Polly Walker

Every juicy melodrama needs a character you love to hate, and in HBO's critically acclaimed "Rome," she came in the form of Atia, and British actress Polly Walker played the part to the hilt. As the sexually ravenous and morally bankrupt niece of Julius Caesar, Walker's Atia sneered and connived her way through every scene.

Walker was born in 1966 in Cheshire, England. Interested in the performing arts since childhood, she originally planned to be a dancer, but an injury when she was just 18 forced her to concentrate on acting. She enrolled at London's Drama Centre and went on to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

She took on a number of small stage roles before appearing on British television. Walker landed a prime role as the title character in the British television adaptation of the literary classic, "Lorna Doone" in 1990. From there, she appeared in a few more British television movies, such as "The Kremlin, Farewell," in 1990 and "Kabuto," in 1992.

That same year, she appeared in her first major big screen role as Caroline in the critically acclaimed "Enchanted April." Walker made a bigger splash in the Harrison Ford film, "Patriot Games," based on the Tom Clancy political thriller, where she played an English woman in an Irish terrorist group. She followed the role with a part as Vida, a mysterious neighbor, in the Sharon Stone sexy noir, "Sliver" in 1993.

She next appeared in the costume drama "Restoration" and then the Jane Austen classic, "Emma." In 1999, she turned in a sexy performance in "8 ½ Women." She worked steadily in smaller films since then, including two television movies in 2003: "Jeffrey Archer: The Truth," on the BBC, and an adaptation of "The Mayor of Casterbridge" on A&E.

After a part in the indie crime drama "Control," opposite Ray Liotta, she landed the plum part on "Rome;" her turn as the wicked and scheming Atia was a high point of an already racy series. Next up for her was the Ewan McGregor comedy "Scenes of a Sexual Nature." (lensing, 2005)