Tami Stronach

Tami Stronach (born 1972) is an actor, dancer, and professor.

Tami Stronach
BornSummer 1972 (age 48–49)
Imperial State of Iran
Occupation
Years active1983–
Notable work
Childlike Empress in
 The NeverEnding Story
Spouse(s)Greg Steinbruner
ChildrenOne daughter (as of 2014)
Parent(s)

Personal life

Tami Stronach was born in summer[1] 1972 in Iran.[2] Her parents were the archaeologists David Stronach from Scotland[3] (1931–2020)[4] and Ruth Stronach from Israel (née Vaadia; 1937–2017).[3] After fleeing the Iranian Revolution,[2] Stronach, her sister Keren, and their parents moved to California in 1981 to allow David to teach at the University of California, Berkeley.[5] By late 2014, Stronach and her three-year-old daughter Maya lived in Brooklyn;[2] Stronach was married to Greg Steinbruner as of mid-2020.[6]

Career

In addition to her artistic projects, Stronach also followed in her father's footsteps, becoming a professor in New York City.[2]

Acting

While Stronach was a child actor portraying Piglet in a San Francisco stage adaptation of Winnie-the-Pooh, she was approached by the casting director for The NeverEnding Story and asked to audition for the role of the Childlike Empress. After three auditions, Stronach beat Heather O'Rourke to star in the 1984 film;[2] it has been her only major motion picture.[7] Ruth Stronach declined a sequel contract for her daughter, worried about lacking the wherewithal to "help her daughter navigate the turbulent waters of childhood stardom in the film industry." After NeverEnding Story became a sensational success, the Stronachs were besieged with unwanted attention: their home and telephone were stalked, adults proposed to the eleven-year-old with engagement rings, and she received "offers from Hollywood to play roles featuring scenes (with nudity) completely inappropriate for someone her age."[2]

Stronach returned to acting in 2002 with a physical theatre company,[7] and by 2006 had performed in Chambre at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and was continuing to study acting with Laura Esterman.[8] By the 2010s, Stronach had co-founded a theatre company called Shoehorn Theater; in 2012, they began creating a new play, Light: A Dark Comedy ("a group generative effort where everyone is involved in every step of the creation.")[2] In July 2020, The Hollywood Reporter reported that Stronach had been cast to star in Man & Witch alongside Sean Astin, Rhea Perlman, Christopher Lloyd, and Michael Emerson.[6]

Dancing

Switching her focus from acting to professional dancing after The NeverEnding Story, Stronach devoted herself to that study for ten years (through her twenties) in New York City.[7] In 1996, Stronach began dancing with Neta Pulvermacher and Dancers, though she has also exhibited her own productions at Dixon Place, Washington Square Park, and the Galápagos Islands.[8]

Performance credits
Year Medium Title Role Citation(s)
1983 Theatre Winnie-the-Pooh Piglet [2]
1984 Film The NeverEnding Story Childlike Empress [6]
2002 Theatre Signals of Distress Dog [9]

References
  1. Cranswick, Amie (February 28, 2017). "Exclusive Interview: The NeverEnding Story star Tami Stronach". Flickering Myth. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  2. Fullana, Sion (December 29, 2014). "The Woman Who Makes Us Believe in Fantasy". Beacon Reader. Archived from the original on December 29, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2020. If you grew up between the mid-late 80s and the 90s, Tami Stronach might have been part of your childhood’s story. In the 30th anniversary of the film that brought her to screens worldwide when she was only 11, this New York based dancer, choreographer, performer and happy mom is ready to save a fantasy world again, in the play 'Light: a Dark Comedy.'
  3. "Papers of John Hansman and David Stronach". Jisc. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020.
  4. "Scottish archaeologist David Stronach, famed for intensive Iranian studies, dies at 89". Tehran Times. Tehran. June 28, 2020. ISSN 1563-860X. OCLC 49910014. Archived from the original on June 28, 2020. Retrieved July 31, 2020. Scottish archaeologist David Stronach, who was director of the British Institute of Persian Studies in Iran in the 1960s and 1970s, has died aged 89.
  5. "Archaeologist David Stronach, the 39th Recipient of the AIA's Gold Medal, Describes Highlights in a Long Career". UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science. University of California, Berkeley. June 8, 2004. Archived from the original on October 9, 2004. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  6. Ritman, Alex (July 8, 2020). "'NeverEnding Story' Queen Tami Stronach to Star in Fantasy Film With Sean Astin, Christopher Lloyd (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Lynne Segall. ISSN 0018-3660. Archived from the original on July 11, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020. The Jim Henson Creature Shop will be making puppets for the comic adventure 'Man & Witch,' described as an homage to the lo-fi fantasy films of the 1980s.
  7. WENN (May 6, 2005). "Forgotten Never Ending Story Star Returns". contactmusic.com. Archived from the original on January 9, 2016. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  8. "The Company". Neta Dance Company. Archived from the original on May 27, 2006. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
  9. McNulty, Charles (November 26, 2002). "Yanks Swim to England". The Village Voice. ISSN 0042-6180. Archived from the original on September 15, 2018. Retrieved July 28, 2020.

Further reading
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