If you are like many of the people in America who love watching the occasional dramatic romance or adore some of the best romantic comedies, then you probably also spend at least a few hours a year watching any number of made-for-TV Hallmark movies. And, once you begin watching those ever-popular films on a regular basis, you’ll begin to recognize (and even look forward to seeing) the movies that feature one or more of your favorite Hallmark stars.
Sabrina The Teenage Witch (Andrew Walker)
If you missed out on the hit comedy Sabrina the Teenage Witch, then you also missed Three Wise Men and a Baby star Andrew Walker as a co-worker of Sabrina’s, Cole Harper, when she worked at Scorch Magazine. Sure, he was arrogant and sometimes clashed with our teen witch, but he also gave her some good advice at times and seemed to have a somewhat well-hidden crush on her, so he wasn’t all bad.
Letterkenny (Tyler Hynes)
You could be forgiven for missing the appearances of Andrew Walker’s fellow Three Wiser Men and a Boy star Tyler Hynes during his time in Seasons 8-10 of the oddball Canadian comedy hit, Letterkenny, considering just how many wild and wonderful characters are present. Hynes portrayed Katy’s charming (and hated by many other men) boyfriend, Dierks Rensburg-van-Koeverdan, who simply couldn’t comply with Wayne’s edit that he treated Katy right, and paid the price for it.
Battlestar Galactica (Paul Campbell)
We might as well tackle the third Wise Man from that Hallmark franchise, and give you another spot to watch Paul Campbell. One science fiction series that likely took some by surprise was the reboot of Battlestar Galactica, which ran on Syfy from 2004-2009. For Seasons 1 and 2 he played Billy Keikeya, the kind aide to President Roslin after the Cylon attack destroyed the colonies.
Sister, Sister (Tamera Mowry-Housley)
Tamera Mowry-Housley has been a star since her early days, so we shouldn’t forget the series that made her (and her twin sister, Tia) famous as teens in the ‘90s, Sister, Sister. The family comedy starred Mowry-Housley as suburban twin Tamera, who goes shopping with her adoptive dad only to run into the twin sister she was separated from at birth.
Mean Girls (Lacey Chabert, Jonathan Bennett)
Honestly, if you didn’t already know about this one, well, it’s possible that you maybe haven’t been paying as much attention to your Hallmark faves as you could. While Lacey Chabert was certainly known from her time on the family drama Party of Five, it was her role as Gretchen Wieners in the classic big screen comedy Mean Girls that really made her a lasting part of popular culture. Of course, you can also find The Christmas House star Jonathan Bennett here as Aaron Samuels
Bros (Luke Macfarlane)
Luke Macfarlane has starred in a number of beloved Hallmark movies over the years, with titles like Catch Me If You Claus, A Magical Christmas Village and Christmas in My Heart. But, the actor made a real splash on the big screen in 2022 when he starred as Aaron in one of the great LGBTQ+ romantic comedies, Bros.
Longlegs (Alicia Witt)
Alicia Witt is another of the stalwart actors on the network who got her start on a hit show in the ‘90s (she played Cybill Shepherd’s teen daughter on her eponymous sitcom) and went on to appear in a number of movies and series. But, her most recent release, the horror movie Longlegs, has already been called a film that gets “scarier with each step.”
Desperate Housewives (Jesse Metcalfe, James Denton, Terri Hatcher)
Few who were around and watching primetime TV from 2004-2012 could forget the juggernaut that was the nighttime soap opera Desperate Housewives. Teri Hatcher and James Denton starred in the series for all eight seasons as Susan Mayer and Mike Delfino, while Jesse Metcalfe had a major role in Season 1 as the teenage gardener to one of the titular housewives.
S.W.A.T. (Daniel Lissing)
Daniel Lissing is well known for his time as Jack Thornton on Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart, but the actor also made quite an impact when he guest starred for five episodes on the CBS police procedural, S.W.A.T. as Ty, a man in a couple who begins dating Officer Chris Alonso.
