Television can be both a defining and confining medium. Intensely intelligent brunette Polly Draper’s probing blue eyes seemed to peer out into the viewer’s soul as "Ellyn Warren" on the late-1980s serial drama thirtysomething. The show helped codify and clarify the mores and aspirations of the rapidly maturing postwar generation and also established Polly Draper as a complex and contemplative presence. Born under the name "Polly Carey Draper" on June 15, 1955, in Gary, Indiana, Polly was raised in Chicago, IL, and in Palo Alto and Arlington, California. She went on to earn her Bachelors of Arts from Yale University and a Masters of Fine Arts from the Yale School of Drama. As her post-TV career shows, Draper was not merely playing "complex and contemplative" in thirtysomething. Although her subsequent big-screen performances have included a lingerie-clad romp while blow-drying her hair in Schemes (1994), Polly seems to take her greatest pleasure from writing the roles she brings to life, such as her portrayal of a jazz-bo’s Jill in The Tic Code (2000), for which she earned a "screenplay by" credit. Some of Polly's other onscreen credits include works such as Addiction: A 60's Love Story (2015), Jane Wants A Boyfriend (2015), Stella's Last Weekend (2018), Tell Me A Story (2018), Shiva Baby (2020), Love is Love is Love (2020), Once Upon a Main Street (2020), and Thirtysomething(else) (2020). Clearly, Polly's acting career is still going strong, so will she finally disrobe in front of the camera? Good golly, Ms. Polly — we hope so!
