Michael Polish

Michael Polish (born October 30, 1970 in El Centro, CA) is an American actor, writer and director, best known for his work with his identical twin brother Mark, including "Twin Falls Idaho" (1999), "Northfork" (2003) and "The Astronaut Farmer" (2006). In the early 2010s, after their work together on "For Lovers Only" (2011), the Polish brothers turned to focus on their separate solo careers, with Michael going on to direct "Big Sur" (2013), "Amnesiac" (2015) and "Force of Nature" (2020), among others.

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The Astronaut Farmer (2006)

EnjoyableFantasticalWeird

Texan Charles Farmer left the Air Force as a young man to save the family ranch when his dad died. Like most American ranchers, he owes his bank. Unlike most, he's an astrophysicist with a rocket in his barn - one he's built and wants to take into space. It's his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Billy Bob Thornton  •  Virginia Madsen  •  Jon Gries  •  Max Thieriot

Texan Charles Farmer left the Air Force as a young man to save the family ranch when his dad died. Like most American ranchers, he owes his bank. Unlike most, he's an astrophysicist with a rocket in his barn - one he's built and wants to take into space. It's his ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Billy Bob Thornton  •  Virginia Madsen  •  Jon Gries  •  Max Thieriot

The Good Thief (2003)

An aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in Monte Carlo. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Neil Jordan
CAST:  Nick Nolte  •  Tchéky Karyo  •  Nutsa Kukhianidze  •  Marc Lavoine

An aging gambler on a losing streak attempts to rob a casino in Monte Carlo. But someone's already tipped off the cops before he even makes a move.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Neil Jordan
CAST:  Nick Nolte  •  Tchéky Karyo  •  Nutsa Kukhianidze  •  Marc Lavoine

Hellraiser: Bloodline (1996)

Three generations of the same family deal with the consequences of unleashing the forces of hell.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alan Smithee  •  Kevin Yagher
CAST:  Bruce Ramsay  •  Valentina Vargas  •  Charlotte Chatton  •  Adam Scott

Three generations of the same family deal with the consequences of unleashing the forces of hell.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Alan Smithee  •  Kevin Yagher
CAST:  Bruce Ramsay  •  Valentina Vargas  •  Charlotte Chatton  •  Adam Scott

Northfork (2003)

The year is 1955, and a great flood is coming to Northfork, Montana. A new hydroelectric dam is about to be installed in the mountains above the town, ready to submerge the valley in the name of progress. It is the responsibility of a six-man Evacuation Committee ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  James Woods  •  Nick Nolte  •  Claire Forlani  •  Daryl Hannah

The year is 1955, and a great flood is coming to Northfork, Montana. A new hydroelectric dam is about to be installed in the mountains above the town, ready to submerge the valley in the name of progress. It is the responsibility of a six-man Evacuation Committee ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  James Woods  •  Nick Nolte  •  Claire Forlani  •  Daryl Hannah

For Lovers Only (2011)

FOR LOVERS ONLY is a story of a MAN and a WOMAN in love. After seeing each other for the first time in years while on separate work assignments in Paris, the LOVERS flee together and travel by train, car and motorcycle, as their love affair takes them across ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Stana Katic  •  Mark Polish  •  Angus MacDonald  •  Tara Subkoff

FOR LOVERS ONLY is a story of a MAN and a WOMAN in love. After seeing each other for the first time in years while on separate work assignments in Paris, the LOVERS flee together and travel by train, car and motorcycle, as their love affair takes them across ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Stana Katic  •  Mark Polish  •  Angus MacDonald  •  Tara Subkoff

Big Sur (2013)

Big Sur is a film adaptation of the Jack Kerouac autobiographical novel of the same name.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Josh Lucas  •  Radha Mitchell  •  Stana Katic

Big Sur is a film adaptation of the Jack Kerouac autobiographical novel of the same name.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Josh Lucas  •  Radha Mitchell  •  Stana Katic

The Smell of Success (2009)

