Mika Boorem

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title: "Mika Boorem" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["1987-births", "living-people", "20th-century-american-actresses", "21st-century-american-actresses", "actresses-from-tucson,-arizona", "american-child-actresses", "american-film-actresses", "american-music-video-directors", "american-television-actresses", "american-women-film-directors", "american-women-film-producers", "american-women-screenwriters", "female-music-video-directors", "film-directors-from-arizona", "lycée-français-de-los-angeles-alumni", "screenwriters-from-arizona"] description: "American actress (born 1987)" topic_path: "arts" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mika_Boorem" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary American actress (born 1987) ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox person"]

Field	Value
name	Mika Boorem
image	Mika Boorem 02.jpg
caption	Boorem at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival
birth_date
birth_place	Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
occupation	Actress
yearsactive	1995–present
website
::

| name = Mika Boorem | image = Mika Boorem 02.jpg | alt = | caption = Boorem at the 2010 Toronto International Film Festival | birthname = | birth_date = | birth_place = Tucson, Arizona, U.S. | occupation = Actress | yearsactive = 1995–present | website = Mika Sue Boorem (; born August 18, 1987) is an American actress. She began her career as a child actress, appearing on television in small guest roles on Touched by an Angel and Ally McBeal, before earning critical acclaim for her performance in The Education of Little Tree (1997). After being cast in supporting roles in Jack Frost and Mighty Joe Young (both 1998), Boorem had a lead role in the drama Hearts in Atlantis (2001), opposite Anton Yelchin and Anthony Hopkins, which garnered her further critical acclaim.

Boorem also had prominent supporting roles in the war drama The Patriot (2000) and the thriller Along Came a Spider (2001). She went on to star in numerous teen films in the early-to-mid 2000s, including the surf film Blue Crush (2002), the comedy Sleepover (2004), and the drama Augusta, Gone (2006). Boorem was a recurring guest star on the network series Dawson's Creek in 2002 and 2003. She had a central role in John Carpenter's horror film The Ward (2010), followed by roles in several independent films.

Boorem made her feature film directorial debut with Hollywood.Con (2021), starring Tom Arnold and Brian Krause.

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. She has one older brother, Benjamin Jr. Her father is a gemologist. She began acting in local theater in Arizona, and subsequently moved to Los Angeles with her family, where she attended Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, a French-English bilingual school.

Work as a child actress

After appearing as herself in the direct-to-video of Disney Sing-Along Songs called 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. For her performance, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award. The same year, Boorem had a guest role playing the young Ally McBeal in the 1997 pilot episode. She also had a supporting role in A Walton Easter, a television film spin-off from The Waltons, which aired in the spring of 1997. She subsequently had a supporting role in the Christmas film Jack Frost (1998) starring Michael Keaton,

She then had a part in Disney's live-action film Mighty Joe Young (1998), playing the young counterpart of Charlize Theron's character. 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.

Also in 2000, Boorem had a central role in the Revolutionary War historical drama The Patriot (2000), playing the daughter of a soldier (portrayed by Mel Gibson). The following year, she was again cast opposite Yelchin with a lead in the drama Hearts in Atlantis (2001), playing a young girl who has mysterious interactions with an elderly man (played by Anthony Hopkins) in her community. Between 2002 and 2003, Boorem had a recurring guest role on the sixth season of the series Dawson's Creek, portraying Harley Hetson. For her role, she earned a Teen Choice Award nomination for Choice TV Sidekick.

Transition to teen and adult roles

In 2004, Boorem starred opposite Alexa Vega in the teen comedy Sleepover, followed by a supporting part in the dance film Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004). Critic Justin Chang of Variety deemed the film a "well-meaning but dramatically lopsided tearjerker."

The following year, Boorem starred as the lead in The Initiation of Sarah, an ABC Family television film and remake of the 1978 horror film of the same name, 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." In 2007, she had a guest-starring role on the medical drama series House, appearing in the episode "Insensitive" as a teenager suffering from CIPA, a condition that prevents her from sensing pain.

She guest-starred on the series Ghost Whisperer in 2008, appearing in the episode "Bloodline," *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."

Directing and other projects

In 2012, Boorem appeared opposite Kelly Lynch in the Armand Mastroianni thriller Dark Desire. Boorem was also cast in the 2013 short film Awake, which was subsequently included in the 2016 horror anthology Minutes Past Midnight.

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.

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. In April 2019, Boorem visited 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.

Filmography

Film

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role(s)	Notes
1995	Disney Sing-Along Songs: Beach Party at Walt Disney World	Herself	Direct-to-video film
1997	**	Little Girl
1998	Mighty Joe Young	Young Jill Young
1998	Jack Frost	Natalie
1999	Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her	June
2000	**	Margaret Martin
2001	Along Came a Spider	Megan Rose
2001	Hearts in Atlantis	Carol Gerber / Molly
2001	Riding in Cars with Boys	Young Beverly Donofrio
2002	Blue Crush	Penny Chadwick
2003	Carolina	Maine Mirabeau
2004	Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights	Susie Miller
2004	Sleepover	Hannah Carlson
2005	Smile	Katie
2006	Whisper of the Heart	Kinuyo	Voice role (English dub of 1995 film)
2008	Trucker	Young Woman
2009	**	Skull Muncher
2010	**	Alice Hudson
2011	Good Day for It	Emily
2012	1 Out of 7	Krisi
2012	Virgin Alexander	Brooke
2013	Out to Lunch	Madison	Short film
2015	Love Thy Neighbor		Director, short film
2016	Minutes Past Midnight	Caylie	Segment: "Awake"
2017	L.A. Player		Director, short film
2021	Hollywood.Con	Mika Harms	Also director and co-writer
::

