Sarah Polley Siblings: Meet the Siblings Squad Behind the Canadian Filmmaker

Filmmaker Sarah Polley PHOTO/Hollywood Reporter

Sarah Ellen Polley, born on January 8, 1979, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, is a renowned Canadian filmmaker, writer, actress, and political activist.

She emerged as a prominent figure in the entertainment industry, first gaining recognition as a child actress before transitioning into an acclaimed director and screenwriter.

Polley was raised in a family deeply rooted in the arts, with both her mother, Diane Elizabeth Polley, and her stepfather, Michael Polley, involved in acting and casting.

Her early exposure to the world of show business, combined with personal challenges, including the loss of her mother to cancer at age 11 and a battle with severe scoliosis, shaped her into a resilient and introspective artist.

Siblings

Sarah Polley is the youngest of five children born to her mother, Diane Elizabeth Polley.

Her siblings come from two different marriages of her mother.

From Diane’s first marriage to George Deans-Buchan, Polley has two half-siblings: Susy Buchan and John Buchan.

John Buchan is a casting director and producer, notably contributing to Polley’s documentary Stories We Tell by providing key insights into their family’s history.

From Diane’s second marriage to Michael Polley, a British-born actor who later became an insurance agent, Sarah has two full siblings: Mark Polley and Joanna Polley.

Mark, like Sarah, was a child actor, appearing in the Canadian television series A Gift to Last from 1976 to 1978.

Career

Polley’s career began at the tender age of four, sparked by her fascination with her siblings’ involvement in acting.

Her first role was in the 1985 Disney film One Magic Christmas, followed by a starring role as Ramona Quimby in the PBS series Ramona in 1988, based on Beverly Cleary’s books.

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That same year, she appeared in Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, an experience she later described as traumatic due to the chaotic production.

Her breakout role came as Sara Stanley in the Canadian television series Road to Avonlea (1990–1996), which earned her widespread recognition as “Canada’s Sweetheart.”

However, Polley grew disillusioned with the show’s Americanization after its pickup by the Disney Channel and left in 1994.

She transitioned to more mature roles in films like Atom Egoyan’s Exotica (1994) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997), the latter earning her critical acclaim for portraying a survivor of a tragic bus crash.

Polley’s acting career continued with roles in films such as Go (1999), Dawn of the Dead (2004), and Splice (2009).

In her twenties, Polley shifted her focus to directing and writing, debuting with the short film Don’t Think Twice (1999) and later attending the Canadian Film Centre’s Director’s Lab.

Her first feature film as a director, Away from Her (2006), adapted from Alice Munro’s short story, was a critical success, earning her an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

She followed this with Take This Waltz (2011), a romantic drama, and the deeply personal documentary Stories We Tell (2012), which explored her family’s secrets, including her biological parentage.

In 2022, Polley wrote and directed Women Talking, a powerful film about Mennonite women confronting abuse, which solidified her reputation as a feminist auteur.

She also adapted Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace into a 2017 miniseries, serving as an executive producer.

Accolades

As a child actress, Polley won a Gemini Award in 1992 for her role in Lantern Hill and another for her performance in the TV series Straight Up (1996).

Her directorial debut, Away from Her, earned her the Canadian Screen Award for Best Director, a Genie Award for Best Achievement in Direction, and the prestigious Claude Jutra Award for best feature film by a first-time director.

The film also secured an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Her documentary Stories We Tell won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s CAN\$100,000 prize for best Canadian film of 2012 and was named one of the top 10 Canadian films of all time by the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015.

Polley’s crowning achievement came with Women Talking (2022), for which she won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, with the film also receiving a nomination for Best Picture.

Beyond film, Polley was appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2013, received a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame in 2010, and was honored with the National Arts Centre Award in 2013.

In November 2024, she received an honorary Doctor of Letters degree from the University of British Columbia.