Sarah Polley
Acting • Born 1979-01-08
Biography
Sarah Ellen Polley OC (born January 8, 1979) is a Canadian filmmaker, political activist and retired actress. She first garnered attention as a child actress for her role as Ramona Quimby in the television series Ramona, based on Beverly Cleary's books. This subsequently led to her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea (1990–1996). She has starred in many feature films, including The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988), Exotica (1994), The Sweet Hereafter (1997), Guinevere (1999), Go (1999), The Weight of Water (2000), No Such Thing (2001), My Life Without Me (2003), Dawn of the Dead (2004), Splice (2009), and Mr. Nobody (2009). Polley made her feature film directorial debut with Away from Her (2006), for which she won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Director and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Polley's second film, Take This Waltz (2011), premiered at the 2011 Toronto International Film Festival, followed by her first documentary film, Stories We Tell (2012). She also wrote the miniseries Alias Grace, based on the 1996 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood. In 2022, Polley wrote and directed the film Women Talking, based on the 2018 novel of the same name by Miriam Toews, for which she won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Description above from the Wikipedia article Sarah Polley, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
Filmography
63 credits
My Life Without Me
Movie • 2003
Ann
The Secret Life of Words
Movie • 2005
Hanna
Dawn of the Dead
Movie • 2004
Ana
The Sweet Hereafter
Movie • 1997
Nicole Burnell
Don't Come Knocking
Movie • 2005
Sky
eXistenZ
Movie • 1999
Merle
Exotica
Movie • 1994
Tracey
Mr. Nobody
Movie • 2009
Adult Elise
The I Inside
Movie • 2004
Clair
Go
Movie • 1999
Ronna Martin
One Magic Christmas
Movie • 1985
Molly Monaghan
The Weight of Water
Movie • 2001
Maren Hontvedt
The Event
Movie • 2003
Dana Shapiro
No Such Thing
Movie • 2002
Beatrice
Babar: The Movie
Movie • 1989
Young Celeste
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
Movie • 1988
Sally Salt
Guinevere
Movie • 1999
Harper Sloane
Splice
Movie • 2010
Elsa
The Claim
Movie • 2000
Hope Burn
Last Night
Movie • 1998
Jennifer Wheeler
Heaven On Earth
Movie • 1987
Becky Hawthorne
Trigger
Movie • 2010
Hillary
White Lies
Movie • 1998
Catherine
Joe's So Mean to Josephine
Movie • 1997
Josephine
Jerry and Tom
Movie • 1998
Deb
Wrath of Gods
Movie • 2007
Self
Blue Monkey
Movie • 1987
Ellen
Siblings
Movie • 2004
Tabby
Stories We Tell
Movie • 2012
Self (uncredited)
Pretty Kill
Movie • 1987
Karla
This Might Be Good
Movie • 2000
Lantern Hill
Movie • 1989
Jody Turner
Preludes
Movie • 2000
Beowulf & Grendel
Movie • 2005
Selma
The Life Before This
Movie • 1999
Connie
The Planet of Junior Brown
Movie • 1997
Butter
Children First!
Movie • 1996
Host
Luck
Movie • 2004
Margaret
Hands of a Stranger
Movie • 1987
Suzie Hearn
Road to Avonlea: The Movie
Movie • 1990
Confidential
Movie • 1986
Emma (child)
The Law of Enclosures
Movie • 2000
Beatty 'Beatrice'
Johann's Gift to Christmas
Movie • 1992
The Angel
Love Come Down
Movie • 2000
Sister Sarah
Margaret Atwood: A Word After a Word After a Word Is Power
Movie • 2019
Self - Filmmaker
The Hanging Garden
Movie • 1997
Teen Rosemary
The Madness and Misadventures of Munchausen
Movie • 2008
Self - 'Sally Salt'
Sugar
Movie • 2004
Pregnant Girl
The Big Town
Movie • 1987
Christy Donaldson
Reel Herstory: The Real Story of Reel Women
Movie • 2014
Self
Dermott's Quest
Movie • 2003
Gwen
The Incredible Time-Travels of Henry Osgood
Movie • 1986
Friday the 13th: The Series
TV • 1987
Mary
Ramona
TV • 1988
Ramona
Slings & Arrows
TV • 2003
Sophie
Road to Avonlea
TV • 1990
Sara Stanley
John Adams
TV • 2008
Abigail Adams Smith
Teen Choice Awards
TV • 1999
Self
The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
TV • 2015
Self
The Oscars
TV • 1953
Self
Directors on Directors
TV • 2021
Self
The Studio
TV • 2025
Sarah Polley
Golden Globe Awards
TV • 1944
Self - Nominee