When a tragic accident ends the life of Mr. Rose, the genius behind Rose's Manure Company, the livelihood of its loyal fleet of salesmen threatens to go, as they say, into the toilet. Enter estranged daughter Rosemary, a high-class- cosmetics salesgirl, who steps ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Billy Bob Thornton  •  Téa Leoni  •  Mark Polish  •  Ed Helms

When a tragic accident ends the life of Mr. Rose, the genius behind Rose's Manure Company, the livelihood of its loyal fleet of salesmen threatens to go, as they say, into the toilet. Enter estranged daughter Rosemary, a high-class- cosmetics salesgirl, who steps ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Billy Bob Thornton  •  Téa Leoni  •  Mark Polish  •  Ed Helms

Stay Cool (2011)

The film centers on a successful author who is forced to confront an unrequited high school crush when he returns home to deliver a commencement address to graduating seniors. Shasta O'Neil, a sexy high school senior flirts with the visiting author and invites him ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Winona Ryder  •  Chevy Chase  •  Sean Astin  •  Mark Polish

The film centers on a successful author who is forced to confront an unrequited high school crush when he returns home to deliver a commencement address to graduating seniors. Shasta O'Neil, a sexy high school senior flirts with the visiting author and invites him ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Winona Ryder  •  Chevy Chase  •  Sean Astin  •  Mark Polish

Twin Falls Idaho (1999)

Francis and Blake Falls are Siamese twins who live in a neat little room in a rundown hotel. While sharing some organs, Blake is always fit and Francis is very sickly. Into their world comes a young lady, who turns their world upside down. She gets involved with ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Mark Polish  •  Michael Polish  •  Michele Hicks  •  Jon Gries

Francis and Blake Falls are Siamese twins who live in a neat little room in a rundown hotel. While sharing some organs, Blake is always fit and Francis is very sickly. Into their world comes a young lady, who turns their world upside down. She gets involved with ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Mark Polish  •  Michael Polish  •  Michele Hicks  •  Jon Gries

The Bridge of San Luis Rey (2004)

The Bridge of San Luis Rey is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel, first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. It tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope-fiber suspension bridge in Peru, and the events ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mary McGuckian
CAST:  F. Murray Abraham  •  Kathy Bates  •  Gabriel Byrne  •  Geraldine Chaplin

The Bridge of San Luis Rey is American author Thornton Wilder's second novel, first published in 1927 to worldwide acclaim. It tells the story of several interrelated people who die in the collapse of an Inca rope-fiber suspension bridge in Peru, and the events ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Mary McGuckian
CAST:  F. Murray Abraham  •  Kathy Bates  •  Gabriel Byrne  •  Geraldine Chaplin

Jackpot (2001)

Sunny Holiday, a middle-aged country singer with dreams of stardom, walks out on his wife and child and hits the road with his manager in a desperate search for fame and fortune... and to get far away from the past he's left behind.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Jon Gries  •  Daryl Hannah  •  Adam Baldwin  •  Garrett Morris

Sunny Holiday, a middle-aged country singer with dreams of stardom, walks out on his wife and child and hits the road with his manager in a desperate search for fame and fortune... and to get far away from the past he's left behind.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Jon Gries  •  Daryl Hannah  •  Adam Baldwin  •  Garrett Morris

Hot Bot (2016)

Hot Bot is the hilarious journey of two sexually repressed and unpopular teenage geeks who accidentally discover a life-like super-model sex bot.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Cynthia Kirchner  •  Doug Haley  •  Zack Pearlman  •  Larry Miller

Hot Bot is the hilarious journey of two sexually repressed and unpopular teenage geeks who accidentally discover a life-like super-model sex bot.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Cynthia Kirchner  •  Doug Haley  •  Zack Pearlman  •  Larry Miller

90 Minutes in Heaven (2015)

A man involved in a horrific car crash is pronounced dead, only to come back to life an hour and a half later, claiming to have seen Heaven.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Hayden Christensen  •  Hudson Meek  •  Bobby Batson

A man involved in a horrific car crash is pronounced dead, only to come back to life an hour and a half later, claiming to have seen Heaven.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Hayden Christensen  •  Hudson Meek  •  Bobby Batson

Amnesiac (2015)

