# Teri Polo
**Teri Polo** (born Theresa Elizabeth Polo in 1969) is an American actress best known for playing Pam Byrnes in the [Meet the Parents](https://www.edgepedia.org/meet-the-parents) film series and Stef Foster on the Freeform drama The Fosters.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-polo/bio/3030409179/) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name | Theresa Elizabeth Polo, born in Dover, Delaware, to Jane (Gentry) and Vincent Polo, a stereo systems designer[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/) |
| Signature role | Pam Byrnes in Meet the Parents (2000), Meet the Fockers (2004), and Little Fockers (2010)[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/261984-Teri-Polo?isMiscCredit=False) |
| Television lead | Stef Foster, a police officer and one of two mothers raising a blended family, on The Fosters for five seasons from 2013[4](https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/jl-family-ranch/cast/teri-polo) |
| Franchise scale | Meet the Parents grossed $166.2 million in the US; the franchise has made over $1.1 billion worldwide[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/meet_the_parents) • [6](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/may/30/ariana-grande-meet-the-parents-sequel) |
| Recognition | No Emmy nomination for playing Helen Santos on The West Wing; Screen Actors Guild ensemble nominations for Northern Exposure (1995) and The West Wing (2006)[7](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b9fdbd450a54f22aace7569/t/5bfc624c4ae23776e36d1412/1543266893140/ABOBL_Presskit.pdf) • [8](https://www.actorawards.org/sites/default/files/nominee_histories_0.pdf) • [15](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/west-wing) |
| Early training | Twelve years of ballet, including the Delaware Regional Ballet at 15 and the School of American Ballet in New York[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/) • [1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-polo/bio/3030409179/) |
| Next installment | Focker In-Law, the fourth Meet the Parents film, scheduled for release November 25, 2026[9](https://www.movieinsider.com/browse/movies?people=1128) |
## Early life and dance training
Polo grew up in [Dover, Delaware](https://www.edgepedia.org/dover-delaware), one of three children, with brothers Mike and Steve. Her ancestry includes Italian, through her paternal grandfather, as well as German and English.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/)
**Dance came first.** She began studying ballet as a child, trained for twelve years, and danced with the Delaware Regional Ballet at age 15. As a child she also attended the [School of American Ballet](https://www.edgepedia.org/school-of-american-ballet) in New York, and in her teens she moved to New York City to pursue dance education and work.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/) • [4](https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/jl-family-ranch/cast/teri-polo) • [1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-polo/bio/3030409179/)
The route into acting ran through modeling. At 16 she dropped out of high school after winning a local modeling contest for a blue jeans advertisement in Seventeen magazine, signed with the Elite agency's petite division, and landed her first acting role on the ABC daytime drama Loving in 1987. A regular role on the CBS drama TV 101 (1988 to 1989) followed.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/) • [10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/teri-polo/)
## Film career and Meet the Parents
Her early screen work included the NBC miniseries Phantom of the Opera (1990) opposite [Burt Lancaster](https://www.edgepedia.org/burt-lancaster), followed by feature debut Born to Ride in 1991 and roles in Mystery Date (1991), Passed Away (1992), Aspen Extreme and [The House of the Spirits](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-house-of-the-spirits) (both 1993).[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/teri-polo/) • [3](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/261984-Teri-Polo?isMiscCredit=False)
Meet the Parents (2000) changed her profile. Polo played Pam Byrnes, the Chicago schoolteacher who brings her fiancé Greg Focker ([Ben Stiller](https://www.edgepedia.org/ben-stiller)) home to meet her parents, Jack and Dina Byrnes, played by [Robert De Niro](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-de-niro) and [Blythe Danner](https://www.edgepedia.org/blythe-danner). The comedy grossed $166.2 million in the United States and became the base of a series: Meet the Fockers (2004) and Little Fockers (2010), in both of which Polo returned as Pam.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/meet_the_parents) • [3](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/261984-Teri-Polo?isMiscCredit=False) Reviews of the first film credit her with a natural, nuanced performance as the well-adjusted Pam, whose chemistry with her screen father helps carry the comedy.[10](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/teri-polo/)
