Daveigh Chase's Life in Photos: From Child Star to Her Final Appearances – Photos

For years, the images told one story: a bright-eyed girl smiling beside Hollywood's biggest names, collecting applause before she was old enough to fully understand it. But the last photos tell another story entirely — one that makes every earlier red-carpet smile feel heartbreakingly different.

Daveigh Chase was once the little girl whose voice helped make a Disney classic unforgettable, and whose chilling horror role haunted a generation. But behind the awards, red carpets, and childhood fame, her life took a heartbreaking turn that makes her final photos impossible to look at the same way.

A Little Girl from Oregon Who Looked Ready for the Spotlight

Chase was born on July 24, 1990, in Las Vegas, Nevada, before her family moved to Albany, Oregon, where she grew up. According to The New York Times, she was homeschooled, and by age six, she had already won the Little Miss Oregon beauty pageant.

Her father, John David Schwallier, worked as a cook and helped build motor homes, while her mother, Cathy Annette Chase Schwallier, went to nursing school but did not work a regular job. Her parents divorced 32 years before her death — a family fracture that would later become part of the sorrowful background to her adult life.

Before Disney, Chase Was Already Singing, Dancing, and Auditioning

As per her IMDb biography, Chase began singing and dancing at community events when she was only three. After a visit to Los Angeles, she landed her first Campbell's Soup commercial at age seven and was also offered a starring role in the musical theater production "Utah!"

At age eight, she auditioned for the voice of Lilo and tested at CBS for what would have been her first television series. She continued testing for pilots and later appeared as Joyce, Oliver's quirky best friend, in "Oliver Beene."

The Voice That Made Millions Fall in Love

In 2002, when Chase was almost 12, "Lilo & Stitch" introduced her voice to families around the world. The Disney film became a hit, grossing more than $274 million worldwide, according to Box Office Mojo, and roughly $500 million when adjusted for inflation.

The then-little star won a Young Artist Academy Award for best performance in a voice-over role, age ten or younger. It was the kind of achievement that looked like the beginning of a long, charmed career.

At the "Lilo & Stitch" premiere in 2002, The Honolulu Star-Bulletin asked an 11-year-old Chase whether she thought she could handle all the publicity coming her way. "Well, it is just my voice," she said. "But some people who worked for Disney have recognized me already. I don't think people will really know who I am. I guess I'll have to deal with it!"

In hindsight, that answer feels painfully innocent. She thought the world might not really know her — but soon, it absolutely would.

The Sweet Disney Star Who Became Horror's Creepiest Child

Just months after "Lilo & Stitch," Chase appeared in "The Ring," the 2002 horror film starring Naomi Watts. She played Samara, the long-haired mystery girl whose terrifying crawl through a television screen became one of the most unforgettable horror images of the decade.

The movie received mixed reviews, but Samara became a cultural landmark. Chase was only 12 when the film was released, and the role turned her from a beloved Disney voice into a horror icon almost overnight.

A Chilling Role, Then a Troubling Timeline

In 2003, Chase won Best Villain at the MTV Movie Awards for "The Ring." That award confirmed just how deeply Samara had entered pop culture.

Tragically, her father later said Chase had struggled with drugs since she was 13. Considering "The Ring" was released when she was 12, his claim suggests her substance use began about a year after the major role that sharply increased her fame — a devastating timeline that makes her early success feel more complicated.

Winning Best Villain at such a young age gave Chase a place in early-2000s Hollywood memory. She was no longer only Lilo — she was also Samara, a child performer capable of leaving audiences truly unsettled.

For many actors, that kind of breakthrough becomes a launchpad; for Chase, it became one bright point in a life that later grew far more difficult.

Disney, Horror, and Studio Ghibli — Her Résumé Was Remarkable

Chase's filmography was unusually impressive for a child star. She played Samantha Darko, Donnie's youngest sister and a member of Sparkle Motion, in "Donnie Darko" in 2001 and later reprised the role in the lesser-known sequel "S. Darko" in 2009.

She also voiced Chihiro Ogino in the English-language version of Hayao Miyazaki's highly acclaimed "Spirited Away," the Studio Ghibli film that won the 2002 Oscar for Best Animated Feature. She also appeared in "R.L. Stine's The Haunted Lighthouse," which continued to show at Busch Gardens theme parks.

Chase Was More than an Actress

Chase was also a singer. In 1999, she joined a small band as lead singer and opened for Reba McEntire. She sang "Holly Jolly Christmas" for the "School's Out! Christmas" album released by Universal Records' Hip-O Records, alongside other young stars including Mae Whitman, Evan Rachel Wood, and Jesse McCartney.

She was also handpicked by Steven Spielberg to sing "God Bless America" in "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" and later sang "Tossin' and Turnin'" in an episode of "Oliver Beene."

Outside entertainment, her listed interests reportedly included surfing, horseback riding, dancing, reading, and spending time with family and friends. The public knew the roles, but there was a whole young person behind them.

Young Hollywood Kept Calling Her Name

As Chase grew older, she remained visible in the young Hollywood circuit. She appeared at events, premieres, and award-season gatherings, still carrying the name recognition that came from a rare mix of beloved and frightening roles.

But child stardom can be a strange inheritance: The world remembers who a young performer was, even while that performer is trying to become someone else.

The Red Carpets Were Bright, but Family Ties Were Fraying

Chase's father later said he had not spoken to her since she was 19. He also said she had a terrible falling-out with her mother around the same time.

That distance from both parents became one of the most heartbreaking details of her final story. She had once been surrounded by cameras, but later accounts suggest she was not surrounded by family in the same way.

The Camera Still Loved Her

Chase's teenage red-carpet photos still showed the same camera ease she had carried as a child. She knew how to stand in the spotlight because she had been doing it for years.

