Biography

Hayley Polak

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Overview

Nicknames
- Gigi
- Hayls
- Polly
Height
5′ 5½″ (1.66 m)

Mini bio

Hayley Gigi Polak was born Hayley Polak to a Jewish family on July 25, 1981, in Cape Town, South Africa. She is the eldest of two daughters of Dennis Mark Polak, a retired business executive in South Africa, and Deline Ursula Polak, a retired fitness instructor in South Africa. Her father is from Dutch and Polish ancestry, and her mother's side is French, Greek and German.

In 1984, Hayley had her first photo shoot. This lead to several magazine prints primarily featured with children's games. Hayley's fascination with film started with Disney's "The Little Mermaid" in 1989. "Lion King" and "Jungle Book" are her other two original Disney favorites. Growing up, her family moved around and traveled frequently so her love for film was and still is her anchor.

When Hayley lived in London she was immersed at "Angels the Costumiers" working alongside with the tailors and employees supplying costumes to the Entertainment Industry. This inspired her to fulfill her dream of moving to America. In 2008 she landed in New York and shortly after was short-listed on an NBC Show called "Momma's Boys" after being scouted at a fundraiser. She didn't take the flight to Los Angeles. The "City of Angels" came calling a few years later.

Hayley was cast in her first American national commercial in 2011 in Dallas, Texas. She has since been cast in commercials with BUD Light, Asahi Beer, Telemundo, Texas Lottery and Chuck-E-Cheese. In 2012, she joined "Women in Film" and was featured in a National PSA with Nexus Recovery Center.

She studied the ABC's of Narrative and Documentary film at the renowned NYU Tisch School of the Arts. With Joanne Linville, Hayley understood Stella Adler's legacy and spent a year and a half in Hollywood studying at Stella Adler. A year prior with Maggie Flanigan at her Meisner studio in New York made an impression on her.
- IMDb mini biography by: Mitchell

Trademarks

birthmark on right hip.
I write backwards (sdrawkcab).
piece by piece to "PUZZLE STUDIOS"

Trivia

Graduated in 2004, with a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of South Africa.
Speaks English and French. Can read Hebrew.
Moved to the United States when she was 26 from London.
Is the eldest of two sisters.
Hayley volunteered in 2012 with Big Brothers Big Sisters of America. She was a BIG to an african american student facilitated through KIPP Public Charter Schools. In 2015, Hayley trained as a youth empowerment teacher in the Dominican Republic with the International Association of Human Values, an affiliate to the U.N. She has since mentored students at John Adams Middle School in Santa Monica; and Dodd Middle School in Freeport New York.