21 Jump Street (Holly Robinson Peete)
Before she starred in movies like Morning Show Mysteries, A Family Christmas Gift, Holiday Heritage and the Christmas in Evergreen franchise, she became famous to a whole generation of fans as Officer Judy Hoffs on the Fox cops-pretending-to-be-teens drama, 21 Jump Street.
Spy Kids (Alexa PenaVega)
Even though Alexa PenaVega is now mostly known for starring in a series of Hallmark films (largely with her husband, who we’ll get to in a bit), this former child star rose to fame as one of the leads of the Spy Kids franchise while playing Carmen Cortez in the first four films.
She’s All That (Rachael Leigh Cook)
There’s nothing like watching some of the best rom-coms for teens to help the older among us relive our glory days as carefree high schoolers. If you do that often, you will surely come upon the star of movies like ‘Tis the Season to be Merry, Valentine in the Vineyard and Frozen in Love, Rachael Leigh Cook. Her starring role as Laney Boggs in 1999’s She’s All That has cemented her place in movie history.
Girlfriends’ Guide To Divorce (Will Kemp)
While a few other Hallmark denizens appeared on the Bravo dramedy Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce across its five seasons (like Marcus Rosner and Victor Webster), few of them made the impact that Christmas Waltz star Will Kemp did during his 15-episode stint as charismatic vegan baker, Scott.
Big Time Rush (Carlos PenaVega)
Yes, you can see Carlos PenaVega starring alongside his Spy Kids wife, Alexa, in Hallmark films like Love at Sea, Love in the Limelight and Never Too Late to Celebrate, he came to prominence as a member of the group Big Time Rush, who starred on their own eponymous musical sitcom for four seasons on Nickelodeon.
Teen Wolf (Jill Wagner)
One supernatural series that made major waves when it hit MTV in 2011 was Teen Wolf, a darker reboot of the 1985 film of the same name. In between filming movies like Christmas Cookies and Autumn Dreams, Jill Wagner recurred on the supernatural show as werewolf hunter Kate Argent.
The O.C. (Autumn Reeser)
You likely know Autumn Reeser from fare like Season for Love, Junebug and The Wedding Veil trilogy, but did you know that she also played the driven and mean-spirited Taylor Townsend for Seasons 3 and 4 of the hit teen soap, The O.C.?
John Tucker Must Die (Jesse Metcalfe)
Jesse Metcalfe was a very important part of Desperate Housewives for the first season, but after that, he moved on to leading movies like John Tucker Must Die, where he portrays the title character, a high school basketball star who is discovered to be cheating on his three different girlfriends.
Wonder Woman 1984 (Kristoffer Polaha)
It would be fair to say that Kristoffer Polaha’s role in Wonder Woman 1984 is one of the smallest but possibly most important on this list. The star of beloved Hallmark titles such as A Biltmore Christmas, Dater’s Handbook and the Mystery 101 franchise briefly plays the man whose body is taken over by the magically resurrected spirit of Steve Trevor.
One Tree Hill (Bethany Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton, Chad Michael Murray)
Let us all be thankful for the teen soap known as One Tree Hill, because that nine-season hit gave Hallmark fans not one, but three stars, with Bethany Joy Lenz, Hilarie Burton, and Chad Michael Murray all making movies for the network.
Step Up 2: The Streets (Will Kemp)
Step Up was a big enough hit that someone figured we might as well go to The Streets for the second installment, which had basically the same plot as the first film. It saw Will Kemp star as Blake Collins, the director of the performing arts school at the center of the story, who also happens to be the older brother of one of the lead dancers.
How I Met Your Mother (Ashley Williams)
You may know Ashley Williams from movies like Two Tickets to Paradise and Never Kiss a Man in a Christmas Sweater, but long before those starring roles she popped up as Ted’s girlfriend/would-be fiancée Victoria on How I Met Your Mother for several seasons, including Season 1 after their eyes meet from across a room at a wedding. And, many fans think she should have been the real “mother” at the end.
