Her Hollywood breakthrough came in 2001 when she appeared as Samantha Darko in Donnie Darko and later played the titular character’s sister in the 2009 film S Darko.
Chase was further immortalised in film in 2002 as Samara Morgan, the long-haired ghost that crawls out of the telly – in the horror film The Ring – an American remake of the Japanese classic about a videotape that makes people die after they watch it.
She earned a 2003 MTV Movie Award for best villain for her turn as the spooky demon-like character, that crawls on her hands and feet before killing victims.
Chase said she had fun playing such an evil character.
“It is not your typical character. Usually they are looking for a happy-go-lucky kid, but Samara was a pretty interesting character to play. I just kind of took my own voice and put this freaky twist on it,” she told the Los Angeles Times in 2002.
That same year, she voiced the Elvis-adoring Hawaiian girl Lilo in the animated hit Lilo & Stitch. The part earned her an Annie Award for best voice acting in an animated feature production and she continued to voice the character in later spin-offs.
Her resume also includes single-episode roles in the TV dramas Charmed, ER and Touched by an Angel. Chase also had a 32-episode stint in the HBO polygamy drama Big Love, playing child bride Rhonda Volmer.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Chase had a slew of legal run-ins later in life, including being charged with drug possession and joyriding in a stolen car.