Sarah Polley

Canadian Sarah Polley has acted since she was four years old. She recently turned her attention behind the cameras, writing and directing her first feature called Away From Her, which earned her a 2008 Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Polley has been a regular on four notable Canadian television series, and was nominated for Gemini Awards for her appearance in each: the miniseries Ramona, based on the much-loved Beverly Cleary novels; Road to Avonlea, based on the work of children's author Lucy Maud Montgomery; the critically acclaimed teen drama Straight Up, for which she won a Gemini Award; and the popular dark comedy Slings and Arrows, about the travails of a notable Shakespeare festival, which also features her father Michael Polley.

Polley had planned to make her first film about the life of a child actor, but could not find funding. After reading Alice Munro's The Bear Came Over the Mountain, she decided to adapt it for film, and convinced former co-star Julie Christie to take the lead. The film, its performances, and Polley's adaptation have all received widespread acclaim.

• Note: Many of the links in this timeline are to IMDb, which has pop-ups.

• January 8, 1979: Born

• 1985 One Magic Christmas: IMDb | Wikipedia

• 1988 The Adventures of Baron Munchausen: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 1989-1996 Road to Avonlea: IMDb | Wikipedia

• 1997 The Sweet Hereafter: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 1999 Go: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 1999 eXistenZ: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 2000 The Claim: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 2003 My Life Without Me: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 2004 Dawn of the Dead: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes

• 2005 Don't Come Knocking: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 2005 The Secret Life of Words: IMDb | Rotten Tomatoes | Wikipedia

• 2006 Away from Her: IMDb | Mahalo | Rotten Tomatoes

• 2008 John Adams: IMDb | Wikipedia

• 2008 Mr. Nobody: IMDb | Wikipedia

• 2209 Splice: IMDb | Wikipedia