Twitches (Tamera Mowry-Housley)
Sister, Sister led to lots of other opportunities for the Mowry twins, and those included Twitches. The 2005 Disney Channel original film focuses on magical twin sisters who are reunited on their 21st birthday, and are finally told of their true heritage so that they can save their homeland from evil. The movie was so popular that a sequel, Twitches Too, was released two years later.
True Blood (Wes Brown)
Known for playing smart/hot guys in Hallmark movies like Wedding at Graceland, Sweet Pecan Summer, and the Haul Out the Holly franchise, you’ll get a very different Wes Brown if you check out his Season 2 stint on HBO’s hit fantasy, True Blood. Brown played Luke McDonald, a member of a vampire/magical being-hating religious cult, who comes to a shocking end.
Gilmore Girls (Chad Michael Murray)
We hate to tell all the One Tree Hill fans this, but Gilmore Girls’ Tristin Dugray walked so that Chad Michael Murray’s Lucas Scott could run. Tristin was rich, popular and entitled, and nothing he did could quite convince Rory to leave Dean for him, though there are likely some fans who think he should have been her end-game romance.
Fuller House (Jodie Sweetin)
The hit family sitcom Full House and its popular Netflix revival, Fuller House, have given us more than one Hallmark star over the years, with Stephanie Tanner herself, Jodie Sweetin, having made movies like Merry & Bright, A Cozy Christmas Inn, and The Jane Mysteries franchise.
JAG (Catherine Bell)
Though there are millions of fans now who love Catherine Bell for her seven seasons as The Good Witch, Cassie Nightingale, there are millions more who love her for portraying Lieutenant Colonel Sarah MacKenzie for 10 seasons on JAG, the Naval legal drama that spawned the ever-enduring NCIS franchise.
Jurassic World: Dominion (Kristoffer Polaha)
There wasn’t much lovey-dovey stuff to go around for Kristoffer Polaha when he portrayed the right-hand man of dino poacher Rainn Delacourt, Wyatt Huntley, in Jurassic World: Dominion.
90210 (Jessica Lowndes)
Hallmark stars with a history on teen soaps seem to be a theme here, and the same is true for Jessica Lowndes. Before leading films like A December Bride, Christmas at Pemberley Manor and Angel Falls Christmas (with Chad Michael Murray), Lowndes played the consistently troubled teen Adrianna Tate-Duncan for five seasons on The CW revival of 90210.
Chicago Med (Jessy Schram)
If you’ve been wondering where to watch Jessy Schram, the star of films like Harvest Moon, Royal New Year’s Eve, Country at Heart and A Nashville Christmas Carol, look no further than your local NBC station. Since 2020, Schram has starred on Chicago Med as Dr. Hannah Asher, an OB/GYN who starts the series with a major secret.
Arrow (Marcus Rosner)
The CW’s superhero shows formed the (mostly) connected Arrow-verse because that series led the way and brought us loads of memorable moments and characters. Those include Max Fuller, who was brought to life by Marcus Rosner, star of movies like Falling Like Snowflakes, Notes of Autumn and Flipping for Christmas. Though he was only in two episodes (in Season 1 and 7), Rosner (and Max) made quite an impression.
Workin’ Moms (Victor Webster)
Victor Webster is known for his time in movies like Summer Villa, Five Star Christmas and The Wedding Veil franchise, but he also spent quite a lot of time on the Netflix comedy Workin’ Moms as Mike Bolinski.
Two Weeks Notice (Alicia Witt)
The Sandra Bullock/Hugh Grant comedy Two Weeks Notice will likely go down in history as one of the rom-coms that are better than people remember them to be, but one of the things that makes it good is Alicia Witt’s performance as June Carver, the potential replacement for Bullock’s Lucy, who works alongside Grant’s George. It’s a small role, but one that helps George see the error of his ways.
As you can see, there are numerous places to see the Hallmark actors you love away from the network’s famed romances!
