Biography
Date of Birth
18 December 1987, Tucson, Arizona, USA
Birth Name
Mika Sue Boorem
Height
5' 4" (1.63 m)
Mini Biography
Mika Boorem is an actress, director, writer and producer based in Los Angeles. Boorem is well- known for her acting career which includes over 40 major motion pictures and network television series roles. She has recently completed her first narrative feature length film, Hollywood.con, as a director. Hollywood.con stars Tom Arnold (True Lies), Mika Boorem (The Patriot, Blue Crush, Along Came a Spider) Devin Ratray (HBO's series Mosaic, Nebraska, Masterminds, Blue Ruin, Netflix's series Russian Dolls), Brian Krause (Blue Lagoon, Charmed), Cody Kasch (Desperate Housewives), and Paige Howard (Adventureland). Boorem was involved with the financing, producing, writing, directing and acting of this film. Hollywood.con is a commercial adventure comedy which includes locations in Mexico, Arizona, Texas, California, and Guatemala. Mika's other producing and directing experience include a documentary series titled "Gem Hunter" about gemstone quests internationally. Her short films have played Academy qualifying film festivals and won several awards. Mika has built up a respectable filmography as an actress. She has worked under many of the industry's most highly regarded players; Lawrence Bender, Brian Grazer, Penny Marshall, Scott Hicks, Drew Barrymore, Shirley MacLaine, Roland Emmerich, John Carpenter, Rodrigo Garcia, Mel Gibson, Anthony Hopkins, Lee Tamahori, and Morgan Freeman to name a few. Her work has received critical acclaim and she has won several awards. Her feature film credits include Smile (Beau Bridges, Linda Hamilton, Sean Astin, Cheri Oteri), Sleepover (Steve Carrell, Jane Lynch), Blue Crush (Kate Bosworth, Michelle Rodriguez), The Patriot (Mel Gibson, Heath Ledger, Jason Issacs), Along Came a Spider (Morgan Freeman), Hearts in Atlantis (Sir Anthony Hopkins), The Ward (John Carpenter, Jarrod Harris, Amber Heard), Good Day For It (Hal Holbrook, Robert Patrick), Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (John Slatterly, Sela Ward, Diego Luna), Jack Frost (Michael Keaton, Kelly Preston), Carolina (Shirley MacLaine, Julia Stiles), Riding in Cars with Boys (Drew Barrymore, Brittany Murphy), Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (Cameron Diaz, Glenn Close), Mighty Joe Young (Charlize Theron, Bill Paxton), and others. She has been a regular and or featured on tv series including; the Tom Show, Dawson's Creek, House M.D, Ghost Whisperer, Touched by an Angel, Walker Texas Ranger, the Waltons, Initiation of Sarah, Augusta Gone, and others. Boorem is a member of the Alliance of Women Directors (AWD), New York Women in Film and Television (NYWIFT) and the Screen Actors Guild (SAG, since 1997).
Trivia
Played a blind person in Things You Can Tell Just by Looking at Her (2000).
Is good friends with Alexa PenaVega.
Spent Halloween 2003 filming Sleepover (2004).
Her parents' names are Holly and Benjamin.
Can speak French
Has played a character named "Augusta" in one movie, Augusta, Gone (2006), and a character named "Maine" in another, Carolina (2003).
She and Anton Yelchin were onscreen sweethearts in two completely unrelated movies within a year: Megan and Dimitri in Along Came a Spider (2001) and Carol and Bobby in Hearts in Atlantis (2001).
Co-founded the charity MadaKilonga - an independent organization that works for the betterment of the children of Madagascar.
Is an experienced gymnast.
She has a black belt in tae kwon do.
Her ancestry stems from England, the British Isles, and Germany.
She and two of her co-stars from The Patriot (2000), Logan Lerman and Skye McCole Bartusiak, also co-starred in Riding in Cars with Boys (2001).
The name Mika is of Japanese origin meaning beautiful flower.
She had an Irish accent in Dark Desire (2012) and in Walker, Texas Ranger: Trial by Fire (2005).
Spent three months in China filming Smile (2005) with Sean Astin, Beau Bridges, and Linda Hamilton.
Is the youth ambassador for charity Operation Smile.
Skye McCole Bartusiak and Mika were in three films together Good Day for It (2011) , Riding in Cars with Boys (2001) , and The Patriot (2000). They also both have the mutual connection of Charlize Theron ; Skye in The Cider House Rules (1999), Mika in _Mighty Joe Young_ .
Involved with Special Olympics Northern California - Public Speaking, Volunteer.
Involved with Days For Girls International.
Grew up with Kash Hovey who makes a cameo in her directorial debut feature film Hollywood.Con (2021).
Quotes
My job is very creative and I tend to wear a lot of hats ... that being said, I love to allow myself to be inspired by everything and anything. Which then propels me to have smaller side projects always going. Additionally I love collaborations there is nothing more rewarding to me then everyone coming together, contributing and unifying to a singular vision.
The only people who aren't afraid of sharks are Hawaiians. They'd be talking to them and having conversations and tea parties. No, I see a shark - I'd walk on water.
Are there any types of films you especially like?I love all films. I think each one contains something special. Films are a collaboration of a collective of artists. And just that in itself is really phenomenal. That being said I really enjoy narratives where it feels like the actor is revealing something personal about themselves. Something secret, or private that maybe the audience connects with. I love the idea that a film can make people feel more connected to, related and a part of a community because of the themes and ideas that are represented in the film.
Are there any actors or actresses you hope to work with?There are so many. The talent pool is large with a lot of variety. There is one thing that has really struck my interest recently. My friend John Vogel sent me a script that centers around a young man with special needs. I love the idea of actors with special needs receiving a platform to perform on and this is a movement I'd like to support.
You are a co-founder of the charity MadaKilonga, which helps children in Madagascar. What inspired you to help create it?Education empowers the people. Through education the people can help each other and empower themselves.
