Walker was born in
WarringtonWarrington is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. The population of the borough of Warrington, including its 18 civil parishes, is around 194,000...
,
CheshireCheshire ; also known, archaically, as the County of Chester) is a ceremonial county in North West England. The traditional county town is the city of Chester, although Cheshire's largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Widnes, Runcorn, Macclesfield,...
, England. Her first school was Silverdale Preparatory West Acton, London. At 16, Walker graduated from Ballet Rambert School in Twickenham, began her career as a dancer, but had to abandon dancing after a leg injury at the age of 18. She then decided to become an actress. She moved from the
Drama CentreDrama Centre London is a British drama school in Clerkenwell, London. The school is part of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design of the University of the Arts London and is a member of the Conference of Drama Schools...
in London to the
Royal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company. Located primarily at Stratford-upon-Avon, with bases also in London and Newcastle upon Tyne, it is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly-funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal National Theatre.-The early...
, where she played bit parts for six months before graduating to small roles on television.
Walker landed the title role in the television series
Lorna Doone before making her feature debut in
Shogun Mayeda (1991).
Early life
Walker was born in
WarringtonWarrington is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Cheshire, England. It stands on the banks of the River Mersey, which is tidal to the west of the weir at Howley. The population of the borough of Warrington, including its 18 civil parishes, is around 194,000...
,
CheshireCheshire ; also known, archaically, as the County of Chester) is a ceremonial county in North West England. The traditional county town is the city of Chester, although Cheshire's largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Widnes, Runcorn, Macclesfield,...
, England. Her first school was Silverdale Preparatory West Acton, London. At 16, Walker graduated from Ballet Rambert School in Twickenham, began her career as a dancer, but had to abandon dancing after a leg injury at the age of 18. She then decided to become an actress. She moved from the
Drama CentreDrama Centre London is a British drama school in Clerkenwell, London. The school is part of the Central Saint Martins College of Art and Design of the University of the Arts London and is a member of the Conference of Drama Schools...
in London to the
Royal Shakespeare CompanyThe Royal Shakespeare Company is a major British theatre company. Located primarily at Stratford-upon-Avon, with bases also in London and Newcastle upon Tyne, it is one of the United Kingdom's two most prominent publicly-funded theatre companies, alongside the Royal National Theatre.-The early...
, where she played bit parts for six months before graduating to small roles on television.
Film and television roles
Walker landed the title role in the television series
Lorna Doone before making her feature debut in
Shogun Mayeda (1991). In that same year she appeared in
Les Equilibristes and in
Mike NewellMichael Cormac "Mike" Newell is an English director and producer of motion pictures for the screen and for television.-Early life:...
's
Enchanted AprilThe Enchanted April is a 1922 novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. An Academy Award-nominated film based on the novel, directed by Mike Newell, was released in 1992...
, in which she played an aristocrat eager to escape the attentions of her persistent male admirers. Walker first garnered international attention in 1992 as a single-minded English member of an Irish terrorist group in
Phillip Noyce- Early life :Noyce was born in Griffith, New South Wales, attended Barker College, Sydney, and began making short films at the age of 18, starting with Better to Reign in Hell, using his friends as the cast...
's
Patriot GamesPatriot Games is a 1992 film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was released on June 5, 1992 and directed by Phillip Noyce. In the movie, Jack Ryan was played by Harrison Ford, Jack's surgeon-wife, Dr...
. In 2003 she had a starring role in the
BBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation, usually referred to by its abbreviation as the "BBC", is the longest established and largest broadcaster in the world...
drama series
State of Play.
In late 2005, Walker played
Atia of the Julii__FORCETOC__Atia of the Julii is a fictional character from the HBO/BBC/RAI original television series Rome, played by Polly Walker. The niece of Julius Caesar and mother of Octavian/Augustus and Octavia, she is depicted as a cheerfully amoral and opportunistic manipulator...
in the first season of the HBO/BBC2 television series
RomeRome is an American-British-Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius, and William J. MacDonald. The show's first season originally aired on HBO in the United States between August 28 and November 20, 2005, subsequently being broadcast on the United Kingdom's...
. Her performance earned her a
Golden GlobeThe Golden Globe Awards are presented annually by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association to recognize outstanding achievements in the entertainment industry, both domestic and foreign, and to focus wide public attention upon the best in motion pictures and television...
nomination in 2005 for "Best Performance by an Actress In A Television Series - Drama." Walker reprised the role in the second season of the series, which began airing in January 2007. She next played the sinister Catherine Braithwaite in
Deus Ex Machina, a two-episode story of the BBC television "cold case" crime series
Waking the DeadWaking the Dead is a British television police procedural crime drama series produced by the BBC featuring a fictional Cold Case Unit comprising CID police officers, a psychological profiler and a forensic scientist. A pilot episode was transmitted in September 2000 and there have been a total of...
