Teri Polo, born Theresa Elizabeth Polo on June 1, 1969, in Dover, Delaware, is an American actress known for her roles in both film and television. She grew up in a family with her mother Jane, a homemaker, and her father Vincent, a stereo systems designer, and has two brothers, Mike and Steve.

From a young age, Teri was passionate about ballet, studying it for 13 years and attending the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York. At 16, she won a modeling contest and moved to New York City to pursue a career in modeling and acting.

Teri Polo made her acting debut in 1987 on the ABC daytime soap opera "Loving" and soon after appeared in the CBS series "TV 101." Her breakthrough came in 1994 when she became a regular cast member on the final season of "Northern Exposure."

She gained widespread recognition for her role as Pam Byrnes in the "Meet the Parents" trilogy, opposite Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro. Her performance in "Meet the Parents" was followed by roles in "Meet the Fockers" and "Little Fockers."

Teri Polo has had a successful television career, including a recurring guest role in "The West Wing" as Helen Santos, the wife of Democratic presidential candidate Matt Santos. She also starred as police officer Stef Adams Foster in the Freeform series "The Fosters" and its spinoff "Good Trouble."

Her personal life has seen its share of ups and downs. She was married to photographer Anthony Moore from 1997 to 2005, and they had a son named Griffin. She later married drummer Jamie Wollam in 2007, and they had a daughter named Bayley before separating in 2012.

Teri Polo has been open about her experiences, including posing for Playboy in 2005 and filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2014 due to financial difficulties.