Still, the shine of early fame was not enough to guarantee stability. As her father's later statements suggest, her private battles may have already begun while she was still being publicly celebrated as a kid.

In the years after her childhood breakout, Chase continued to work. One of her biggest later roles came on HBO's "Big Love," where she played Rhonda Volmer, a cunning 14-year-old bride-in-waiting.

She appeared in 32 episodes between 2006 and 2011. The role proved that she could handle darker, more complex television work as she got older.

A Familiar Face in a Changing Industry

Hollywood often loves child stars until they are no longer children. Chase's talent was clear, but the industry's attention became less steady as she aged out of the roles that had first made her famous.

The girl who had once been everywhere was slowly becoming harder to place. Her next chapter would not have the same clean upward arc as her childhood career.

Chase still appeared at events, brand gatherings, and industry moments. But the sense of a major Hollywood machine behind her seemed to fade.

Her early credits remained impressive, but her public momentum slowed. For a performer who had reached major visibility so young, that change must have been jarring.

Around 2013, Chase stopped showing up at major events with the same regularity. The professional photographs that had documented her childhood and teen years began to give way to more personal images.

After 2016, she largely stopped acting. The work slowed, and then the headlines that followed were no longer about premieres or performances.

That shift matters in this gallery. It is the point where the public record becomes less polished and much more fragile.

A Young Woman Outside the Childhood Image

This stage of Chase's life showed her trying on a more grown-up identity. The softness of the child-star image was gone, replaced by someone who looked more guarded and self-directed.

It was not unusual for a former child star to want distance from the roles that defined her. But in Chase's case, that distance grew into something much deeper.

When Fame Gave Way to Legal Concerns

After her acting work slowed, Chase's name began appearing in reports about legal trouble. The shift was painful for fans who remembered her as the child voice behind one of Disney's most beloved characters.

The story was no longer just about a former child star growing up; it had become about a woman struggling in ways that were becoming public.

In February 2017, Fox News reported that Chase had been arrested for a traffic-related violation and later released on $1,805 bail. The LAPD said she was also questioned in connection with an unidentified man's February 15 overdose.

According to that report, a representative for the former child star said she was arrested on a warrant for failing to appear in court for a traffic violation. TMZ had reported that she allegedly left the unidentified man outside a Los Angeles hospital, where he was later pronounced dead, and authorities believed he had overdosed.

Fox News noted that her relationship to the man was unknown, and that police were told she had been "hanging out" with him in the hours before his death.

Then, in November 2017, TMZ reported that Chase was arrested after police pulled over a BMW in Hollywood. She was a passenger in the vehicle, which police said had been reported stolen.

According to that report, she was booked for driving in a car without the owner's consent, a felony, while the driver was booked for the same offense. TMZ also stipulated that it was unclear who had stolen the vehicle.

Following that incident, in December 2018, The Blast shared that Chase had been charged with possession of a controlled substance without a valid prescription and possession of drug paraphernalia. The outlet said a judge had issued a warrant for her arrest.

She had been arrested by LAPD Hollywood in August, booked into a Hollywood jail, held for two hours, released on $1,000 bond, and was facing up to one year in jail and a fine of up to $1,000.

The same article noted that Chase was never charged with any crime related to the 2017 hospital incident and that police did not believe she played a role in the man's death.

Years Later, a Recent Fundraiser Claimed Chase Was Critically Ill

A GoFundMe page reportedly started by her alleged boyfriend described Chase as critically ill with meningitis and several serious blood infections. The message identified her as his girlfriend and called her "a light" in his life.

The page also said many people knew her from popular movies, but claimed she had faced hardship behind the scenes after a difficult childhood and a painful falling out with her family. It also claimed she had been bullied and struggled to find safety and happiness in downtown Los Angeles. The fundraiser's stated goal was $5,500, with donations currently sitting at well over $3,000.

However, Chase's manager, John Ryan, who worked with her for over a decade, called out what he believes is an improper GoFundMe set up by her boyfriend, creating suspicion over the validity of the page.

John also told The New York Post that he had been trying to find her. "We were so close to finding her," he said. "Daveigh was the sweetest and brightest light in Hollywood. I can't believe this is real. Her legacy and work will live on forever." John also mentioned that he had been working on a documentary called "Finding Lilo," focused on the search for the actress.

Before Her Demise, Chase Was Homeless near the Hospital, According to Her Father

Chase's father said she had been homeless and living in Los Angeles with her boyfriend near the hospital where she died. He described the couple's living conditions by saying, "Him and her were destitute."

The GoFundMe message also claimed that doctors said Chase might not survive and that, if she left the hospital, the couple had nowhere to go. It noted that the hope was to raise enough money to find a place where they could be together and make her comfortable during her final days.

Chase's dad said he had been in touch with her boyfriend, Roy Hernandez, and arrived at Los Angeles General Medical Center, where she was being treated just before she died. Her death, at age 35, was confirmed as being caused by complications of bacterial meningitis and a blood infection.

A Life That Began in Fame and Ended Far from It

Chase's life in photos is not just a celebrity transformation story; it is the arc of a girl who became famous before adolescence, won awards before adulthood, helped define Disney and horror history, then slowly slipped away from the public version of success that once seemed guaranteed.

From child star to her final public appearance, Chase's story remains painfully layered: talented, beloved, troubled, and ultimately tragic. The photos preserve the glow of her earliest promise, but they also reveal how far her life moved from the world that first applauded her.

At this time, we wish to extend our most heartfelt condolences to Chase's dad, her mom, her boyfriend, her entire family, loved ones, friends, fans, and all who knew and loved her as they mourn such a significant loss. We hope for their healing amid their time of grief. RIP, dear Daveigh Chase.

If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255), text "help" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741, or go to suicidepreventionlifeline.org.