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Theresa Elizabeth "Teri" Polo (born June 1, 1969) is an American actress known for her role of Pam Focker in the film Meet the Parents (2000) and its two sequels, Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010). She was one of the stars in the sitcom I'm with Her, as well as the political drama series The West Wing.

She portrays Stef Adams Foster in the ABC Family series, The Fosters and its spin-off, Good Trouble.

Personal Life[]

Polo was born Theresa Elizabeth Polo in Dover, Delaware. Her mother, Jane (née Gentry), is a homemaker, and her father, Vincent Polo, is a stereo systems designer. She studied ballet for 12 years beginning at age five. By age 13, she was attending New York's School of American Ballet. After winning a modeling contest, she moved to New York City at the age of 17 to pursue an acting career. In April 1997, Polo married photographer Anthony Moore. In 2005, Polo and Moore were divorced. In 2006, while on the set of a video, she met drummer Jamie Wollam (of the bands Avion, Venice and recently Drake Bell). She has two children: a son with Moore, and a daughter with Wollam.

Career[]

Polo's primetime debut was in TV 101. She also starred in the 1990 miniseries The Phantom of the Opera as Christine Daae. Polo played Detective Ash on the TV series Brimstone and became a regular cast member on the last season of Northern Exposure. She appeared in a recurring guest role in the sixth and seventh seasons of The West Wing playing the role of Helen Santos, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Matt Santos (Jimmy Smits).

In February 2005, Polo appeared on the cover, as well as posed nude for, Playboy. The appearance was linked to the release of Meet the Fockers, with cover text that made similar plays on words such as “She's one hot Focker”. She was ranked #42 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002. She was also featured in InStyle. She also starred in the Lifetime Movie Network 2006 movie, Legacy of Fear. In 2007, she starred in a Hallmark Channel movie "Love Is A Four Letter Word". In 2009, she starred in the feature film 2:13 and the Hallmark Channel TV movie Expecting a Miracle with Jason Priestley and Cheech Marin. That same year she also starred in The Beacon (2009).

She was in the 2009 television pilot for Washington Field. The show was about the National Capital Response Squad, a unit of the FBI composed of elite experts in different areas who travel around the world, responding to events that concern American interest. In 2010, Polo reprised her role as Pam Focker in Little Fockers, the sequel to Meet the Parents (2000) and Meet the Fockers (2004). She appeared in the 1980s-styled horror fantasy film, The Hole.

Polo has guest-starred on many TV shows, including The Practice, Felicity, Chicago Hope, Numb3rs, Sports Night, Frasier, Medium, Law & Order: LA, Castle, and Criminal Minds.

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Role Notes
1991 Born to Ride Beryl Ann Devers
1991 Mystery Date Geena Matthews
1992 Passed Away Rachel Scanlan
1993 Aspen Extreme Robin Hand
1993 Quick Quick
1993 The House of the Spirits Rosa del Valle
1994 Golden Gate Cynthia
1996 The Arrival Char
2000 Meet the Parents Pam Byrnes
2001 The Unsaid Barbara Lonigan
2001 Domestic Disturbance Susan
2003 Straight From the Heart Jordan Donovan
2003 Beyond Borders Charlotte Jordan
2004 Meet the Fockers Pam Byrnes
2007 Full of It Mrs. Moran
2009 2:13 Amanda Richardson
2009 The Hole Susan
2009 The Beacon Bryn Shaw
2010 Little Fockers Pam Focker
2011 Beyond
2012 Climbing Life Beth (rumored) Pre-production

Television[]

