Days' Swamp Girl

Background:

Starting her professional acting career as Amy Wilson (1994-1996) on CBS popular soap opera ''The Young and the Restless,'' Julianne Morris garnered wider recognition while portraying the villainous vixen Rumina during the first season (1996-1997) of the Canadian television series "The Adventures of Sinbad" and playing Greta Von Amburg (1998-2002), the mysterious ''Swamp Girl'' who would later be crowned as the princess of France, on NBC soap opera "Days of our Lives."

Meanwhile, the 5' 6" actress has appeared as a guest on such TV shows as "Baywatch Nights," "L.A. Heat" and "Two and a Half Men." She was also seen alongside Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the romantic comedy movie "50 First Dates" (2004).

Morris has been married to actor Kristoffer Polaha since July 2003. Since the birth of her first son in 2004, Morris has been taking a break from acting to be a full-time mother. She is currently active supporting the Los Angeles community Stitches, which assists underprivileged children and their families.

Full-Time Mom

Childhood and Family:

Born in Columbia, South Carolina, on May 8, 1968, Julianne Morris moved to Windermere, Florida, when she was 3 years old and spent most of her childhood there. Having exposed to various art forms as a young child, from baton to cheerleading to tap, Julianne went to the North Carolina School of the Arts. One year later, she moved to New York City and attended the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts.

On June 7, 2003, Julianne married former ''North Shore'' star Kristoffer Polaha (born on February 18, 1977). They have two sons, Kristoffer Caleb Polaha (born on July 28, 2004) and Mica (born on April 6, 2006). Since the birth of her first son, Julianne has been taking a break from acting to be a full-time mother and living in Hawaii and Los Angeles with her husband and sons. She is currently active in the Los Angeles community with Stitches, a group which supports underprivileged children and their families.

The Young and the Restless

Career:

Graduating from the prestigious American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York, Julianne Morris, who have been exposed to various art forms as a young child, moved west and began her professional acting career on CBS popular soap opera ''The Young and the Restless,'' playing the role of Amy Wilson from 1994-1996. During that time, she also appeared in the HBO black magic movie set in the 1950s, "Witch Hunt" (1994; starring Dennis Hopper) and guest starred in an April 1996 episode of the syndicated sci-fi/drama "Baywatch Nights," a spin-off from the popular television series "Baywatch."

After her contract with ''The Young and the Restless'' ended, Morris portrayed the vengeful sorceress Rumina, a recurring villain throughout the first season (1996-1997) of the Canadian television series "The Adventures of Sinbad," a new re-telling of the adventures of the famous character from The Arabian Nights stories.

From 1998 to 2002 Morris portrayed Greta Von Amburg, the mysterious ''Swamp Girl'' who would later be crowned as the princess of France, on NBC soap opera "Days of our Lives," alongside Frances Reid, John Clarke, Suzanne Rogers and Deidre Hall. The character was played by Jamie Taylor in 1998 and by Brittany Lee Carr (1998-2000) during flashback sessions. Morris recalled, ''I couldn’t ask to work with a better group of people.''

Meanwhile, Morris was spotted as a guest in an April 1999 episode of TNT action/cop TV series starring Wolf Larson and Steven Williams, "L.A. Heat," and appeared in the made-for-television movie starring Mel Harris, "Another Pretty Face" (2002).

After getting married, Morris only appeared on screen twice, Peter Segal-directed romantic comedy movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, "50 First Dates" (2004), and in an October 2004 episode of CBS sitcom starring Charlie Sheen, "Two and a Half Men." She has since taken a break from acting to be a full-time mother. She is also active in the Los Angeles community with Stitches, an after school program in South- Central, Los Angeles, which helps underprivileged children and their families.

"I am waiting. It is not always easy, but it is the right thing to do."

Awards:
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