Her other film credits include The Arrival (1996), [Domestic Disturbance](https://www.edgepedia.org/domestic-disturbance) (2001), Beyond Borders (2003), The Hole, and Authors Anonymous (2014).[3](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/261984-Teri-Polo?isMiscCredit=False) • [4](https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/jl-family-ranch/cast/teri-polo)
## Television
**The West Wing and The Fosters.** Polo played Helen Santos, wife of presidential candidate Matt Santos, on the final two seasons of [The West Wing](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-west-wing), a role for which she received no Emmy Award nomination.[7](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b9fdbd450a54f22aace7569/t/5bfc624c4ae23776e36d1412/1543266893140/ABOBL_Presskit.pdf) • [15](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/west-wing) In 2013 she became co-lead of The Fosters, produced by ABC Family and [Jennifer Lopez](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-lopez), playing Stef Foster, a police officer raising biological, adopted, and foster children with her wife Lena; she stayed for all five seasons and later reprised the role in episodes of the spin-off Good Trouble.[4](https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/jl-family-ranch/cast/teri-polo) • [11](https://www.pride.com/women/2014/6/13/10-minutes-fosters-teri-polo-lgbt-fans-and-sexy-scenes-sherri-saum)
Her later television work includes a regular role as former ballerina Julia Perkins in the Fox dance comedy-drama The Big Leap (2021), guest arcs on NCIS as Vivian Kolchak and on [FBI: International](https://www.edgepedia.org/fbi-international), and recurring appearances on [Law & Order](https://www.edgepedia.org/law-and-order): Los Angeles and [Royal Pains](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-pains).[12](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/01/the-big-leap-review-dance-drama-is-a-joyous-hilarious-delight) • [13](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632)
She continues to work in film. In 2026 she appears in the thriller [The Man](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-man) in the Window opposite Dylan Walsh, and Focker In-Law, the fourth Meet the Parents film with Stiller, De Niro, Blythe Danner, and Ariana Grande, is scheduled for theatrical release on November 25, 2026.[9](https://www.movieinsider.com/browse/movies?people=1128) • [14](https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-parents-returns-for-a-fourth-episode-with-ariana-grande/)
## Personal life
Polo married actor and photographer Anthony Moore on April 20, 1997; they divorced on April 19, 2005. Her children are Griffin Moore and Bayley Wollam. In February 2005 she posed for Playboy.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/)
In April 2014 she filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, declaring less than $50,000 in assets after owing roughly three quarters of a million dollars in back taxes and carrying debts in excess of $800,000.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/) She has supported the We Promise Foundation, which helps children who are severely ill or facing hardship.[1](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-polo/bio/3030409179/)
## References
1. [Teri Polo Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/teri-polo/bio/3030409179/)
2. [Teri Polo Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632/bio/)
3. [Teri Polo, AFI Catalog of Feature Films](https://catalog.afi.com/Person/261984-Teri-Polo?isMiscCredit=False)
4. [Teri Polo as Rebecca Landsburg on JL Family Ranch, Hallmark Family](https://www.hallmarkfamily.com/jl-family-ranch/cast/teri-polo)
5. [Meet the Parents, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/meet_the_parents)
6. [Ariana Grande to join original cast in Meet the Parents sequel, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2025/may/30/ariana-grande-meet-the-parents-sequel)
7. [A Bit of Bad Luck press kit (Teri Polo bio)](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5b9fdbd450a54f22aace7569/t/5bfc624c4ae23776e36d1412/1543266893140/ABOBL_Presskit.pdf)
8. [Actor Award nominee histories](https://www.actorawards.org/sites/default/files/nominee_histories_0.pdf)
9. [Teri Polo Movies, Movie Insider](https://www.movieinsider.com/browse/movies?people=1128)
10. [Teri Polo, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/teri-polo/)
11. [10 Minutes with The Fosters' Teri Polo, Pride.com](https://www.pride.com/women/2014/6/13/10-minutes-fosters-teri-polo-lgbt-fans-and-sexy-scenes-sherri-saum)
12. [The Big Leap review, The Guardian](https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/01/the-big-leap-review-dance-drama-is-a-joyous-hilarious-delight)
13. [Teri Polo, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001632)
14. ['Meet the Parents 4' Reveals Oscar-Nominee Is Joining Cast, The Daily Beast](https://www.thedailybeast.com/meet-the-parents-returns-for-a-fourth-episode-with-ariana-grande/)
15. [The West Wing, Emmy Awards and Nominations](https://www.televisionacademy.com/shows/west-wing)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Pi to Q*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license