Born on June 1st, 1969 in Dover, Delaware, Theresa Elizabeth Polo is the daughter of Vince Polo and Jane Polo and has two elder brothers Steve and Mike. She took up dancing at the age of 6, and had a penchant for Ballet. She went to Dover High School and was an honor student; however she dropped out at age 17.
After winning a contest organized by Seventeen Magazine, she decided to pursue a career in modeling and acting. Her passion for acting brought her to New York, where she got her first role on the TV drama show ‘Loving’, in 1986. She played the role of Helen Santos, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Matt San, in ‘The West Wing’ and became a regular in Northern Exposure (1994 to 1995). She also featured in other television shows such as ‘House of Frankenstein miniseries’ and the sci-fi ‘Brimstone series’ (1998 to 1999). She did cameo appearances in ‘The Practice, Felicity’, ‘Chicago Hope’ and ‘Sports Night’. She acted in TV movies such as ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ (1990) and ‘People Like Us’ (1990). She graced to the silver screen with films such as ‘Born to Ride’ (1991) and ‘Mystery Date’ (1991), alongside Ethan Hawke.
She got her big break with the role of Pam Byrnes opposite Ben Stiller in the 2000 hit comedy; ‘Meet the Parents’ and its sequel ‘Meet the Fockers’ (2003). She was married to photographer Anthony Moore in 1997, whom she later divorced after 6 years of marriage in 2003. She has also featured in the February 2005 issue of Play boy. |
