After toiling for a decade in low-grade films and a host of TV shows, Teri Polo finally earned a helping of recognition, topped off with a dollop of critical appreciation, for her portrayal of Ben Stiller's would-be fiancée in Jay Roach's 2000 autumn blockbuster Meet the Parents. The casting of Polo as the daughter of über-WASP suburban gentry (Robert De Niro and Blythe Danner) capitalized on her Pepsident-blond, all-American looks, and the film's success effectively provided the actress with the exposure that would allow her to move beyond the confines of weeknight television spots.
The daughter of a stereo systems designer and a homemaker, Polo was born in Dover, DE, and raised there in the company of two older brothers. A ballet student from the age of five, she spent most of her childhood and adolescence in a dance studio, but after being rejected by a performing arts school at 17, Polo re-evaluated what she wanted to do with her life; her subsequent win in a Seventeen magazine modeling contest led to her decision to drop out of school and pursue an acting career in New York.
Roles on TV shows ranging from the ABC soap opera Loving to Northern Exposure followed, as did starring work as the object of Ethan Hawke's affections in the thankless, straight-to-video comedy Mystery Date (1991). After moving to Los Angeles in 1995 to better pursue her career, Polo found more work on television, guest-starring on such shows as Felicity and Sports Night. With Meet the Parents in 2000, the actress' years of hard work seemed finally to have paid off, as she enjoyed mention in the national media and a crop of studio offers.
| Title | Year | Editors' Rating | User Rating | |
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Little Fockers
Actor |
2010 | |||
2:13
Actor |
2009 | |||
Expecting a Miracle
Actor |
2009 | |||
Haunting at the Beacon
Actor |
2009 | |||
The Hole
Actor |
2009 | NOT YET RELEASED | ||
The Storm
Actor |
2009 | |||
Full of It
Actor |
2007 | |||
| 2007 | ||||
Meet the Fockers
Actor |
2004 | |||
Beyond Borders
Actor |
2003 | |||
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I'm With Her [TV Series]
Actor |
2003 | |||
Straight from the Heart
Actor |
2003 | |||
Second String
Actor |
2002 | |||
Domestic Disturbance
Actor |
2001 | |||
The Unsaid
Actor |
2001 | |||
Frasier: Legal Tender Love and Care
TV Guest Appearance |
2000 | |||
Meet the Parents
Actor |
2000 | |||
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1999 | |||
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1999 | |||
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1999 | |||
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1999 | |||
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Sports Night: Rebecca
Actor |
1999 | |||
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1999 | |||
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1999 | |||
A Change of Heart
Actor |
1998 | |||
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A Father for Brittany
Actor |
1998 | |||
Love After Death
Actor |
1998 | |||
A Prayer In The Dark
Actor |
1997 | |||
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1996 | |||
The Arrival
Actor |
1996 | |||
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1994 | |||
Golden Gate
Actor |
1994 | |||
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1994 | |||
Aspen Extreme
Actor |
1993 | |||
Quick
Actor |
1993 | |||
The House of the Spirits
Actor |
1993 | |||
Passed Away
Actor |
1992 | |||
Born to Ride
Actor |
1991 | |||
Mystery Date
Actor |
1991 | |||
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People Like Us
Actor |
1990 | |||
The Phantom of the Opera
Actor |
1990 |
