Listen, most of us tune into the Hallmark Channel at least occasionally. Even if it's only during the holiday season, we've all found ourselves sucked into the sappiness and drama. What's interesting is that while many Hallmark movies feature C- and D-list actors who are relatively unknown outside of the made-for-TV-movie world, every so often we notice a familiar face on Hallmark. In fact, a number of once-popular actors have turned to Hallmark movies to help resurrect their careers.
Now, we're not saying you're gonna see the likes of Will Smith or Anya Taylor-Joy on Hallmark, but there are plenty of actors who have been on hit TV shows and in top Hollywood films that now make a living acting in the family-friendly network's movies almost exclusively.
There are others who have only done a few Hallmark movies while they ascended to bigger and better things, but either way, joining the Hallmark family has definitely helped along the careers of more than a few actors. Whether their once-promising careers were fading, or they learned over time that the steady work offered by Hallmark was exactly what they wanted for their careers or lifestyles, all of these actors turned to Hallmark for a résumé boost at some point.
Lacey Chabert
After her supporting role in the iconic 2004 film Mean Girls, most of us didn't see or hear anything about Lacey Chabert for a long time. The Party of Five alum did some voice acting and one-off roles, but it wasn't until a few years later, when she discovered that Hallmark movies were her niche, that her career really hit its stride. Lacey has now appeared in more than two dozen movies for the cable network.
Candace Cameron Bure
Former Full House star Candace Cameron Bure started doing TV movies almost right after her hit sitcom's eight-season run ended. But it wasn't until she partnered with Hallmark that she became a legitimate star again. She's now known as the "queen of Hallmark Christmas movies" because she's been in so many of the channel's holiday flicks.
Chad Michael Murray
Teen TV and movie star Chad Michael Murray may have been primed to be an A-lister, but things never really took off for him in big-time Hollywood. After One Tree Hill ended, he nabbed multiple recurring and episodic roles on TV series, but as far as movies go, the TV kind are really his jam, including a number of Hallmark titles.
Danica McKellar
Danica McKellar's claim to fame was as a child star. She starred in The Wonder Years with Fred Savage from 1988 to 1993, and then spent much of the next two decades doing episodic TV work and bit parts in B- and C-movies. As an adult, Danica began working with Hallmark and quickly became a familiar and welcome face in its movies, including a number of Christmas titles, among them Christmas at Grand Valley.
Cameron Mathison
Cameron Mathison was a bona fide soap star for many years before he started popping up in made-for-TV movies. His most notable role was as Ryan Lavery on All My Children, but when he was ready to segue into movies, he ended up starting a long-running relationship with Hallmark and has now starred in more than 15 of the channel's movies, including The Christmas Club.
Jesse Metcalfe
Best known for his role as John Rowland in the hit ABC series Desperate Housewives, Jesse Metcalfe is another actor who essentially made his career in made-for-TV movies. He never managed to nab a leading role in a major TV show — well, at least not a successful one — but he's now appeared in a number of Hallmark movies, including 2015's A Country Wedding. He also stars in Hallmark's original dramatic series Chesapeake Shores, which is now in its fifth season.
Adrian Grenier
Actor Adrian Grenier was once considered a teen movie heartthrob, and then he landed a cush role on the hit show Entourage, but after that, his career stalled a bit. Eventually, he turned to Hallmark to inject a bit of energy into his career — or perhaps a bit of cash into his bank account. He's now done two movies with Hallmark including Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays.
Alexa PenaVega
Alexa PenaVega was also a child star who never really hit it big in Hollywood. After appearing in the Spy Kids films, she did a few independent films and some episodic work, but Hallmark movies such as Love At Sea (which also stars her husband, Carlos PenaVega) are really her bread and butter these days.
Brandon Routh
Actor Brandon Routh nearly made it big in Hollywood when he starred in Superman Returns in 2006, but the superhero movie ended up being a bit of a disappointment. While Brandon did lots of minor movies and TV work for a while afterward, he still signed on for two Hallmark movies — The Nine Lives of Christmas and its sequel — to help boost his career when he needed it.
Dean Cain
Dean Cain was also once Superman, and he was darn good at it as the star of the TV series Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, which ran from 1993 to 1997. He did a bit more TV work immediately after that, but no lead roles, and it wasn't long before he became a Hallmark movie star, cementing a steady career for himself.
Wes Brown
Actor Wes Brown once held recurring roles in popular shows including Hart of Dixie, the Beverly Hills, 90210 reboot, and Deception, but by 2014, he was acting almost exclusively in made-for-TV movies. As for Hallmark, he's been in a ton of both its regular and holiday films, including Christmas Cookies and Over the Moon in Love.
Ashley Williams
Ashley Williams played a fun character on the long-running sitcom How I Met Your Mother, but there's no denying that with her big smile, twinkly eyes, and spunky personality, she was practically made to be a Hallmark movie ingenue. We especially love her in Christmas in Evergreen and Northern Lights of Christmas.
Jill Wagner
Jill Wagner started her career on Ashton Kutcher's Punk'd and then transitioned into movies and scripted TV, acting in shows including Blade: The Series and Teen Wolf. As she got older, though, TV movies became her game — especially Hallmark movies. She's an all-season Hallmark movie star, acting in films including Christmas Wishes & Mistletoe Kisses and the Mystery 101 series.
Merritt Patterson
Canadian actor Merritt Patterson is best known for portraying Ophelia Pryce on The Royals. She dabbled in episodic TV work after her role on the series ended in 2015, but she soon segued into doing TV movies exclusively. She really found a home — and an enduring career — with Hallmark, acting in eight films for the network so far.
Luke Macfarlane
Actor Luke Macfarlane has enjoyed recurring roles on a number of popular TV series throughout his career, including Brothers and Sisters and The Night Shift, but ever since 2019, he's mostly focused on TV movies and managing to keep his face on screen despite a lack of strong parts on TV series of late. He started working with Hallmark in 2014 and has now starred in more than 10 of its films.
Lori Loughlin
Former Full House star Lori Laughlin was once the Candace Cameron Bure of her day, making a career for herself out of TV movies following the success of the '90s sitcom. After her shocking role in the 2019 college admissions scandal went public, however, everyone thought she'd be blacklisted — but she's actually reprising her When Calls the Heart role in a spin-off series called When Hope Calls, which is set to air on new network GAC Family beginning on December 18.
