Teri Polo – Meet the Fockers Rising Star

The major Hollywood release, “Meet the Fockers”, was released too much fanfare in theatres all across America.  Its opening weekend gross - $46.1 million – which topped all other movie’s box office sales. In its second full week, the movie did not lose any momentum cashing in $41.7 million.  It continued to lead all box office sales in its third week with $28.5 million.  And now in its forth week, it finally was knocked of the top spot by Samuel L. Jackson’s “Coach Carter”, but still managed to haul in $22.5 million.    

Meet the Fockers is the sequel to the box office smash, “Meet the Parents”, and essentially retains the same superstar cast with Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro.  The new movie now includes two other acting aristocrats in Dustin Hoffman and Barbara Streisand.  With such superstars in the movie, it is often easy to overlook Teri Polo.  But make no bones about it, Teri Polo continues to gain exposure with her portrayal as Ben Stiller’s new wife – Pam Focker.  After toiling for a decade in low-grade films and a host of TV shows, Teri Polo is finally starting to earn some exposure and recognition.

Teri Polo (born Theresa Elizabeth Polo) was born in Dover, Delaware on June 1, 1969.  Her father was a stereo systems designer and her mother is a homemaker.  She has two older brothers.  A ballet student since the age of five, Polo spent most of her childhood and adolescence in the ballet studio with the sole purpose of becoming a professional ballerina.  However, when she was not accepted into a performing arts school at 17, Polo was devastated and began to reevaluate her career objectives. 

By chance, Teri Polo came across a modeling competition in Seventeen Magazine and entered.  Much to her surprise, she won the prestigious competition.  This led to her decision to drop out of high school, despite being a highly regarded honor student, to pursue an acting career in the Big Apple.  In New York City, Teri Polo secured many small roles in numerous television shows from the ABC soap opera, Loving, to the comedy, Northern Exposure.  Polo even received a starring role as the object of Ethan Hawke's affections in the straight-to-video comedy Mystery Date in 1991.

Teri Polo felt that in order to received more acting roles she would have to move to Los Angeles, which she did in 1995.  Polo found more work on television, guest-starring on such shows as Felicity, Chicago Hope, The Practice, and Sports Night.  But it would be her role as Ben Stiller’s would-be fiancée in Jay Roach’s, Meet the Parents, in 2000 that would launch her career to another level.  Meet the Parents capitalized on Polo’s All-American good looks, as she enjoyed exposure from national medial outlets in the wake of Meet the Parent’s success.  This inevitably led to a crop of studio offers.  

Terri Polo is married and had her first child, a boy named Griffin, in the summer of 2002.  Her husband, Tony Moore, is a photographer.

Teri Polo is set to add some further sizzle to her personality when she becomes the celebrity feature in the February 2005 issue of Playboy Magazine.