Year Title Role Notes
1986 Loving Kristin Larsen TV series
1988-1989 TV 101 Amanda Hampton 13 episodes
1990 The Phantom of the Opera Christine Daee TV movie
1990 People Like Us Justine Altemus Slatkin TV movie
1994 Due South Stephanie Cabot Episode: "They Eat Horses, Don't They?"
1994 Tales from the Crypt Sheila Episode: "Revenge Is the Nuts"
1994-1995 Northern Exposure Michelle Schodowski Capra 15 episodes
1995 Chicago Hope Nurse Sarah Jane Petty Episode: "Heartbreak"
1996 Full Circle Tana Roberts TV movie
1997 Van Helsing Chronicles Helena Harker TV movie
1997 A Prayer in the Dark Janet Hayworth TV movie
1997 House of Frankenstein 1997 Grace Dawkins TV movie
1998 Texarkana TV movie
1998 A Father for Brittany Kim Lussier TV movie
1998 The Outer Limits Sally McCoy Episode: "Identity Crisis"
1998 The Marriage Fool (Love After Death) Susan Prescot TV movie
1998-1999 Brimstone Det. Sgt. Delilah Ash / Ashur Badaktu 6 episodes
1999 Sugar Hill TV series
1999 Felicity Maggie Sherwood 5 episodes
1999-2000 Sports Night Rebecca Wells 8 episodes
2000 Frasier Abby Michaels Episode: "Legal Tender Love and Care"
2002 Second String Connie Heller TV movie
2003 Straight from the Heart Jordan Donovan TV movie
2003 L.A. Dragnet Jessie Ross Episode: "All That Glitters"
2003 The Practice Sarah Barker 5 episodes
2003-2004 I'm with Her Alex Young 22 episodes
2005-2006 The West Wing Helen Santos 18 episodes
2006 Welcome to the Jungle Gym TV movie
2006 For the Love of a Child Yvonne TV movie
2006 Legacy of Fear Det. Jeanne 'JJ' Joyce TV movie
2007 Numb3rs Rachel Willons Episode: "Nine Wives"
2007 Love Is a Four Letter Word Emily Bennett TV movie
2007 The Wedding Bells Jane Bell 4 episodes
2008 Finnegan Det. Erin Finnegan TV movie
2008 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Dana Kelley Episode: "Confession"
2008 CSI: Miami Jill Walsh Episode: "Gone Baby Gone"
2009 Expecting a Miracle Donna Stanhope TV movie
2009 Ghost Whisperer Nikki Episode: "This Joint's Haunted"

Episode: "Body of Water"

2009 The Storm Danni Nelson Episode: "The Storm: Part 1"
2009 Drop Dead Diva Jillian Ford Episode: "The Magic Bullet"
2009 Monk Stephanie Briggs Episode: "Mr. Monk Is the Best Man"
2009 Washington Field SA Amanda Diaz TV movie
2010 Medium Mary-Louise Graff Episode: "It's a Wonderful Death"
2010 Glory Daze Prof. Larsen Episode: "Pilot"

Episode: "Fake Me Home Tonight"

2010-2011 Law & Order: LA Casey Winters Episode: "Echo Park"

Episode: "Zuma Canyon" Episode: "Hayden Tract"

2011 Castle Kayla Baron Episode: "Pretty Dead"
2011 We Have Your Husband Jayne Valseca TV movie
2011 Man Up! Theresa Hayden Keen 10 episodes
2012 A Taste of Romance Sara Westbrook TV movie
2012 Criminal Minds Maggie Hallman Episode: "I Love You, Tommy Brown" as a Spree Killer
2013-2018 The Fosters Stef Adams Foster Lead role
2019-present Good Trouble Stef Adams Foster Guest role

Triva[]

  • She Grew up in Dover, Delaware.
  • Daughter of Jane Polo and Vince Polo
  • Straight 'A' student at Holy Cross Elementary School.
  • Honors student at Dover High School, Dover DE.
  • She and Anthony Moore eloped in Las Vegas one day after becoming engaged in a Sears store.
  • Dropped out of Dover High School (Dover, DE) at age 17 to move to NYC and pursue acting.
  • Signed by the Petite modeling agency at age 17.
  • Studied ballet from age 6 - 17.
  • Gave birth to her first child, a boy named Griffin (born summer 2002).
  • Her former husband, Anthony Moore, is a photographer.
  • Posed in the February 2005 issue of Playboy.
  • Has 3 dogs.
  • Was featured as #42 in Maxim Magazine's "Hot 100 of 2002" supplement. (2002)
  • Daughter Bayley, with boyfriend Jamie Wollam, born December 20th 2007 in Los Angeles.
  • Her boyfriend Jamie Wollam has a son named Carter Wollam.
  • Teri and her musician boyfriend, Jamie Wollam, became the parents of a girl, Bailey, on December 20. 2007 in Los Angeles. Bailey weighed in at 7 pounds.
  • Took a substantial loss ($550,000) selling her five-bedroom, 3,077-square-foot, Asian-inspired house in Manhattan Beach, California for $1.95 million. She originally paid $2.5 million for it in 2006.

Gallery[]

Click here to see Teri's gallery.

External Links[]

Navigational[]

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