Line #3 Creator/SarahPolley


1	[[quoteright:310:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/sarah-polley-picture-1.jpg]]
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3	Sarah Ellen Polley [[UsefulNotes/KnightFever OC]] (born January 8, 1979 in Toronto, Ontario) is a [[UsefulNotes/{{Canada}} Canadian]] actress, director, and screenwriter.
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5	Beginning her career at the age of four with a bit part in ''Film/OneMagicChristmas'', Polley's first starring role was as Literature/RamonaQuimby in the miniseries ''Ramona''. She was also featured in Creator/TerryGilliam's CultClassic film ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'', but 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 ''Film/MyLifeWithoutMe''. Her first mainstream role was as Ana Clark in Creator/ZackSnyder's ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 Dawn of the Dead]]'', with other notable performances in ''Film/{{Go}}'', ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'', ''Film/{{Splice}}'', and the miniseries ''Series/JohnAdams''.
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7	After directing a few shorts, Polley made her feature directorial debut in 2006 with the drama ''Film/AwayFromHer'', adapted from Alice Munro'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 also wrote and directed the 2011 romantic dramedy ''Take This Waltz'', the 2012 [[Creator/NationalFilmBoardOfCanada NFB]] documentary ''Stories We Tell'', and the 2022 drama ''Film/WomenTalking'' (for which she won the 2023 MediaNotes/AcademyAwardForBestAdaptedScreenplay). She also wrote the 2017 drama series ''Series/AliasGrace'', and co-directed the 2020 Canadian comedy web series ''Hey Lady!''. She has stated that she enjoys both acting and directing, as they each use a different part of her brain.
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9	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 [[https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/14/opinion/sunday/harvey-weinstein-sarah-polley.html 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.
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11	----
12	!!Selected filmography:
13	[[folder:Film roles]]
14	* ''Film/BlueMonkey'' (1987) as Ellen
15	* ''Film/TheAdventuresOfBaronMunchausen'' (1988) as Sally Salt
16	* ''[[Literature/{{Babar}} Babar: The Movie]]'' (1989) as Young Celeste (voice)
17	* ''Film/{{Exotica}}'' (1994) as Tracey Brown
18	* ''Film/TheSweetHereafter'' (1997) as Nicole Burnell
19	* ''Film/LastNight'' (1998) as Jennifer Wheeler
20	* ''Film/{{eXistenZ}}'' (1999) as Merle
21	* ''Film/{{Go}}'' (1999) as Ronna Martin
22	* ''Film/NoSuchThing'' (2001) as Beatrice
23	* ''Film/MyLifeWithoutMe'' (2003) as Ann
24	* ''[[Film/DawnOfTheDead2004 Dawn of the Dead]]'' (2004) as Ana Clark
25	* ''Film/BeowulfAndGrendel'' (2005) as Selma
26	* ''Film/TheSecretLifeofWords'' (2005) as Hanna
27	* ''Film/MrNobody'' (2009) as Elise (adult)
28	* ''Film/{{Splice}}'' (2009) as Elsa Kast
29	[[/folder]]
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31	[[folder:Television roles]]
32	* ''Series/ScreenTwo'' (1 episode, 1987) as Becky Hawthorne
33	* ''Series/FridayThe13thTheSeries'' (1 episode, 1987) as Mary
34	* ''[[Literature/RamonaQuimby Ramona]]'' (10 episodes, 1988–89) as Ramona
35	* ''Series/RoadToAvonlea'' (67 episodes, 1990–96) as Sara Stanley
36	* ''Series/SlingsAndArrows'' (5 episodes, 2006) as Sophie
37	* ''Series/JohnAdams'' (4 episodes, 2008) as Abigail Adams Smith
38	[[/folder]]
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40	[[folder:Writer-director]]
41	* ''Film/AwayFromHer'' (2006)
42	* ''Take This Waltz'' (2011)
43	* ''Stories We Tell'' (2012)
44	* ''Series/AliasGrace'' (6 episodes, 2017 – writer only)
45	* ''Hey Lady!'' (8 episodes, 2020 – director only)
46	* ''Film/WomenTalking'' (2022)
47	[[/folder]]
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Context Creator / SarahPolley