Theresa Elizabeth Polo is an American actress best known by her other name, Teri Polo. She was born on June 1, 1969, in Dover, Delaware, to a hardworking family of Italian, English, and German ancestry. Before venturing into acting, Polo took ballet lessons for 13 years and attended New York’s School of American Ballet. She later quit after winning a modeling contest and pursued acting at only 17 years of age.
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In 1987, Polo made her acting debut as Kristin Larsen on the ABC soap opera “Loving.” After three years, she snagged the lead role of Christine Daaé for the miniseries “The Phantom of the Opera”. The aspiring actress also earned several recurring roles and minor characters in multiple shows, including “Northern Exposure”, “Brimstone”, and “The West Wing”. In 2005, Polo put her modeling talent to good use and posed nude for the cover of Playboy’s February issue.
Polo’s rise to fame came with her character as Pam Focker in the American comedy trilogy, “Meet The Parents”, “Meet The Fockers”, and “Little Fockers”. As she stayed longer in the industry, Polo began exploring her acting chops. In 2013, the veteran actress got cast in the lead role of Stef Foster in the ABC series “The Fosters”. The show was a success and aired for five seasons before its three-part finale in 2018.
Fans were surprised to see Polo’s role in her latest series because it was such a contradictory picture to her bombshell characters. Thanks to her incredible acting skills and excellent chemistry with a certain co-star, people have been poking a little more into the actress’ private life. So, is Teri Polo gay? Here’s what The Fosters star has to say.
VOTE: What is Teri Polo’s Sexuality?
Teri Polo’s Dating History
When it came to her relationships, Polo relatively kept away from the spotlight. The actress had only been linked to two people and married once. In 1995, Polo met her first husband, Anthony Moore, who worked as a professional photographer. After dating for two years, the pair eloped in Las Vegas and welcomed their son Griffin in 2002.
Unfortunately, their union wouldn’t last long. In 2005, the pair filed for divorce and went their separate ways. Despite the split, Polo maintained that she regretted nothing.
I ran off to Vegas to get married and now I’m divorced but I have the most beautiful child in the entire universe who I would never, ever trade. I would live every part of my marriage and my subsequent, and very hard, divorce… again to have my son. It was a roundabout way to happiness.”
Teri Polo as quoted by the Daily Mail
Polo found love again in 2006 when she met drummer Jamie Wollam. The two immediately embarked on an affair that would last at least six years. Although the couple never married, they did live together. Polo and Wollam had one child together, a daughter named Bayley. Sadly, the pairing wasn’t meant to be and they quietly separated in 2012.
Addressing The Gay Rumors
In 2013, Teri Polo was cast as Stef Foster for the drama series “The Fosters”. Her character was a lesbian and in a relationship with Lena Adams, who was played by Sherri Saum. The pairing had such a strong chemistry on-screen that fans were beginning to wonder if there was something happening behind the scenes. The talks grew even stronger when Polo stated that she had “more chemistry with Sherri than she’s ever had with any male counterpart.”
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However, the actress denied any gay romance happening off-screen. Polo mentioned that she and Saum were just good friends and colleagues. It’s also worth noting that the latter is married to Kamar de los Reyes.
Is Teri Polo Gay?
No, Teri Polo is not gay. Although the actress plays a lesbian character in the series The Fosters, Polo is straight in real life. She was previously married to Anthony Moore and was in a domestic partnership with Jamie Wollam. It’s believed that the actress is currently single.