michael Rechtshaffen, in reviewing the film, noted it as "an economical period piece that still effectively demonstrates what a skilled technician can accomplish in a single location with a compact cast and sturdy old-school effects."<ref name=ward/>

===Directing and other projects===
In 2012, Boorem appeared opposite [[Kelly Lynch]] in the [[Armand Mastroianni]] thriller ''Dark Desire''.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Radio Times]]|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/film/drfq9d/dark-desire/|title=Dark Desire|author=''Radio Times'' Staff|access-date=November 21, 2018|publisher=[[Immediate Media Company]]}}</ref> Boorem was also cast in the 2013 short film ''Awake'', which was subsequently included in the 2016 horror [[anthology film|anthology]] ''Minutes Past Midnight''.<ref>{{cite web|work=[[Moviefone]]|url=https://www.moviefone.com/movie/minutes-past-midnight/20086075/credits/|title=Minutes Past Midnight: Credits|archive-url=https://archive.today/20181121022313/https://www.moviefone.com/movie/minutes-past-midnight/20086075/credits/|archive-date=November 21, 2018|access-date=November 21, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2015, Boorem directed the short film ''Love Thy Neighbor'', which earned her a Best Director award at the Hang Onto Your Shorts film festival in [[New Jersey]].<ref name=hangon/> She made her feature film directorial debut with ''[[Hollywood.Con]]'' (2021), an action-adventure comedy set in [[Guatemala]] and starring [[Tom Arnold (actor)|Tom Arnold]], [[Paige Howard]], [[Devin Ratray]], [[Brian Krause]] and [[Cody Kasch]], as well as Boorem herself.<ref>{{cite web|last=McNary|first=Dave|date=August 31, 2018|title=Tom Arnold, Paige Howard to Star in Indie Comedy 'Hollywood.Con'|url=https://variety.com/2018/film/news/tom-arnold-paige-howard-comedy-hollywood-con-1202923977/|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|publisher=[[Penske Media Corporation]]|access-date=August 20, 2020}}</ref>{{efn|Former ''In Her Sight'' editor Cara Hutto writes: "Mika Boorem is a veteran actress with over 40 major motion picture and television credits. Her directorial feature length film debut ''[[Hollywood.Con]]'' was released in 2021."<ref>{{cite web|last=Hutto|first=Cara|date=December 17, 2019|title=How to Get Professional Headshots|url=https://www.inhersight.com/blog/how-to/professional-headshots|work=In Her Sight|access-date=August 20, 2020}}</ref>}}

''Hollywood.Con'' was co-written and produced by Boorem's father, Benjamin Boorem, and its premise was partly inspired by a trip the two had taken to buy [[jade]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Trupp|first=Julia|date=May 1, 2019|title=Hollywood-based dynamic duo to debut film in Eureka Springs|url=http://idleclassmag.com/hollywood-dynamic-duo-debut-film-eureka-springs/|website=The Idle Class|access-date=August 20, 2020}}</ref> In April 2019, Boorem visited [[Arkansas Arts Academy High School|Arkansas Arts Academy]] to present a workshop on the film industry, and students from the academy served as [[videographers]] for the premiere screening of ''Hollywood.Con'' on May 4, 2019, in [[Eureka Springs]], [[Arkansas]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Aaron|date=April 16, 2019|title=American Actress and Director Mika Boorem Visits Arkansas Arts Academy|url=https://www.artsk12.org/article/104350?org=high-school|website=Arkansas Arts Academy|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|last=Jones|first=Aaron|date=May 6, 2019|title=AAA High School Students Cover Hollywood Premiere|url=https://www.artsk12.org/article/109124?org=high-school|website=Arkansas Arts Academy|access-date=June 29, 2019}}</ref>