American film and television actor Kristoffer Polaha was born on February 18, 1977 in Reno, Nevada. The youngest of four sons, he was bitten by the acting bug during his stay at the exclusive Robert Louis Stevenson boarding school in Pebble Beach, California. In 1999, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from the prestigious Tisch School of Arts. He has appeared numerous times on stage as well, with his credits including roles in Ragtime Revue at the Lincoln Center, The Long Days Journey Into Night at the Roundabout Theater, Bread & Butter at the Provincetown Playhouse in New York and in Uncle Vanya at the Stella Adler Conservatory.
In 2001, Kristoffer Polaha was cast in Fox’s pilot episode of The Third Degree. He next received a guest role in the series Angel, and had a recurring appearance in That’s Life. He was next seen as Eric Hughes in the series Roswell, before he acted in a 9-minute movie titled Home Base. Polaha was later cast in Michael Ferry’s independent film Aller Simple pour Manhattan, also known as Petty Crimes. He soon got a part in an episode of Birds of Prey, playing the character Darkstrike. This was followed by two TV movies, namely Splitsville and the TBS Superstation Original, America’s Prince: The John F. Kennedy Jr. Story, both in 2003. Polaha is also known for his appearance in the series Tru Calling, but he gained even more prominence for playing Jason Matthews in North Shore. In 2004, he worked with Chris Dowling in the short drama The Plight of Clownana. His next appearance was in House M.D. and Hot Properties, following it up with roles in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, CSI: Miami, and Bones. After a short stint in the series Close to Home, he landed the part of the Spanish teacher Tim O’Malley in Miss Guided. Polaha subsequently took on roles in the series Mad Men, and was cast in 2008’s Valentine as Danny.
(Photo courtesy of ABC)