Polly Shannon (born September 1, 1973) is a

Canadian Canadians () are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of their being ''C ...

actress. She is best known for her portrayal of Margaret Trudeau in the 2002 miniseries '' Trudeau'', a film about the

Prime Minister of Canada The prime minister of Canada () is the head of government of Canada. Under the Westminster system, the prime minister governs with the Confidence and supply, confidence of a majority of the elected House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons ...

Pierre Trudeau Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau (October 18, 1919 – September 28, 2000) was a Canadian politician, statesman, and lawyer who served as the 15th prime minister of Canada from 1968 to 1979 and from 1980 to 1984. Between his no ...

Biography

Polly Shannon was born September 1, 1973, in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada, on the northeastern end of Lake Ontario. It is at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River, the south end of the Rideau Canal. Kingston is near the Thousand Islands, ...

, and raised in

Aylmer, Quebec Aylmer is a List of former municipalities in Quebec, former city in Quebec, Canada. It is located on the north shore of the Ottawa River and along Quebec Route 148, Route 148. In January 2002, it amalgamated into the city of Gatineau, which is ...

. Her father, Michael Shannon, is a doctor who served in various senior posts at

Health Canada Health Canada (HC; )Health Canada is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Health (). is the Structure of the Canadian federal government#Departments, with subsidiary units, department of the Gove ...

, including director general for the Laboratory Centre for Disease Control. Her mother, Mary Mackay-Smith, is a screenwriter for children's films and television. At the age of 13, after acting in theatre as a child, Shannon became a model, with assignments that took her to New York, London, and Tokyo. She attended Philemon Wright High School in

Hull, Quebec Hull is the central business district and oldest neighbourhood of the city of Gatineau, Quebec, Canada. It is located on the west bank of the Gatineau River and the north shore of the Ottawa River, directly opposite Ottawa. As part of Canada's ...

. In 1992, Shannon began her television career, landing a part in '' Catwalk'', a YTV series about a struggling rock band. She went on to appear in several television series, including '' Sirens'' (1994) as Kelly Van Pelt, '' Ready or Not'' (1996) as Angelique, ''

Side Effects In medicine, a side effect is an effect of the use of a medicinal drug or other treatment, usually adverse but sometimes beneficial, that is unintended. Herbal and traditional medicines also have side effects. A drug or procedure usually used ...

'' (1996) as Lisa Burns, and the Canadian horror series '' The Hunger'' (1999) as Jen. In 2002, Shannon appeared in the popular comedy film '' Men with Brooms'' in the role of Joanne. Her most notable role was playing Margaret Trudeau in the 2002 miniseries '' Trudeau'', a film about the late

. "Playing Maggie was a really thrilling experience," Shannon noted at the time. "It was a challenge that was different from anything else I've done." Shannon starred opposite

Tom Selleck Thomas William Selleck (; born January 29, 1945) is an American actor. His breakout role was playing private investigator Thomas Magnum in the television series ''Magnum, P.I.'' (1980–1988), for which he received five Emmy Award nominations fo ...

as his girlfriend Abby Taylor in two Jesse Stone television films, '' Stone Cold'' (2005) and '' Jesse Stone: Night Passage'' (2006).

Filmography

Films

* '' Love and Human Remains'' (1993), The Second Victim * A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (1995), Alisande/Alexandra * '' End of Summer'' (1995, TV movie), Maid * '' No Contest'' (1995), Candice 'Candy' Wilson, Miss U.S.A. * ''Fight for Justice: The Nancy Conn Story'' (1995,

TV movie A television film, alternatively known as a television movie, made-for-TV film/movie, telefilm, telemovie or TV film/movie, is a film with a running time similar to a feature film that is produced and originally distributed by or to a terrest ...

), Carol * '' Snowboard Academy'' (1996), Tori * ''Devil's Food'' (1996, TV movie) * ''Frankenstein and Me'' (1996), Elizabeth * ''The Girl Next Door'' (1999, TV movie), Fiona Winters * '' My Date with the President's Daughter'' (1998, TV movie), Cashier (uncredited) * '' Dirty Work'' (1998), Toni-Ann * ''The Sheldon Kennedy Story'' (1999, TV movie), Jana * ''Daydream Believers: The Monkees' Story'' (2000, TV movie), Phyllis Nesmith * ''

The Stalking of Laurie Show ''The Stalking of Laurie Show'' (also known by the title ''Rivals'' outside of the United States) is a 2000 made-for-TV movie that was directed by Norma Bailey. The movie is based on the true-life murder of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Lancaster nativ ...

