Polly Shannon was born on September 1st, 1973, in Kingston Ontario. She, along with her brother Micah, were raised in Alymer Quebec, by her mother, a script-writer for children's television, and her father a former Deputy Surgeon General.

Polly started acting as a child, most notibly with the Grimes Road Kids, a small theatre group which was run by her mother. She ventured into modelling at the age of 13, and had travelled to cities such as Paris, Tokyo, and New York by the age of 17. Polly gave up modelling in 1994 because acting was her true calling and frankly she found modelling a little boring.

In 1992, Polly made her television debut on Are You Afraid Of The Dark? She moved on to smaller roles on the big screen, as seen in 1993's Love & Human Remains. She had a reoccuring role on a Canadian cult series, Catwalk, for the second season on MTV. She went on to bigger roles in 1994's No Contest, A Young Connecticut Yankee (along side Michael York and Teresa Russel) and many other TV shows and MOTWs.

Polly's biggest role came in 1998's The Girl Next Door, which she played a young seductress/murder victim. This role brought Polly critical acclaim within the Canadian film industry. Her potrayal earned her a Gemini nomination for best actress in 1999. She was nominated again in 2000 for her role in 1999's The Sheldon Kennedy Story, which she played Jana Kennedy, the wife to the former NHLer.

Polly currently resides in Toronto Ontario. In her free time from acting, she enjoys running and skiing.

© 2001 Bryan Eng