Polly Draper

{{Infobox person

| name = Polly Draper

| birth_name = Polly Carey Draper

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1955|6|15}}

| birth_place = Gary, Indiana, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| education = Yale University (BA, MFA)

| occupation = Actress, director, writer, producer

| notable_works = Thirtysomething (1987–91)
The Tic Code (1999)
The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09)
Stella's Last Weekend (2018)
Once Upon a Main Steet (2020)

| years_active = 1985–present

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Kevin Wade|1983|1990|end=divorced}}
{{marriage| Michael Wolff|1992}}{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20061135,00.html|title=Look Who's ... Fiftysomething|author=Warrick, Pamela|work=People|date=June 11, 2007|access-date=August 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120530030351/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20061135,00.html|archive-date=2012-05-30|url-status=live}}

}}

| children = Nat Wolff
Alex Wolff

| father = William Henry Draper III

| relatives = Jesse Draper (niece)
Tim Draper (brother)
William Henry Draper Jr. (grandfather)

}}

Polly Carey Draper{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/21/style/polly-carey-draper-is-bride.html|title=Polly Carey Draper Is Bride|work=The New York Times|date=August 21, 1983|access-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318140857/http://www.nytimes.com/1983/08/21/style/polly-carey-draper-is-bride.html|archive-date=2014-03-18|url-status=live}} (born June 15, 1955) is an American actress, writer, producer, and director. Draper has received several awards, including a Writers Guild of America Award (WGA), and is noted for speaking in a "trademark throaty voice."{{cite news|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/Polly-Draper-Naked-38977.aspx|title=Polly Draper: The Naked Brothers' Mother Returns to TV!|first=Megan|last=Walsh-Boyle|work=TV Guide|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=January 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110827084314/http://www.tvguide.com/news/Polly-Draper-Naked-38977.aspx|archive-date=2011-08-27|url-status=live}}{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20120239,00.html|title=Single Again, Thirtysomething's Polly Draper Brushes Up on Becoming a Sexy Working Girl|first1=Susan|last1=Schindehette|first2=Michael|last2=Alexander|work=People|date=May 8, 1989|access-date=January 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140304053118/http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20120239,00.html|archive-date=2014-03-04|url-status=live}} She gained recognition for her starring role in the ABC drama television series Thirtysomething (1987–91).

Draper's other acting credits include the TV movie adaption of Danielle Steel's Heartbeat (1993), her screenwriting debut film The Tic Code (1998), and off-Broadway in her play Getting into Heaven (2003). In mid-2004, she wrote her directing debut The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie, and was the creator and showrunner for the Nickelodeon TV series The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09), which won her a WGA for Children's Script: Long Form or Special. Draper also wrote, directed, and co-starred in the TV movie Stella's Last Weekend (2018) before directing the film Once Upon a Main Street (2020).

Personal life

Draper was born on June 15, 1955, in Gary, Indiana, to Phyllis (née Culbertson),[http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/05/28/focus4.html?page=all Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714213707/http://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2007/05/28/focus4.html?page=all |date=2014-07-14 }}, bizjournals.com; accessed March 15, 2015. a Peace Corps administrator, and William Henry Draper III, who was the CEO of the United Nations Development Programme and president of the U.S. Export-Import Bank.{{cite book|last=Europa Publications|title=The International Who's Who 2004|publisher=Routledge|year=2003|page=[https://archive.org/details/internationalwho2004ond/page/454 454]|isbn=1857432177|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/internationalwho2004ond/page/454}} She has two siblings: venture capitalist Tim Draper{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=19&entry_id=12989|title=The Technology Chronicles: Six degrees of Tim Draper|first=Al|last=Saracevic|work=SFGate|date=January 26, 2007|access-date=January 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090202154419/http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=19&entry_id=12989|archive-date=2009-02-02|url-status=live}} and Rebecca Draper. Her grandfather is banker and diplomat William Henry Draper Jr.{{cite web|url=http://technode.com/2011/06/03/tim-draper-is-the-risk-master/|title=Baidu Early Investor, Tim Draper is the Risk Master|first=Jason|last=Lim|work=TechNode|date=June 3, 2011|access-date=January 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120124172026/http://technode.com/2011/06/03/tim-draper-is-the-risk-master/|archive-date=2012-01-24|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.vccircle.com/500/news/next-tech-giant-will-be-a-cellphone-application-company-tim-draper|title=Next Tech Giant Will Be A Cellphone Application Company: Tim Draper|first=Sahad|last=PV|work=VCCircle|date=October 16, 2008|access-date=January 16, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160316191630/http://www.vccircle.com/news/telecom/2008/10/15/next-tech-giant-will-be-cellphone-application-company-tim-draper|archive-date=March 16, 2016}}

