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Poppy Montgomery Profile |
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Birth Date: June 19, 1972
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Birth Place: Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Birth Name: Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue
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Height: 5'5"
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Biography |
Born on June 19, 1972, in Sydney, Australia, Poppy's full
name is Poppy Petal Emma Elizabeth Deveraux Donahue. Her
mother, Nicola, is in marketing and her father, Phil, is a
restaurateur.
Her parents divorced when she was young, and each eventually
remarried; as a result, Poppy has eight siblings, four of
which are also named after flowers; Rosie Thorn, Lily Belle,
Daisy Yellow, and Marigold Sun (the fifth one is named
Tara). Her brothers are named Jethro Tull (after the rock
musician), Sean and Patrick.
Due to her unusual name, Poppy was mercilessly taunted by
her schoolmates as a child. She was called names like
"Floppy Poppy," "Sloppy Poppy" and "Poopy Poppy," and she
was miserable because of it.
However, Poppy kept herself busy idolizing Marilyn Monroe,
and reading any book she could get her hands on about the
legendary American icon. She decided to leave school when
she was 14 and worked at one of her father's restaurants
until he fired her for being a bad waitress.
Poppy left Australia at 16 and traveled for two years. At
18, she ended up in the U.S. after chasing an American
exchange student she developed a crush on. That relationship
petered out and Poppy ended up traveling to Los Angeles from
Florida by Greyhound bus to seek her fortune as an actress.
On the way, she decided to adopt her mother's maiden name,
"Montgomery."
Once in L.A., Poppy purchased the book, How to Make it in
Hollywood. Inspired by the book and its references, she
spent her days driving to auditions, perfecting her American
accent and sending headshots of herself to Julia Roberts'
former manager, Bob McGowan.
Though reluctant to give her a break at first, McGowan
eventually referred Poppy to some agent friends. This led to
her first acting job in a commercial for Carl's Jr., but it
never aired.
Yet this was the break she needed. She landed a bit role in
the Denzel Washington film, Devil in a Blue Dress (1995),
and then got TV guest spots on both Party of Five and NYPD
Blue in 1996.
Between these appearances, Poppy worked at the Gap. Another
break came in 1996, when she was cast as a regular on the TV
series Relativity. Though it was canceled the following
year, Poppy was on her way.
She went on to appear in her first big screen role in Dead
Man on Campus (1998), with Tom Everett Scott and Mark-Paul
Gosselaar. The next year she appeared alongside Eddie Murphy
in Life (1999), followed by This Space Between Us (2000).
Poppy landed her ultimate role in 2001, playing Marilyn
Monroe in the TV miniseries, Blonde. Poppy quit exercising
so she could gain 12 pounds to portray her role model.
Then in 2002, she was cast as one of the leads in the CBS
hit series Without a Trace. Because of her impressive
performance in Blonde, Poppy didn't even have to audition
for the role.
Recent projects include the 2004 made-for-TV movie Raising
Waylon, a role in the 2004 film 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover
(with Tori Spelling) and the 2005 feature Between, which
premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Poppy is currently
seeing Adam Kaufman, whom she met on the set of Between. She
has his initials tattooed on her wrist.
Aside from acting, Poppy enjoys playing board games,
horseback riding, photography, snowboarding, traveling, and
practicing yoga. |
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Other
Information |
Poppy chose her mother's maiden name, Montgomery, as her
stage name.
Arrived in Hollywood at age 18 carrying a copy of "How to
Make It In Hollywood".
Five out of Poppy's nine siblings, along with herself, are
named after flowers.
Enjoys board games, horseback riding, photography, sleeping,
snowboarding, traveling and yoga.
Her mother, Nicola, is a market researcher and father, Phil,
a restaurateur.
Her brother is named Jethro Tull.
Poppy's sisters are named Rosie Thorn, Daisy Yellow, Lily
Belle and Marigold Sun - all named after flowers
Named #45 on the Maxim magazine Hot 100 of 2005 list.
Step-sister of former Australian Hockeyroo's player Claire
Mitchell-Taverner |
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