The story of a man who wakes up in bed suffering from memory loss after being in an accident, only to begin to suspect that his wife may not be his real wife and that a web of lies and deceit deepen inside the house where he soon finds himself a prisoner.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Wes Bentley  •  Shashawnee Hall  •  Richard Riehle

The story of a man who wakes up in bed suffering from memory loss after being in an accident, only to begin to suspect that his wife may not be his real wife and that a web of lies and deceit deepen inside the house where he soon finds himself a prisoner.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Wes Bentley  •  Shashawnee Hall  •  Richard Riehle

Some Kind of Hate (2015)

When troubled teen Lincoln is subjected to severe bullying, he accidentally conjures the vengeful ghost of Moira Karp. Once a teenage girl pushed to suicide, Moira is now an unstoppable force on a mission of gruesome retribution. But when she goes too far, Lincoln ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Adam Egypt Mortimer
CAST:  Gracie Gillam  •  Sierra McCormick  •  Lexi Atkins  •  Spencer Breslin

When troubled teen Lincoln is subjected to severe bullying, he accidentally conjures the vengeful ghost of Moira Karp. Once a teenage girl pushed to suicide, Moira is now an unstoppable force on a mission of gruesome retribution. But when she goes too far, Lincoln ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Adam Egypt Mortimer
CAST:  Gracie Gillam  •  Sierra McCormick  •  Lexi Atkins  •  Spencer Breslin

Nona (2017)

A girl from Honduras meets Hecho, who promises to get her safely to America to reunite with her mother. Instead, Nona faces a perilous journey when he doesn't deliver on that promise.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Sulem Calderon  •  Jesy McKinney  •  Diana Cabuto

A girl from Honduras meets Hecho, who promises to get her safely to America to reunite with her mother. Instead, Nona faces a perilous journey when he doesn't deliver on that promise.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Kate Bosworth  •  Sulem Calderon  •  Jesy McKinney  •  Diana Cabuto

Satanic Panic (2019)

A pizza delivery girl is suddenly in for the fight of her young life when encountering a group of Satanists in need of a virgin to ritually sacrifice.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Chelsea Stardust
CAST:  Hayley Griffith  •  Rebecca Romijn  •  Arden Myrin  •  Ruby Modine

A pizza delivery girl is suddenly in for the fight of her young life when encountering a group of Satanists in need of a virgin to ritually sacrifice.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Chelsea Stardust
CAST:  Hayley Griffith  •  Rebecca Romijn  •  Arden Myrin  •  Ruby Modine

Bare Knuckle Filming: The Construction Of Northfork (2003)

Making of documentary  (more)

DIRECTION:  Matt Polish
CAST:  Peter Coyote  •  James Woods  •  Michael Polish  •  Mark Polish

Making of documentary  (more)

DIRECTION:  Matt Polish
CAST:  Peter Coyote  •  James Woods  •  Michael Polish  •  Mark Polish

Force of Nature (2020)

A gang of thieves plan a heist during a hurricane and encounter trouble when a disgraced cop tries to force everyone in the building to evacuate.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Mel Gibson  •  Emile Hirsch  •  Kate Bosworth  •  David Zayas

A gang of thieves plan a heist during a hurricane and encounter trouble when a disgraced cop tries to force everyone in the building to evacuate.  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Mel Gibson  •  Emile Hirsch  •  Kate Bosworth  •  David Zayas

American Traitor: The Trial of Axis Sally (2021)

The life of American woman Mildred Gillars and her lawyer, who struggles to redeem her reputation. Dubbed “Axis Sally” for broadcasting Nazi propaganda to American troops during World War II, Mildred’s story exposes the dark underbelly of the Third Reich's ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Al Pacino  •  Thomas Kretschmann  •  Mitch Pileggi  •  Meadow Williams

The life of American woman Mildred Gillars and her lawyer, who struggles to redeem her reputation. Dubbed “Axis Sally” for broadcasting Nazi propaganda to American troops during World War II, Mildred’s story exposes the dark underbelly of the Third Reich's ...  (more)

DIRECTION:  Michael Polish
CAST:  Al Pacino  •  Thomas Kretschmann  •  Mitch Pileggi  •  Meadow Williams
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