Draper grew up in Chicago, Illinois, as well as Palo Alto and Arlington, California.{{cite news|url=http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Free-Expression-Polly-Draper-drew-on-her-3238511.php|title=Free Expression/Polly Draper drew on her husband's Tourette's syndrome for "The Tic Code"|first=Carla|last=Meyer|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=June 24, 2011|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928211316/http://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/Free-Expression-Polly-Draper-drew-on-her-3238511.php|archive-date=2013-09-28|url-status=live}} In 1977, she earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University and Master of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama in 1980.{{cite web|url=http://www.filmreference.com/film/31/Polly-Draper.html|title=Polly Draper profile at|work=FilmReference.com|access-date=January 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120123164301/http://www.filmreference.com/film/31/Polly-Draper.html|archive-date=2012-01-23|url-status=live}}

Following a five-year marriage with playwright Kevin Wade, Draper married musician Michael Wolff after meeting him in 1989 when making a cameo appearance on the syndicated late-night talk show Arsenio Hall, where Wolff served as the bandleader.{{cite news|url=http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20113462,00.html|title=Late Night Becomes Electric with the Hip Help of Arsenio Hall's Bandleader, Shaggy-Dog Playboy Michael Wolff|author=Kaufman, Joanne|work=People|date=October 29, 1990|access-date=March 12, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140312212351/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20113462,00.html|archive-date=2014-03-12|url-status=dead}} Wolff's life with Tourette syndrome influenced The Tic Code; he provided the score. She and Wolff have two sons, Nat and Alex; the latter three played the father and sons in The Naked Brothers Band series and film, which also featured Draper's niece, Jesse, as the band's babysitter. More recently, she starred with her sons as their mother in Stella's Last Weekend.

Draper is a member of the Democratic Party; she donated money for John Kerry and Barack Obama's presidential campaigns in 2004 and 2008, respectively.{{cite web|url=http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/polly-draper.asp?cycle=04|title=Polly Draper - Political Campaign Contributions - 2004 Election Cycle|work=CampaignMoney.com|date=July 27, 2004|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921165520/http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/polly-draper.asp?cycle=04|archive-date=2013-09-21|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/polly-draper.asp?cycle=08|title=Polly Draper - Political Campaign Contributions - 2008 Election Cycle|work=CampaignMoney.com|date=September 6, 2007 – September 22, 2008|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120730234033/http://www.campaignmoney.com/political/contributions/polly-draper.asp?cycle=08|archive-date=2012-07-30|url-status=live}} Her father and late grandfather, William Henry Draper Jr., were members of the Republican Party.{{cite web|url=http://www.trumanlibrary.org/oralhist/draperw.htm|title=Oral History Interview with General William H. Draper Jr.|first=Jerry N.|last=Hess|work=The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration|date=January 11, 1972|access-date=July 15, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120716200434/http://www.trumanlibrary.org/oralhist/draperw.htm|archive-date=2012-07-16|url-status=live}} Draper's late mother, Phyllis, was also a friend of former US first lady Barbara Bush's since the late 1980s; the two first met when Draper's father was leading the United Nations.

