Poppy Montgomery facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Poppy Montgomery
Montgomery in May 2015
Born	Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue (1972-06-19) June 19, 1972 (age 53) Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Citizenship	Australia United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	1994–present
Spouse(s)	Shawn Sanford ​ (m. 2014)​
Partner(s)	Adam Kaufman (2005–2011)
Children	3

Poppy Montgomery (born Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue on June 19, 1972) is an actress from Australia and the United States. She is well-known for playing FBI agent Samantha Spade in the TV show Without a Trace. She also starred as Detective Carrie Wells in the police drama Unforgettable.

About Poppy Montgomery

Early Life and Family

Poppy Montgomery was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Her mother, Nicola, worked as an executive and market researcher. Her father, Phil Donahue, owned restaurants. Poppy is one of six children in her family.

Her parents gave all their daughters flower names: Poppy, Rosie, Daisy, Lily, and Marigold. Their son, Jethro Tull, was named after a famous rock band.

Poppy did not enjoy school very much. She was asked to leave six different private schools. When she was 15, she decided to stop school. She wanted to become an actress and also traveled to Bali with her boyfriend at the time.

Moving to the United States

When Poppy was 18, she moved to the United States. She first went to Florida to meet a boyfriend she had met earlier. However, after only five days, she realized they were not a good match. So, she took a bus to Los Angeles to start her acting career.

Poppy's Acting Career

Getting Started in Hollywood

When Poppy arrived in Los Angeles, she stayed with friends of her brother. She worked hard to get noticed. Every day, she sent a photo of herself to Bob McGowan, who used to be the manager for actress Julia Roberts. Eventually, he agreed to represent her.

In the late 1990s, Poppy got several small roles on television. One of her early appearances was on the show NYPD Blue.

Big Roles on TV

Poppy's first big role was playing the famous actress Marilyn Monroe. This was in the 2001 CBS miniseries called Blonde. The show was based on a book by Joyce Carol Oates.

After Blonde, she was offered a main role in the CBS mystery show Without a Trace. She played Samantha Spade, an FBI agent who worked in a missing persons unit in New York City. Poppy said it was a simple decision to take the role because Anthony LaPaglia was also starring in the show. She played Samantha Spade for seven seasons, from 2002 until the show ended in 2009.

In 2011, Poppy Montgomery played J. K. Rowling, the author of the Harry Potter books, in a TV movie called Magic Beyond Words.

Starring in Unforgettable

In 2011, Poppy also began starring in another CBS police drama, Unforgettable. She played Carrie Wells, a former detective who had a special ability. Carrie had hyperthymesia, which means she could remember everything perfectly. She used this amazing memory to help solve crimes for the NYPD.

The first season of Unforgettable had 22 episodes and aired from September 2011 to May 2012. CBS initially canceled the show. However, it was later brought back for a second season, which ran from July 2013 to May 2014. A third season followed from June 2014 to September 2014. After the third season, CBS canceled the show again. But in February 2015, the network A&E decided to pick up the series for a fourth season. This final season aired from November 2015 to January 2016, and the series was canceled for good in February 2016.

Poppy's Personal Life

Montgomery in 2009

Poppy Montgomery met actor Adam Kaufman in 2005 while they were working on a movie in Mexico. They worked together again in 2010 on the TV film Lying to be Perfect. Adam Kaufman also had a recurring role on Without a Trace as Brian Donovan, who was Samantha Spade's love interest.

In June 2007, Poppy announced she was expecting a baby with Adam. This was even written into the storyline of Without a Trace for its sixth season. Their son, Jackson Phillip, was born on December 23, 2007. Poppy's co-star from Without a Trace, Anthony LaPaglia, became Jackson's godfather. In October 2011, it was reported that Poppy and Adam had separated.

In late 2011, Poppy started dating Shawn Sanford. He was a director of lifestyle marketing for Microsoft. They met in Puerto Rico. In April 2013, Poppy gave birth to their daughter, Violet Grace. In November 2014, their son Gus Monroe was born.

On April 4, 2014, Poppy shared on the show Live! with Kelly and Michael that she and Shawn Sanford had gotten married. They had a wedding ceremony at Disneyland on Chinese New Year, and their children were there.

Poppy Montgomery has citizenship in both Australia and the United States. She moved from Los Angeles to New York City in 2013 to continue filming Unforgettable.

Film and Television Roles

Movies

Television Shows

See also

In Spanish: Poppy Montgomery para niños