Heather Donahue 

Heather Donahue (born December 22, 1974) is an Americanactress famous for her role, which she undertook using her real name, in the movie The Blair Witch Project. She stated often that she was frightened by the backlash of the Blair Witch Project, and that she was often confronted by angry viewers, and was run off the road several times because of them.[1] Later, she starred in Taken, the Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries based around tales of alien abduction. She is also featured in many commercials for the Steak & Shake restaurant franchise.[citation needed]Donahue was born in Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Joan, an office manager, and James Donahue, a printer.She learned to read at an early age, which inspired her to act. She performed in a lot of musicals in elementary school before she began training at the Lawrence Street Theater School in High School.[2] Donahue then went on to the University of the Arts Conservatory Program in Philadelphia. She worked a lot in regional theater in Philadelphia,and did a few experimental theatre projects with a group known as Collision Theory that had a documentary style similar to the Blair Witch Project[3] She graduated from Upper Darby High School in Pennsylvania in 1991 and from the Philadelphia University of the Arts in 1995.