Career

Draper began her acting career appearing Off-Broadway, including a role in Split (1980). She later starred as Ellyn Warren in the ABC drama television series Thirtysomething (1987–91),{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/arts/television/25nake.html?scp=1&sq=a%20tv%20family%20bond%20by%20blood&st=cse|title=A TV Family Bound by Blood and a Band|first=Felicia R.|last=Lee|work=The New York Times|date=January 25, 2007|access-date=January 17, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402115720/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/01/25/arts/television/25nake.html?scp=1&sq=a%20tv%20family%20bond%20by%20blood&st=cse|archive-date=2015-04-02|url-status=live}} and in 1993, as Adrian in the NBC television movie adaptation of Danielle Steel's Heartbeat.

She starred in the off-Broadway production of Four Dogs and a Bone (1993), and also made appearances on TV shows, such as The Larry Sanders Show (1998); Monk and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, both in 2002; as well as in the Lifetime TV movie Too Young to Marry in 2007.

Draper played Laura Caraday in her screenwriting debut film The Tic Code (1998). In 2003, she starred as Cat, a lesbian singer with a drug addiction in her play Getting Into Heaven (2003) at The Flea Theater; she also wrote the music with her husband and then-young son, Nat.{{cite web|url=http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/news/07-2003/getting-into-heaven_3686.html|title=Getting Into Heaven: Review|last=Finkle|first=David|work=TheaterMania|date=July 3, 2003|access-date=January 16, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110716222029/http://www.theatermania.com/off-broadway/news/07-2003/getting-into-heaven_3686.html|archive-date=2011-07-16|url-status=live}} She played Nina in the Broadway production of Brooklyn Boy in 2005.{{cite web|url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/89952-Polly-Draper-Replaces-Dana-Reeve-in-Broadways-Brooklyn-Boy|title=Polly Draper Replaces Dana Reeve in Broadway's Brooklyn Boy|first=Andrew|last=Gans|author2=Kenneth Jones|work=Playbill.com|date=December 6, 2004|access-date=August 10, 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140226171719/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/89952-Polly-Draper-Replaces-Dana-Reeve-in-Broadways-Brooklyn-Boy|archive-date=February 26, 2014}} In addition, Draper was the creator, showrunner, head writer, and director of the hit Nickelodeon musical comedy series The Naked Brothers Band (2007–09), which was adapted by the pilot movie of the same name that she originally wrote and directed as an independent film in mid-2004.

In 2010, she appeared with a recurring guest role in the Showtime comedic television drama The Big C. Draper directed her son Alex's play What Would Woody Do? (2010) at The Flea Theater.{{citation needed|date=September 2015}} In 2011, she also wrote and starred in an episode of the Current TV science fiction series Bar Karma and appeared in the play My Brilliant Divorce (2012) at the Bay Street Theater. Since then, she appeared in the film Side Effects and in the CBS television drama Golden Boy, both in 2013. In 2014, Draper appeared in the film Obvious Child.{{Citation|title='Obvious Child': A Momentous Film Of Small, Embarrassing Truths|url=https://www.wnyc.org/story/obvious-child-a-momentous-film-of-small-embarrassing-truths/|language=en|access-date=2018-02-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228041423/https://www.wnyc.org/story/obvious-child-a-momentous-film-of-small-embarrassing-truths/|archive-date=2018-02-28|url-status=live}}

Draper portrayed Sally in her film, Stella's Last Weekend, released in 2018. In 2020, she appeared in Emma Seligman's film Shiva Baby as the main character's mother, Debbie. IndieWire said that "Draper's refreshing take on a Jewish mother brightens" the film,{{Cite web|last=Dry|first=Jude|date=2020-03-24|title='Shiva Baby' Review: A Sugar Daddy Crashes a Jewish Funeral in This Lively Queer Comedy|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2020/03/shiva-baby-review-sxsw-lgbt-sugar-daddy-1202220153/|access-date=2020-09-18|website=IndieWire|language=en}} and Variety called her performance "delightfully witty".{{Cite web|last=Laffly|first=Tomris|date=2020-09-14|title='Shiva Baby' Review: A Fast, Tightly Choreographed Farce with Confidently Sharp Jewish Humor|url=https://variety.com/2020/film/reviews/shiva-baby-review-1234769595/|access-date=2020-09-18|website=Variety|language=en}} Edge said that "Draper deserves awards attention for her amusing yet keen embodiment of the Jewish mother".{{Cite web|title=Queer Films to Look Out For from LA's Outfest (Virtual This Year)|url=https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/296589|access-date=2020-09-18|website=EDGE Media Network|language=en-us}} Rough Cut compares her performance in the film to her similar role in Obvious Child.{{cite web|last=White|first=Claire|date=2020-08-14|title=Review: The Adolescent Panic of 'Shiva Baby'|url=https://roughcutfilm.com/2020/08/14/review-the-adolescent-panic-of-shiva-baby/|access-date=2020-09-18|website=ROUGH CUT|language=en-US}}

