Joel Polis, a high school athlete, earned a full scholarship in gymnastics to the University of Southern California, where he initially pursued his passion.
However, his freshman year saw him catch the acting bug, when he was cast in the school's production of "West Side Story". This experience sparked his interest in acting further, leading him to receive a scholarship to join the Summer Theater Festival on a European tour, performing in England, Germany, and the Edinburgh Theater Festival.
Despite his initial success, Joel dropped out of USC to work as a circus clown, but after three months of tumbling around the arena, he realized that a life wearing big shoes and a red rubber nose was not for him. He boarded a Greyhound Bus and headed East, traveling to New York where he studied acting at NYU and with the renowned Broadway director Lloyd Richards.
After returning to Los Angeles to finish his BA, Joel received his MFA from Yale Drama School, marking a significant milestone in his acting journey.
With over twenty years of experience in film, television, and theater, Joel has had a prolific career. His first film role was as Fuchs in John Carpenter's classic sci-fi film The Thing (1982). He has appeared in numerous TV shows, including Cheers, Alien Nation, Northern Exposure, Star Trek: Voyager, Roseanne, Seinfeld, Chicago Hope, Boston Legal, and CSI.
Joel's extensive theater credits include performances at the Astor Place Theater, Hartford Stage, Old Globe Theater, South Coast Repertory, Mark Taper Forum, Odyssey Theatre, and the Pasadena Playhouse.
