Polly Draper facts for kids

Polly Carey Draper (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. She has won several awards, including a Writers Guild of America Award. People often recognize her for her unique "throaty voice."

Polly Draper became well-known for her main role in the ABC TV show Thirtysomething (1987–91). She also wrote the movie The Tic Code (1998), where she also acted. She wrote and directed the TV movie Stella's Last Weekend (2018), and later directed the film Once Upon a Main Street (2020).

Polly Draper's Early Life and Family

Polly Draper was born in Gary, Indiana. Her mother, Phyllis, worked for the Peace Corps. Her father, William Henry Draper III, was a leader at the United Nations Development Programme. He also led the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

Polly has two siblings, Tim Draper and Rebecca Draper. Her grandfather, William Henry Draper Jr., was a banker and diplomat.

Polly grew up in different places. These included Chicago, Illinois, and Palo Alto and Arlington, California. She studied at Yale University. She earned her first degree in 1977. She then got a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1980 from the Yale School of Drama.

Polly Draper's Marriages and Children

Polly Draper was married to playwright Kevin Wade for five years. Later, she married musician Michael Wolff. They met in 1989 on a TV talk show called Arsenio Hall. Michael Wolff was the bandleader there.

Michael Wolff has Tourette syndrome. His experiences helped inspire the movie The Tic Code. He also created the music for the film. Polly and Michael have two sons, Nat and Alex. Polly acted with her sons in the movie Stella's Last Weekend. She played their mother in the film.

Polly Draper's Acting and Directing Career

Polly Draper started her acting career in plays. She appeared in an Off-Broadway play called Split in 1980. She then starred as Ellyn Warren in the ABC TV show Thirtysomething. This show ran from 1987 to 1991. In 1993, she played Adrian in the TV movie Heartbeat.

She acted in the play Four Dogs and a Bone in 1993. Polly also appeared on TV shows like The Larry Sanders Show (1998), Monk (2002), and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2002). In 2007, she was in the TV movie Too Young to Marry.

Polly Draper's Writing and Directing Projects

Polly Draper wrote the movie The Tic Code (1999) and played Laura Caraday in it. In 2003, she wrote a play called Getting Into Heaven. She also starred in it as a singer named Cat. She wrote the music for this play with her husband and young son, Nat. In 2005, she played Nina in the Broadway play Brooklyn Boy.

In 2010, she had a role in the TV show The Big C. Polly also directed a play written by her son Alex. It was called What Would Woody Do? (2010). In 2011, she wrote and acted in an episode of the TV show Bar Karma. She also appeared in the play My Brilliant Divorce in 2012.

Later, she acted in the film Side Effects (2013). She was also in the TV show Golden Boy (2013). In 2014, Polly Draper appeared in the movie Obvious Child.

Polly played Sally in her film, Stella's Last Weekend, which came out in 2018. In 2020, she was in the film Shiva Baby. She played Debbie, the main character's mother. Critics praised her performance. IndieWire said her acting "brightens" the film. Variety called her performance "delightfully witty."

Polly Draper's Awards and Recognition

In 1988, Polly Draper was nominated for an Emmy Award. This was for her role in Thirtysomething. The award was for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series.

Her play Four Dogs and a Bone (1993) won her a New York Magazine award. She was named Best Broadway Actress. For The Tic Code (1998), she won the Bronze Gryphon award for Best Actress. This award was given at the Giffoni Film Festival.

In 2009, Polly won an award for the TV movie "Polar Bears." She won in the Children's Script category. In August 2018, her film Stella's Last Weekend won the Grand Prize. This award was given at the San Antonio Film Festival.

See also

In Spanish: Polly Draper para niños