, which also aired in January 2007. In May 2007, Walker appeared as Lady Bess Sedgwick in
ITVITV is a public service network of British commercial television broadcasters, set up under the Independent Television Authority to provide competition to the BBC. ITV is the oldest commercial television network in the UK...
's
MarpleMarple is a British television series based on the Miss Marple and other murder mystery novels by Agatha Christie. It is also known as Agatha Christie's Marple. The title character was played by Geraldine McEwan from the first to third series, until her retirement from the role...
:
At Bertram's HotelAt Bertram's Hotel is a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie and first published in the UK by the Collins Crime Club on November 15, 1965 and in the US by Dodd, Mead and Company the following year. The UK edition retailed at sixteen shillings and the US edition at $4.50...
, and then played sugar heiress Ellis Samuels in the
CBSCBS Broadcasting Inc. is an American television network, one of television's original "big three", which also include NBC and ABC. Like NBC, CBS started out as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System...
television drama
CaneCane was an American television drama created by Cynthia Cidre, who also served as executive producer alongside Jonathan Prince, Jimmy Iovine and Polly Anthony. The pilot was directed by Christian Duguay...
, which premiered 25 September 2007.
In May 2008, Walker was cast as Sister Clarice Willow, headmistress of a private religious school, in
SyfySyfy is an American cable television channel launched on September 24, 1992, that specializes in science fiction, fantasy, horror, and paranormal programming. It is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBC Universal...
's
Battlestar GalacticaBattlestar Galactica is a military science fiction serial drama television series and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was created by David Eick and Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the Battlestar Galactica television series from 1978 created by Glen A. Larson...
prequelA prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel .-History:Though the word "Prequel" is of...
series
CapricaCaprica is a television series set in the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe. Beginning 58 years before the events seen in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica tells the story of how Colonial humanity first created the robotic Cylons, who would later plot to destroy human civilization in retaliation...
.
Personal life
She is one of four siblings. Walker has two children from two previous relationships, Giorgio (b. 1994) and Delilah (b. 2000). She currently lives in the United States.
Filmography
- John Carter of Mars
John Carter of Mars is a planned film about John Carter, the lead character in much of Edgar Rice Burroughs's 11-volume Barsoom series. It will be directed by Andrew Stanton and stars Taylor Kitsch as Carter. Contrary to previous misinformed publications, this movie is not being produced by Pixar...
(2012)
- Clash of the Titans
Clash of the Titans is a 1981 fantasy adventure film based on the myth of Perseus. It was released on June 12, 1981 and was a box office hit, grossing $41 million domestically, on a $16 million budget It was the 11th highest grossing film of the year....
http://cinemablend.com/new/New-Clash-Of-The-Titans-Images-Reveal-Creepy-Creatures-And-Zeus-15040.html
- Caprica
Caprica is a television series set in the fictional Battlestar Galactica universe. Beginning 58 years before the events seen in Battlestar Galactica, Caprica tells the story of how Colonial humanity first created the robotic Cylons, who would later plot to destroy human civilization in retaliation...
(2008The year 2008 in television involved some significant plans.Below is a list of television-related events in 2008.-Events:- Debuts :-Television shows:, ,-1950s:*Hallmark Hall of Fame...
) (TV series)
- Marple: At Bertram's Hotel (2007)
- Cane
Cane was an American television drama created by Cynthia Cidre, who also served as executive producer alongside Jonathan Prince, Jimmy Iovine and Polly Anthony. The pilot was directed by Christian Duguay...
(2007The year 2007 in television involves some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2007.-January–March:-April–June:-July–September:-October–December:-Debuts:-Television shows:-1950s:...
) (TV series)
- Scenes of a Sexual Nature
Scenes of a Sexual Nature is a 2006 comedy-drama film directed by Ed Blum. It stars Ewan McGregor, among others.-Plot:The film is mostly based on a series of seven loosely related stories of couples on Hampstead Heath in north London, featuring an ensemble cast...
(2006)
- Rome
Rome is an American-British-Italian historical drama television series created by Bruno Heller, John Milius, and William J. MacDonald. The show's first season originally aired on HBO in the United States between August 28 and November 20, 2005, subsequently being broadcast on the United Kingdom's...
(2005The year 2005 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2005.For the American TV schedule, see: 2005-06 United States network television schedule.-Events:* January 1 -**The U.S...
- 2007) (TV series)
- The Mayor of Casterbridge
The Mayor of Casterbridge is a tragic novel by English author Thomas Hardy, subtitled "The Life and Death of a Man of Character". It is set in the fictional town of Casterbridge...
