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Megan Elizabeth Laura Diana Follows (born March 14, 1968) is a Canadian/American actress. She is known to international audiences for her role as Anne Shirley in the acclaimed 1985 Canadian television miniseries Anne of Green Gables and its two sequels.

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Follows was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada to an acting family (sometimes referred to as "The Fighting Follows"). Her parents are noted Canadian theater actor and director Ted Follows and his first wife, actress Dawn Greenhalgh.^[1] Her siblings, Laurence, Edwina and Samantha Follows are also actors. Her first acting job came at age nine, when she landed a spot in a commercial. She was directed to make an impudent gesture out of a school bus window - like sticking out her tongue - but ended up making a rather obscene and adult gesture instead.^[2]

[edit] Career

After a stint in the Canadian series "The Littlest Hobo", Follows was cast as Anne Shirley in the miniseries Anne of Green Gables, and subsequently appeared in the two sequels that followed. The part of "Anne" was a coveted role that she won over 3,000 other young girls. The miniseries, wholly produced in Canada, became successful around the world. Follows gained a substantial fan following for her portrayal of the popular literary character. Her performances earned her two Gemini awards as best actress for the first two miniseries, Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables-The Sequel.

Follows has made a number of appearances on Canadian television. She appeared in a popular made-for-TV movie, Hockey Night, around the time she appeared in Anne of Green Gables. She played the lead role of Cathy, a young girl who played hockey on a previously all-male team. Other Canadian television appearances included a role in the period drama Under the Piano, and a supporting role in Shania: A Life in Eight Albums. More recently, she appeared in the Canadian ensemble drama Robson Arms as one of the tenants of the Robson Arms apartment complex, and in the hospital drama Open Heart as a surgeon.^[3]

Among the earliest American television appearances were roles in The Facts of Life (as a cousin of Jo Polniaczek) in 1982, and in the short-lived series Domestic Life as Martin Mull's TV daughter in 1984. A rarely recognized role played by Follows was Clara in the movie The Nutcracker Prince starring Kiefer Sutherland. In 1993-94 Follows was part of the ensemble in a short-lived CBS television series Second Chances with a then-unknown Jennifer Lopez. Follows has also appeared on ER, Law & Order, The X Files, Cold Case, and CSI:Crime Scene Investigation, among other TV guest roles.

Although Follows has been more prolific in television appearances, she has appeared in a number of feature films, including Christmas Child, Booky Makes Her Mark, A Foreign Affair, and Termini Station, which reunited her with Anne of Green Gables costar Colleen Dewhurst. Follows also co-starred with Corey Haim and Gary Busey in the 1985 film adaptation of Stephen King's novella "Silver Bullet". In theater, Follows has starred in Romeo and Juliet at the Stratford Festival, as well as Ibsen's A Doll's House at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis. In 2005, she had the leading role of May in a production of Fool for Love by Sam Shepard, mounted at the Toronto-based Soulpepper Theater Company.^[4] She played the role of Marlene in the 2007 summer production of Caryl Churchill's Top Girls with Toronto's Soulpepper Theatre Company. She also appeared in the Soulpepper Theatre Company 2007 production of Anton Chekhov's Three Sisters, which ran from August 30 to September 29. The show was extended to October 13.

[edit] Personal life

In 1991, Follows married Canadian actor Christopher Porter, and was for a time credited as Megan Porter Follows. The couple divorced in 1995. They had two children: Lyla-Anne and Russel Porter-Follows. Follows is now married to fellow actor Stuart Hughes. She and Hughes (and her children) divide their time between residences in Los Angeles and Toronto. Follows is now a dual citizen of the United States and Canada.

Follows championed A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry in the 2002 edition of Canada Reads. She has also served as a spokesperson for the relief organization World Vision.