- When she was 12, during the first Gulf war, she attended a children's awards show in Washington, DC, and was seated at a table with some representatives from the Walt Disney Company. They asked her to remove a peace symbol that she was wearing but she refused. Disney has blacklisted her ever since.
- Has lived on her own since she was fourteen years old.
- Recently revealed that she was conceived during an extramarital affair conducted by her mother Diane Polley and that Michael Polley is not her biological father. The revelation of this is at the core of her new documentary film Stories We Tell (2012).
- Was originally cast as Penny Lane in Almost Famous (2000). When she dropped out of the film because she did not feel comfortable with the role, writer-director Cameron Crowe considered canceling the film.
- Her step-father, Michael Polley, said of his famously independent daughter in 1997, "She was at her best when she was out of kilter with society in some way.".
- Lost some back teeth at a rally, in a violent clash between police and protesters.
- Mother died when she was 11.
- When she went to pick up her Director of the Year award for Women Talking (2022) at the Palm Springs International Film Festival, it was presented to her by Eric Idle, her co-star from The Adventures of Baron Munchausen (1988) back when Sarah was then 8 years old. [January 2023].
- Was offered the female lead in the film The Bourne Identity (2002) but declined the part.
- Directed one Oscar nominated performance: Julie Christie in Away from Her (2006).
- In 1994 had surgery to correct scoliosis.
- Dropped out of high school to become a political activist for Socialist groups. Was attacked by police at a political protest at Queens Park in 1995.
- Actress Rebecca Jenkins, who plays Polley's mother in Stories We Tell (2012), was a good friend of Polley's mother.
- Was struck in the head by a falling fire extinguisher in 2016. It took more than four years to recover from the concussion.
- Has worked with the legendary actress Julie Christie three times: Polley co-starred with her in No Such Thing (2001) and the Goya Award-winning "La Vida secreta de las palabras" (The Secret Life of Words (2005)), and Christie is playing the lead in Polley's first feature film as a director, Away from Her (2006). Polley is impressed by not only with Christie's talent, but praises her intelligence and independence. After appearing with her in No Such Thing (2001), Polley -- who lost her mother when she was 11 years old -- said that Christie had become one of her surrogate mothers.
- Gave birth to her 1st child at age 33, a daughter named Eve Sandomierski on February 7, 2012. Child's father is her 2nd husband, David Sandomierski.
- Both Sarah and her first husband, David Wharnsby, won 2004 Genie Awards, she for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role for My Life Without Me (2003), and he for Outstanding Achievement in Editing for The Saddest Music in the World (2003).
- She had intended her feature film debut to be "Itchy", based on a script she wrote about a 12-year-old actress starring on a television series. However, she was unable to get the project green-lighted, and turned to another property she had, an adaptation of one of her favorite short stories, Alice Munro's "The Bear Came Over the Mountain". The story, which deals with a couple dealing with the wife's Alzheimer's disease, appealed to her as her own grandmother had suffered from the affliction.
- Member of the jury at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007.
- In November 2005, it was announced that the Harold Greenberg Fund was financially backing 24 film scripts in development, including one by Polley. She is adapting the Alice Munro short story "The Bear Came Over the Mountain", which has been optioned by Pulling Focus Pictures. Rechristened Away from Her (2006), the story is about a faithful husband married to a woman who, afflicted by Alzheimer's disease, unknowingly betrays him.
- The youngest of five children. Mother, Diane Polley, and stepfather, Michael Polley, were actors, and she had her first audition at age five. She debuted in films at age six with One Magic Christmas (1985).
- Dec. 2007 - Ranked 49 on EW's The 50 Smartest People in Hollywood.
- Younger half-sister of Susy Buchan and John Buchan. They share the same mother, Diane Polley.
- Retired from acting in 2010 to put more focus on her directing career.
- On February 24, 2006, the Alliance of Canadian Cinema, Television and Radio Artists awarded her the Award of Excellence for a critically acclaimed career at the 2006 ACTRA Toronto Awards. ACTRA's Toronto chapter, the union's largest, has approximately 21,000 members.
- Names White Zombie (1932) and George A. Romero's Living Dead films as her favorite zombie movies.
- Served on the mayor of Toronto's transition team in 2003.
- One of five children, her birth came eight years after that of her youngest sibling, when her parents were in their mid-forties.
- On her mother's side, Sarah has Scottish and Northern Irish ancestry. Sarah's biological father, Harry Gulkin, is the son of Russian Jewish immigrants.
- Was chosen by Variety as one of "10 Directors to Watch" (January 2007).
- Provided vocals on two tracks for The Sweet Hereafter (1997) soundtrack. The Tragically Hip's "Courage" and Jane Siberry's "One More Colour".
- Was member of the dramatic jury at the Sundance Film Festival in 2007.
- She visited Argentina to be part of the member of jury in Mar del Plata International Film Festival 2008. (November 2008)
- Wrote a book of essays called "Run Towards the Danger" published in 2022.
- Attending the Canadian Film Centre's director's program. (2001)
- Atom Egoyan, who directed her in Exotica (1994) and The Sweet Hereafter (1997), originally considered casting Polley as the character Felicia in Felicia's Journey (1999). After talking it over with her, they jointly decided that she should not take the role as her intelligence and awareness were antithetical to the character, who remains quite unconscious of other characters' motivations.
- Half-sister of Mark Polley and Joanna Polley.
- Appointed to transition advisory group by new Toronto mayor David Miller
- Was presented with the Dallas Star Award at the 2007 AFI Dallas Film Festival.
- Appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn (1999) on the 15th of March 2004 to promote the film Dawn of the Dead (2004). She stated that it was her first appearance on an American late-night talk show.
- Member of jury at the Mar del Plata International Film Festival in 2008.
- Ex-daughter-in-law of Marnie Wharnsby and Bill Wharnsby.
- Ex-sister-in-law of Tim Wharnsby.
- She was awarded the O.C. (Officer of the Order of Canada) on November 21, 2013 and Invested on: September 23, 2015 from the Canadian Governor General. She is a passionate advocate for Canadian drama. She first endeared herself to audiences as a child actor, notably in the popular television series "Road to Avonlea." After landing leading roles in several art house successes, she turned her focus to film making, where she continues to demonstrate the highest levels of integrity, creativity and skill. Her feature films "Away from Her," "Take this Waltz" and "Stories We Tell," which offer poignant narratives of human relationships, have garnered national and international acclaim. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
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