Her siblings are Susy and John Buchan from Diane's first marriage to George Deans-Buchan, and Mark and Joanna Polley from her second marriage to Michael Polley (1933–2018), a British-born actor who became an insurance agent after starting a family with Diane.
Her uncle was the Buffalo Sabres play by play caller Ted Darling.
Her mother was an actress (best known for playing Gloria Beechham in 44 episodes of the Canadian TV series Street Legal) and a casting director.
1975
Gulkin, the son of Russian-Jewish immigrants, was a Quebec-born film producer who produced the 1975 Canadian film Lies My Father Told Me, and had met Diane after attending a play in which she acted in Montreal in 1978.
When Polley turned 18, she decided to follow up on suggestions from her mother's friends that her biological father might be Geoff Bowes—one of three castmates from her mother's play in Montreal.
Meeting with Gulkin as just someone who could provide information about Diane in Montreal, he informed Polley of his affair with Diane.
Gulkin's paternity was later confirmed by a DNA test.
Polley attended Subway Academy II, then Earl Haig Secondary School, but dropped out at age 15.
By the age of 15 she was living on her own and credits the Ontario Coalition Against Poverty for housing her and developing her work with activism.
Her first appearance on screen was at the age of four, as Molly in the film One Magic Christmas.
1979
Sarah Ellen Polley (born January 8, 1979) is a Canadian filmmaker, writer, 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.
1987
She was in the pilot episode for Friday the 13th – The Series and appeared in a small role in William Fruet's sci-fi horror film Blue Monkey, both in 1987.
At age of eight, she was cast as Ramona Quimby in the television series Ramona, based on Beverly Cleary's books.
That same year, she played one of the lead characters in Terry Gilliam's The Adventures of Baron Munchausen.
1988
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).
1990
This subsequently led to her role as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea (1990–1996).
She died of cancer the week of Polley's 11th birthday in 1990.
Polley suffered from severe scoliosis as a child and underwent a spinal operation at 15 that required her to spend the next year in bed recovering.
Polley was raised by Diane and Michael.
During her childhood, Polley's siblings teased her because she bore no physical resemblance to Michael.
Polley discovered as an adult that her biological father was actually Harry Gulkin, with whom her mother had an affair (as chronicled in Polley's film Stories We Tell).
Polley burst into the public eye in 1990 as Sara Stanley on the popular CBC television series Road to Avonlea.
The series made her famous and financially independent, and she was hailed as "Canada's Sweetheart" by the popular press.
The show was picked up by the Disney Channel for distribution in the United States.
1991
At the age of 12 (around 1991), Polley attended an awards ceremony while wearing a peace sign to protest the first Gulf War.
Disney executives asked her to remove it, and she refused.
1994
This soured her relationship with Disney, but she continued on Road to Avonlea until 1994.
In 1994 Polley made her theatre debut at the Stratford Festival playing Alice in Alice Through the Looking Glass, an adaptation of Lewis Carroll's book of the same name.
Polley ended her run early, claiming complications from scoliosis.
In 2022 she revealed she had in fact been suffering from intense stage fright, something that continued to plague her into adulthood.
1996
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.
Polley was born and raised in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, the youngest of five children born to Diane Elizabeth Polley ( MacMillan).
The show ran until 1996; Polley did return as Sara Stanley for an episode in 1995 and for the series finale.
Polley appeared as Lily on the CBC television series Straight Up, which ran from 1996 to 1998, winning the Gemini Award for Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series for her role.
1997
Polley's subsequent role as Nicole Burnell in the 1997 film The Sweet Hereafter brought her considerable attention in the United States; she was a favourite at the Sundance Film Festival.
Her character in the film was an aspiring singer, and on the film's soundtrack, she performed covers of The Tragically Hip's "Courage" and Jane Siberry's "One More Colour" and sang the film's title track, which she co-wrote with Mychael Danna.
2006
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.
2011
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).
