Product Code Database
Tami Stronach (born July 31, 1972) is an actor, dancer, filmmaker, and professor.
A childhood performance as the Childlike Empress in the 1984 film The NeverEnding Story led to a record deal and music video in Germany. After receiving inappropriate attention as a young star, Stronach pivoted to dancing. As an adult, she has branched into teaching, producing dance performances, filmmaking, and supporting child performers.
Tami Stronach was born to David and Ruth on July 31, 1972, in the Imperial State of Iran. Tami Stronach, her sister Keren, and their parents fled the Iranian Revolution to Tel Aviv, where they briefly lived with Ruth's parents. They again moved to the United Kingdom, and then finally to Berkeley, California in 1981 to allow David to teach at the University of California, Berkeley.
By late 2014, Stronach and her daughter Maya (born ) lived in Brooklyn; Stronach was married to Greg Steinbruner as of mid-2020. She speaks English, Hebrew language, and Persian language.
Ruth Stronach lived with her daughter in Bavaria for the three-month film shoot, and afterwards 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 The 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 , and she received "offers from Hollywood to play roles featuring scenes (with nudity) completely inappropriate for someone her age".
Stronach returned to acting in 2002 with a physical theatre company, and by 2006 had performed in Chambre at La MaMa Experimental Theatre Club and was continuing to study acting with Laura Esterman.
Steinbruner and Stronach created The Paper Canoe Company, an entertainment business that focused on "children's theatre, film, and education". After the TV series Stranger Things used "The NeverEnding Story" and renewed interest in Stronach and the 1984 film, the couple began making their own 1980s-styled fantasy film. stars Shohreh Aghdashloo, Sean Astin, Michael Emerson, Christopher Lloyd, Rhea Perlman, Stronach herself (as the Witch), and her daughter, Maya. In February 2023, the film was in post-production. It was released on July 28, 2024.
| Theatre ! scope="row" | Winnie-the-Pooh | Piglet | ||
| Film ! scope="row" | Childlike Empress | |||
| Theatre ! scope="row" | Jim Crace | Dog | ||
| Film ! scope="row" | The Witch & producer |
|
|