Awards

In 1988, Draper's work on Thirtysomething earned her an Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series. In addition, Four Dogs and a Bone (1993) obtained her a New York Magazine award for Best Broadway Actress.{{cite web|url=http://geffenplayhouse.com/media_center_cast.php?show_id=18|title=The Escort Cast: Polly Draper as Rhona|work=The Geffen Playhouse|access-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308104634/http://geffenplayhouse.com/media_center_cast.php?show_id=18|archive-date=2014-03-08|url-status=live}} For The Tic Code (1998), she took the Bronze Gryphon Award for Best Actress at the Giffoni Film Festival.

Draper received the Audience Award for a Family Feature Film for The Naked Brothers Band: The Movie at the Hamptons International Film Festival in 2005.{{cite news|url=http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/news/2007/01/1004.html|title=Nickelodeon's New Teenick Series The Naked Brothers Band|work=Jazz News|year=2007|access-date=March 8, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140308104917/http://home.nestor.minsk.by/jazz/news/2007/01/1004.html|archive-date=2014-03-08|url-status=live}} She had two Writers Guild Award nominations for The Naked Brothers Band TV series (2007–09). The first, in 2007, Draper was nominated in the section of Children's Episodic Shows & Specials for the episode "Nat is a Stand Up Guy".{{cite web|url=http://wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=2653|title=2008 Writers Guild Awards Television & Radio Nominees Announced|work=Writers Guild of America|date=December 12, 2007|access-date=March 8, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071219203806/http://www.wga.org/subpage_newsevents.aspx?id=2653|archive-date=December 19, 2007}} She was also given the Children's Script: Long Form or Special category for the TV movie "Polar Bears" in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=3484|title=Winners Announced for 2009 Writers Guild Awards|work=Writers Guild of America|date=February 7, 2009|access-date=March 8, 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131203085520/http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=3484|archive-date=December 3, 2013}}{{Cite news|url=https://deadline.com/2009/02/2009-writers-guild-award-winners-8380/|title=2009 Writers Guild Award Winners|last=Finke|first=Nikki|date=2009-02-08|work=Deadline|access-date=2018-02-27|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180228041457/http://deadline.com/2009/02/2009-writers-guild-award-winners-8380/|archive-date=2018-02-28|url-status=live}}

In 2018, Stella's Last Weekend won Draper the Grand Prize at the San Antonio Film Festival.{{cite news|url=http://www.artscenesa.com/2018-san-antonio-film-festival-award-winners/|title=2018 San Antonio Film Festival Award Winners Revealed|work=ArtScene SA|date=August 5, 2018|access-date=August 23, 2018}}

References

External links

{{IMDb name|237164}}
{{cite news|url=https://www.tvguide.com/news/Polly-Draper-Naked-38977.aspx|title=Polly Draper: The Naked Brothers' Mother Returns to TV!|first=Megan|last=Walsh-Boyle|work=TV Guide|date=February 2, 2007|access-date=January 15, 2012}}

Category:1955 births

Category:Actresses from Palo Alto, California

Category:American stage actresses

Category:American television actresses

Category:American television directors

Category:American women television producers

Category:Television writers from California

Category:American women film directors

Category:American women screenwriters

Category:California Democrats

Category:Living people

Category:American women film producers