Polly Walker
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Biography
Every juicy melodrama needs a character you love to hate, and in HBO's critically acclaimed "Rome," she came in the form of Atia, and British actress Polly Walker played the part to the hilt. As the sexually ravenous and morally bankrupt niece of Julius Caesar, Walker's Atia sneered and connived her way through every scene.
Walker was born in 1966 in Cheshire, England. Interested in the performing arts since childhood, she originally planned to be a dancer, but an injury when she was just 18 forced her to concentrate on acting. She enrolled at London's Drama Center and went on to the Royal Shakespeare Company. She took on a number of small stage roles before appearing on British television.
Walker landed a prime role as the title character in the British television adaptation of the literary classic, "Lorna Doone" in 1990. From there, she appeared in a few more British television movies, such as "The Kremlin, Farewell," in 1990 and "Kabuto," in 1992. That same year, she appeared in her first major big screen role as Caroline in the critically acclaimed "Enchanted April."
Walker made a bigger splash in the Harrison Ford film, "Patriot Games," based on the Tom Clancy political thriller, where she played an English woman in an Irish terrorist group. She followed the role with a part as Vida, a mysterious neighbor, in the Sharon Stone sexy noir, "Sliver" in 1993. She next appeared in the costume drama "Restoration" and then the Jane Austen classic, "Emma." In 1999, she turned in a sexy performance in "8 ½ Women."
She worked steadily in smaller films since then, including two television movies in 2003: "Jeffrey Archer: The Truth," on the BBC, and an adaptation of "The Mayor of Casterbridge" on A&E. After a part in the indie crime drama "Control," opposite Ray Liotta, she landed the plum part on "Rome;" her turn as the wicked and scheming Atia was a high point of an already racy series. Next up for her was the Ewan McGregor comedy "Scenes of a Sexual Nature." (lensing, 2005)
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Cast (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1990
Landed title role in British TV movie "Lorna Doone"
1991
Feature debut in "Shogun Mayeda"
1992
U.S. film debut, opposite Harrison Ford in "Patriot Games"
1992
Made American TV debut in "A Dangerous Man: Lawrence After Arabia" (PBS)
1992
Appeared with an ensemble cast in Mike Newell's "Enchanted April" a film about four women renting a chateau on a remote Italian island to try to come to grips with their lives and relationships
1996
Starred as Jane Fairfax in "Emma" with Gwyneth Paltrow starring as the title character
1999
Starred in Peter Greenaway's "8 ½ Women"
2002
Cast in an action role in "D-Tox," a thriller starring Sylvester Stallone
2005
Cast as Atia of the Julii on the HBO epic series "Rome"; earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress
2009
Co-starred in The Sci Fi Channel series "Caprica"
2012
Co-starred with Taylor Kitsch in sci-fi Western "John Carter"
Family
Companions
