Polly Walker
Polly Alexandra Walker (born 19 May 1966) is an English actress from Warrington, Lancashire. She trained as a dancer but had to give up dancing after a leg injury at 18 and turned to acting. She studied at Drama Centre London and worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company.
She began on TV with Lorna Doone (1990) and on film with Journey of Honor (1991). She gained attention in Enchanted April (1991) and Patriot Games (1992). She played Jane Fairfax in Emma (1996). From 2005 to 2007 she starred as Atia of the Julii in Rome, earning a Golden Globe nomination in 2006.
Her later work includes Prisoners’ Wives (2012–2013), Caprica (2008), Clash of the Titans (2010), Mr Selfridge (2014), Pennyworth (2019–2022), Cursed (2020), and Bridgerton (since 2020) as Portia, Lady Featherington. She received a SAG Award nomination in 2021 as part of the Bridgerton ensemble.
Polly lives in London with her husband, former actor Laurence Penry-Jones, to whom she has been married since 2008. They have two children and once lived in the United States.
This page was last edited on 3 February 2026, at 03:43 (CET).