Television

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Role	Notes
1996	**	Little Girl	Pilot episode
1996, 1998–2003	Touched by an Angel	Melissa Houghton / Cornelia "Celine"	4 episodes
1997	**	Sarah	Episode: "Drew Gets Married"
1997	**	Carla	Television film
1997	Sabrina, the Teenage Witch	Young Zelda Spellman	Episode: "The Great Mistake"
1997	Ally McBeal	Young Ally McBeal	Pilot episode
1997–1998	**	Elissa Amross	Main role
1998	Walker, Texas Ranger	Jennifer McGuire	Episode: "Second Chance"
1999	Providence	Zoe	Episode: "Home Again"
1999	**	Lily Stewart	Television film
2002–2003	Dawson's Creek	Harley Hetson	Recurring role, 6 episodes
2006	Augusta, Gone	Augusta Dudman	Television film
2006	**	Sarah Goodwin	Television film
2007	House	Hannah Morganthal	Episode: "Insensitive"
2007	Jesse Stone: Sea Change	Cathleen Holton	Television film
2008	Ghost Whisperer	Olivia Keller	Episode: "Bloodline"
2012	Dark Desire	Erin	Television film
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Music videos

::data[format=table]

Year	Title	Artist	Notes
2008	"Light On"	David Cook
2017	"Tiny Dancer"	Elton John
2017	"All American Girl"	Heidi Jo Guthrie	Director
2020	"Catch Me If You Can"	Travis Tidwell	Director
2021	"Cruise'"	Austin Sands	Director
::

Accolades

::data[format=table]

Year	Award	Category	Work	Outcome	Ref.
2014	Hang Onto Your Shorts Festival	Best Actress in a Comedy Short Film	Out to Lunch
2015	Best Director in a Short Film	Love Thy Neighbor
2003	Teen Choice Awards	Choice TV Sidekick	Dawson's Creek
1997	Young Artist Award	Best Performance in a Feature Film (Actress Ten or Under)	The Education of Little Tree
1997	Best Performance in a TV Comedy Series: Guest Starring Young Actress	The Drew Carey Show
2000	Best Ensemble in a Feature Film	The Patriot
2001	Best Performance in a Feature Film: Supporting Young Actress	Hearts in Atlantis
2004	Best Performance in a Feature Film - Young Ensemble Cast	Sleepover
1999	YoungStar Award	Best Performance by a Young Actress in a Drama Film	Jack Frost
::

Notes

References

References

1. Boorem, Mika. (August 26, 2018). "Mika Boorem on ''Hollywood.Con''". [[YouTube]].
2. (January 9, 2015). "Mika Boorem". [[Arizona Daily Star]].
3. Tucsón, José María Rodríguez For La Estrella de. (2019-10-18). "Tucsonan in Hollywood: A conversation with Mika Boorem".
4. Villarreal, Phil. (September 28, 2001). "Tucson-Born Stars in the Making". [[Arizona Daily Star]].
5. Noh, David. (November 2, 2004). "''The Education of Little Tree''". [[Film Journal International]].
6. Buchanan, Jason. "Mika Boorem Biography". AllRovi.
7. ''Variety'' Staff. (November 2, 2000). "Mika Boorem". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
8. Scott, Tony. (March 25, 1997). "A Walton Easter". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
9. (January 22, 2000). "Things You Can Tell Just By Looking at Her". [[Flixster]].
10. Ross, Robyn. (March 29, 2018). "Celebs you forgot were on Dawson's Creek". [[Meredith Corporation]].
11. Maltin, Leonard. "Mika Boorem". [[Turner Broadcasting System]].
12. Chang, Justin. (April 7, 2005). "Smile". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
13. "The Initiation of Sarah". NTVB Media.
14. Jicha, Tom. (March 13, 2006). "Real Tragedy in Bootcamp Beclouds Film". [[Sun-Sentinel]].
15. Challen, Paul. (2010). "The House That Hugh Laurie Built: An Unauthorized Biography and Episode Guide". [[ECW Press]].
16. ''Radio Times'' Staff. "Dark Desire". [[Immediate Media Company]].
17. "Minutes Past Midnight: Credits". [[Moviefone]].
18. McNary, Dave. (August 31, 2018). "Tom Arnold, Paige Howard to Star in Indie Comedy 'Hollywood.Con'". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
19. Hutto, Cara. (December 17, 2019). "How to Get Professional Headshots". In Her Sight.
20. Trupp, Julia. (May 1, 2019). "Hollywood-based dynamic duo to debut film in Eureka Springs".
21. Jones, Aaron. (April 16, 2019). "American Actress and Director Mika Boorem Visits Arkansas Arts Academy".
22. Jones, Aaron. (May 6, 2019). "AAA High School Students Cover Hollywood Premiere".
23. "Past Winners and Nominees". Hang Onto Your Shorts Festival.
24. ''Billboard'' Staff. (June 18, 2003). "2003 Teen Choice Awards Nominees". Billboard-Hollywood Media Group.
25. "Mika Boorem Biography". [[AMC Theatres]].
26. "22nd Annual Awards". [[Young Artist Awards]].
27. "23rd Annual Awards". [[Young Artist Awards]].
28. "26th Annual Awards". [[Young Artist Awards]].

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