History Creator / SarahPolley

* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' (1998) as Sally Salt

* ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' (2004) as Ana Clark

* ''Away From Her'' (2006)

Polley is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to a 1991 award ceremony in protest against UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''Road to Avonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident came in 2010 when she directed a two-minute film, ''The Heart'', supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. When she found out that the film had been commissioned by Becel margarine, she had her name removed from the credits. In a 2017 opinion piece for ''The New York Times'' written in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual-misconduct scandal, she stated that she had refrained from acting for nearly a decade due to Hollywood's treatment of women.

Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979 in Toronto, Ontario) is a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress, director, and screenwriter.

Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley, and starred as the title girl in the miniseries version of ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Ramona]]'' (as in Literature/RamonaQuimby). She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 Dawn of the Dead]]'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

[[quoteright:285:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah-polley-picture-1.jpg]]

Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress, director, and screenwriter.

Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley, and starred as the title girl in the miniseries version of ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Ramona]]'' (as in Literature/RamonaQuimby). She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

She made her directorial debut with the film ''Away from Her'', adapted from Creator/AliceMunro's short story ''The Bear Came Over the Mountain'' about a married couple, Grant and Fiona, whose relationship is strained when Fiona develops Alzheimer's Disease. The film, which starred Creator/JulieChristie, was an astounding critical success, winning seven of the eight Genie Awards it was nominated for. Polley claims that she enjoys both acting and directing, as it uses different parts of her brain separately.

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to a 1991 award ceremony in protest against UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''Road to Avonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident came in 2010 when she directed a two-minute film, ''The Heart'', supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. When she found out that the film had been commissioned by Becel margarine, she had her name removed from the credits. In a 2017 opinion piece for ''The New York Times'' written in the wake of the Harvey Weinstein sexual-misconduct scandal, she stated that she had refrained from acting for nearly a decade due to Hollywood's treatment of women.

[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah-polley-picture-1.jpg]]

Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress, screenwriter, and director. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley, and starred as the title girl in the miniseries version of ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Ramona]]'' (as in Literature/RamonaQuimby). She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley, and starred as the title girl in the miniseries version of ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Ramona]]'' (as in Literature/RamonaQuimby). She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

She made her directorial debut with the film ''Away from Her'', adapted from Creator/AliceMunro's short story ''The Bear Came Over the Mountain'' about a married couple, Grant and Fiona, whose relationship is strained when Fiona develops Alzheimer's Disease. The film, which starred Creator/JulieChristie, was an astounding critical success, winning seven of the eight Genie Awards it was nominated for. Polley claims that she enjoys both acting and directing as it uses different parts of her brain separately.

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to a 1991 award ceremony in protest against UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''Road to Avonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident came in 2010 when she directed a two-minute film, ''The Heart'', supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. When she found out that the film had been commissioned by Becel margarine, she had her name removed from the credits.

Sarah Ellen Polley is a [[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley, and starred as the title girl in the miniseries version of ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Ramona]]'' (as in Literature/RamonaQuimby). She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

She made her directorial debut with the film ''Away from Her'', adapted from Creator/AliceMunro's short story ''The Bear Came Over the Mountain'' about a married couple, Grant and Fiona, whose relationship is strained when Fiona develops Alzheimer's Disease. It was an astounding critical success, winning seven of the eight Genie Awards it was nominated for. She claims that she enjoys both acting and directing as it uses different parts of her brain separately.

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[UsefulNotes/CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to a 1991 award ceremony in protest against UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar
, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident was when she directed a two-minute film, The Heart, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. When she found out that it was used to promote Becel margarine, she took her name off the film.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley, and starred as the title girl in the miniseries version of ''[[KeepCirculatingTheTapes Ramona]]'' (as in Literature/RamonaQuimby). She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to a 1991 award ceremony in protest against UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to a 1991 award ceremony in protest against {{UsefulNotes/TheGulfWar

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to an award ceremony, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident was when she directed a two-minute film, The Heart, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the UsefulNotes/{{Academy Award}}s. When she found out that it was used to promote Becel margarine, she took her name off the film.

[[quoteright:350:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah-polley-picture-1.jpg]]

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley. She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to an award ceremony, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident was when she directed a two-minute film, The Heart, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the AcademyAwards. When she found out that it was used to promote Becel margarine, she took her name off the film.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley. She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''[[ExistenZ [=eXistenZ=]]]'', ''{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to an award ceremony, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''RoadToAvonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident was when she directed a two-minute film, The Heart, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the AcademyAwards. When she found out that it was used to promote Becel margarine, she took her name off the film.

She made her directorial debut with the film ''Away from Her'', adapted from AliceMunro's short story ''The Bear Came Over the Mountain'' about a married couple, Grant and Fiona, whose relationship is strained when Fiona develops Alzheimer's Disease. It was an astounding critical success, winning seven of the eight Genie Awards it was nominated for. She claims that she enjoys both acting and directing as it uses different parts of her brain separately.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley. She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/{{Dawn of the Dead|2004}}'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''[[ExistenZ [=eXistenZ=]]]'', ''{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley. She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''[[ExistenZ [=eXistenZ=]]]'', ''{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley. She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the ''Film/{{Dawn of the Dead|2004}}'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''[[ExistenZ [=eXistenZ=]]]'', ''{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979. Beginning her career at the age of 4, she first came to national prominence in ''RoadToAvonlea'' as the lead character Sara Stanley. She later became acclaimed for her roles in indie films, winning a Genie Award for ''My Life Without Me''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in the''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, with other notable media including ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''[[ExistenZ [=eXistenZ=]]]'', ''{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''.

[[quoteright:376:http://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah-polley-picture-1.jpg]]

She is also known for her political activism, being a prominent member of Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]]. The impetus was her refusing to take off a peace sign that she wore to an award ceremony, much to Disney's chagrin. Their relationship soured and she left ''RoadToAvonlea'' as a result. Another notable incident was when she directed a two-minute film, The Heart, supporting the Heart and Stroke Foundation for the AcademyAwards. When she found out that it was used to promote Becel margarine, she took her name off the film.

[[CanadaEh Canadian]] actress and director, born January 8, 1979, best known for her roles in the ''Film/DawnOfTheDead2004'' remake, ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''[[ExistenZ [=eXistenZ=]]]'', ''{{Splice}}'', and the mini-series ''Series/JohnAdams''. Was also in ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' and ''RoadToAvonlea''.
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!!!'''This actress contains examples of:'''
* OldShame: She hated ''RoadToAvonlea'', and later called it "horrible" in an interview.
* SoapboxSadie: She was heavily involved in activism for Canada's [[CanadianPolitics New Democratic Party]] during her teen years, even getting two teeth knocked out by riot police at one point. Her activism was part of the reason why she wound up leaving ''RoadToAvonlea'' -- the relationship between her and {{Disney}} (who aired the show in America on the DisneyChannel) soured after she refused to take off a peace sign that she wore to an award ceremony, much to Disney's chagrin. While her political views are unchanged, she's focused more on her acting career since then.
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