'' (2000, TV movie), Christine * '' Harvard Man'' (2001), Juliet * '' The Triangle'' (2001, TV movie), Julia Lee * '' Men with Brooms'' (2002), Joanne * '' Trudeau'' (2002, TV movie), Margaret Trudeau * ''TrueSexLies'' (2003, short), Jackie * ''Do or Die'' (2003, TV movie), Ruth Hennessey * ''Hard to Forget'' (2003, TV movie), Sandra/Nicky Applewhite * ''Ham & Cheese'' (2004), Lucy * ''Direct Action'' (2004), Billie Ross * '' Stone Cold'' (2005, TV movie), Abby Taylor * '' Lie with Me'' (2005), Victoria * '' Jesse Stone: Night Passage'' (2006, TV movie), Abby Taylor * ''Miranda & Gordon'' (2006, short), Mother * '' Victor'' (2008, TV movie), Donna Clavel * ''Hide'' (2008), Jenny * '' Hydra'' (2009, TV movie), Dr. Valerie Cammon * ''One Love'' (2009, short), Olivia * ''Concrete Canyons'' (2010, TV movie), Det. Susan Kinkaid * Defining Moments (2021 film) as Marina

Television series

* ''

Are You Afraid of the Dark? ''Are You Afraid of the Dark?'' is a children's horror anthology television series created by D. J. MacHale and Ned Kandel. The original series aired on Nickelodeon in the United States from August 15, 1992 to February 3, 1996, and also o ...

'' (1992, "The Tale of the Pinball Wizard"), Sophie * '' Catwalk'' (1992–1994), Nina Moore * '' The Hidden Room'' (1993, "Marion & Jean"), Counter Girl * '' Sirens'' (1994, "The Needle and the Damage Done"), Kelly Van Pelt * ''

Forever Knight ''Forever Knight'' is a Canadian television series about Nick Knight (Forever Knight), Nick Knight, an 800-year-old vampire working as a police detective in modern-day Toronto, Ontario. Wracked with guilt for centuries of killing others, he seeks ...

'' (1995, "Trophy Girl"), Liselle * '' No Greater Love'' (1996, TV movie), Helen Horowitz * '' Ready or Not'' (1996, "Glamour Girl"), Angelique * ''

'' (1996, "Behind the Scenes"), Lisa Burns * ''A Young Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'' (1995), Alisande/Alexandra * '' Due South'' (1997, "Seeing Is Believing"), Judy Cates * '' Eerie, Indiana: The Other Dimension'' (1998, "Perfect", 1998), Esthetician * '' Highlander: The Raven'' (1998, "Passion Play"), Young Lucy Becker * '' Earth: Final Conflict'' (1999, "Between Heaven and Hell"), Dr. Joyce Belman * '' The Outer Limits'' (1999, "The Human Operators"), Human Operator of Starfighter-88 * '' Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' (1999, "Sacrifices"), Moira Stratton * '' The Hunger'' (1999, "Brass"), Jen * '' Code Name: Eternity'' (2000, "The Long Drop"), Cinda * '' Twice in a Lifetime'' (1999–2000, 2 episodes), Vicky Sue * '' La Femme Nikita'' (2001, 3 episodes), Michelle * '' Doc'' (2001, "You Gotta Have Heart") * ''

Leap Years A leap year (also known as an intercalary year or bissextile year) is a calendar year that contains an additional day (or, in the case of a lunisolar calendar, a month) compared to a common year. The 366th day (or 13th month) is added to keep ...

'' (2001, 5 episodes), Valerie * ''

Jeremiah Jeremiah ( – ), also called Jeremias, was one of the major prophets of the Hebrew Bible. According to Jewish tradition, Jeremiah authored the Book of Jeremiah, book that bears his name, the Books of Kings, and the Book of Lamentations, with t ...

'' (2002, "Ring of Truth"), Polly * ''Street Time'' (2002, 5 episodes), Danielle * '' Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye'' (2002–2004, 5 episodes), Darcy D'Angelo * '' Wild Card'' (2003, "Backstabbed"), Ilana * '' Puppets Who Kill'' (2004, "Portrait of Buttons"), Rosa * '' The Jane Show'' (2004, "Pilot"), Susan * ''

Cold Case ''Cold Case'' is an American police procedural crime drama television series. It ran on CBS from September 28, 2003, to May 2, 2010. The series revolved around a fictionalized Philadelphia Police Department division that specializes in invest ...

'' (2006, "The Red and the Blue"), Honey Sugar * '' CSI: Miami'' (2006, "

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare cases ...

"), Allison Grady * ''Shattered'' (2010, 2 episodes), Naomi * ''

Rookie Blue ''Rookie Blue'' is a Canadian police procedural television series starring Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. It was created by Morwyn Brebner, Tassie Cameron, and Ellen Vanstone. The series premiered on June 24, 2010, and aired on Global in ...

'' (2011, "Might Have Been"), Tori * '' Less Than Kind'' (2012, "I'm Still Me"), Leslie

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Shannon, Polly 1973 births Living people 20th-century Canadian actresses 21st-century Canadian actresses Actresses from Kingston, Ontario Actresses from Quebec Anglophone Quebec people Canadian film actresses Canadian people of Irish descent Canadian television actresses People from Gatineau