(2003The year 2003 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 2003.For the American TV schedule, see: 2003-04 United States network television schedule.-Events:...
) (miniseriesA miniseries , in a serial storytelling medium, is a production which tells a story in a pre-planned limited number of episodes. The exact number is open to interpretation; however, they are usually limited to fewer than a whole season. The term "miniseries" is generally a North American term...
)
- State of Play (2003) (TV series)
- D-Tox
D-Tox is a 2002 movie directed by Jim Gillespie and starring Sylvester Stallone. The movie was given a limited release in the US under the title Eye See You three years after it was completed due to Universal Studios deciding not to release it. US distribution rights were then bought by DEJ...
(2002The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost...
)
- Savage Messiah (2002
The year 2002 in film involved some significant events. The first significant releases of sequels took place between Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Men in Black II, Analyze That, Spy Kids 2: The Island of Lost...
)
- Curtain Call (1999
The year 1999 in film involved some significant events and was arguably the most successful year for films released in the 1990s. Several new feature films, including Star Wars Episode I, The Sixth Sense, The Green Mile, new sequel Toy Story 2, first of The Matrix, Disney's animated Tarzan,...
)
- 8½ Women
8½ Women is a 1999 film directed by Peter Greenaway starring John Standing, Matthew Delamere, Vivian Wu, Annie Shizuka Inoh, Barbara Sarafian, Kirina Mano, Toni Collette, Amanda Plummer, Natacha Amal, Manna Fujiwara, and Polly Walker...
(1999)
- Dark Harbor
Dark Harbor is a 1998 film directed by Adam Coleman Howard starring Alan Rickman, Norman Reedus and Polly Walker.- Synopsis :As David and Alexis Weinberg race through a torrential rainstorm to get the last ferry to their private island, they catch sight of an injured young man at the side of the...
(1998)
- Talk of Angels
Talk Of Angels is a film directed in 1996 by Nick Hamm, but not released by its production company, Miramax, until 1998. The film received mostly unfavorable comparisons to Casablanca, Dr...
(1998)
- Brute (1997)
- The Gambler (1997
The year 1997 in film involved some significant events.-Events:*The Star Wars original trilogy's 20th Anniversary Special Editions are released.*Production begins on Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace....
)
- Emma
Emma is a 1996 period film based on the novel of the same name by Jane Austen. Directed by Douglas McGrath, it stars Gwyneth Paltrow, Jeremy Northam, Toni Collette, and Ewan McGregor.- Synopsis :...
(1996The year 1996 in film involved some significant events. Major releases this year included Fargo, Trainspotting, The English Patient, Independence Day, Twister, Scream, Jerry Maguire and Madonna's Evita.-Events:...
)
- Restoration
Restoration is a 1995 film adapted by Rupert Walters from the novel by Rose Tremain. It was directed by Michael Hoffman and stars Robert Downey Jr., Sam Neill, David Thewlis, Polly Walker, Meg Ryan, Ian McKellen, Ian McDiarmid and Hugh Grant.-Plot:...
(1995The year 1995 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* March 22 - The Dogme 95 movement is officially announced in Paris by Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg....
)
- Sliver
Sliver is a 1993 film based on the Ira Levin novel Sliver about the mysterious occurrences in a privately owned New York highrise apartment building. Phillip Noyce directed the film, from a screenplay by Joe Eszterhas. Because of a major battle with the MPAA , the filmmakers were forced to make...
(1993The year 1993 in film involved many significant films. -Events:...
)
- The Trial
The Trial is a 1993 film made by the British Broadcasting Corporation based on Harold Pinter's screenplay adaptation of Franz Kafka's novel The Trial....
(1993)
- Patriot Games
Patriot Games is a 1992 film based on the novel of the same name by Tom Clancy. It was released on June 5, 1992 and directed by Phillip Noyce. In the movie, Jack Ryan was played by Harrison Ford, Jack's surgeon-wife, Dr...
(1992The year 1992 in film involved many significant films. -Top grossing films :source: - Awards :Academy Awards:*Article 99B...
) — Annette
- Enchanted April
The Enchanted April is a 1922 novel by Elizabeth von Arnim. An Academy Award-nominated film based on the novel, directed by Mike Newell, was released in 1992...
(1992)
- Agatha Christie's Poirot: Peril at End House (1990
The year 1990 in film involved some significant events.-Events:* CGI technique is expanded with motion capture for CGI characters, used in Total Recall .* The first digitally-manipulated matte painting is used, in Die Hard 2....
) (TV movieA television movie is a feature film that is produced for and originally distributed by a...
)
External links