Yahoo Lifestyle 15 Celebrities We Bet You Had No Clue Were in Hallmark Movies
The holiday season is here, which means one thing: it's Hallmark movie season. The Hallmark Channel debuted in August 2001, airing its first original movie, a Sherlock Holmes film titled The Royal Scandal, just two months later. By January 2004, the Hallmark Movie Channel launched, paving the way for the holiday movie binge-watching culture we know and love today. Over the past 20-plus years, Hallmark movies have featured plenty of familiar faces. Here’s a look at some celebrities you might not have realized starred in Hallmark films.
Lauren Holly
Lauren Holly made her acting debut on the popular TV series Hill Street Blues in 1981 and went on to star in hits like Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, NCIS, and Netflix’s Designated Survivor. She’s also well-known for her role in the ’90s classic Dumb and Dumber. Holly became part of Hallmark history by starring in the channel’s first original Christmas movie, Santa Jr., released in 2002.
Judd Nelson
Starring alongside Lauren Holly in Santa Jr. was Judd Nelson, best known for his roles in The Breakfast Club and St. Elmo’s Fire. Since then, he’s appeared in several other Hallmark holiday films, including Cancel Christmas, Kristin’s Christmas Past, Santa Fake, and Save Christmas.
Meghan Markle
Before marrying her prince and becoming the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle starred in Hallmark Channel’s When Sparks Fly in 2014 and Dater’s Handbook in 2016, while still appearing on Suits.
Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds had a storied career spanning decades, from TV westerns like Gunsmoke in the 1960s to pop culture classics like Hustle and Smokey and the Bandit in the 1970s, The Cannonball Run and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas in the 1980s, and Evening Shade and Boogie Nights in the 1990s.
In 2002, he made his Hallmark Channel debut in Johnson County War, starring alongside Tom Berenger and Luke Perry in the channel’s mini-series.
Brian Austin Green
Luke Perry wasn’t the only Beverly Hills, 90210 alum to appear in a Hallmark movie. In 2010, Brian Austin Green starred in the Hallmark Movie Channel original film The Wild Girl.
Tamera Mowry-Housley
Sister, Sister star Tamera Mowry-Housley made her Hallmark debut in 2019 with A Christmas Miracle. (Tamera's twin sister, Tia, has starred in her fair share of Hallmark movies, too!)
Since then, she has starred in several Hallmark favorites, including Christmas Comes Twice, The Santa Stakeout, Girlfriendship, Inventing the Christmas Prince, Dream Moms, and Haunted Harmony Mysteries: Murder in G Major. This year, she takes the lead in a new Hallmark Christmas movie, Scouting for Christmas.
Adrian Grenier
After his breakout role as the leading man in Entourage — along with playing Anne Hathaway’s boyfriend in The Devil Wears Prada and even appearing as an extra in Britney Spears’ “(You Drive Me) Crazy” music video — Adrian Grenier made his Hallmark debut in Love at First Glance in 2017. He later starred in Christmas at Graceland: Home for the Holidays in 2019.
Julia Stiles
The star of 10 Things I Hate About You, Julia Stiles, went on to shine in Save the Last Dance and the Bourne franchise before making her Hallmark debut in The Makeover in 2013.
Danny Glover
Danny Glover, known for his iconic roles in blockbuster films and TV shows like The Color Purple, Lonesome Dove, Dreamgirls, and the Lethal Weapon franchise, joined the Hallmark family in 2013 with his role in A Way Back Home.
Mariah Carey
Mariah Carey, the Queen of Christmas and the voice behind our collective holiday soundtrack for over 30 years, has also starred in a Hallmark Christmas movie. In 2015's A Christmas Melody, she played the high school rival of the film’s heroine.
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton, known for her iconic roles in films like 9 to 5, Steel Magnolias, and The Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, made her Hallmark debut in 2019 with Christmas at Dollywood — a fitting choice for the country legend!
Kristin Davis
Best known for her role as Charlotte York on Sex and the City, Kristin Davis made her Hallmark debut as an angel in the 2016 film A Heavenly Christmas.
Patti LaBelle
Patti LaBelle, renowned for her powerful voice, brought her vocal talents to the screen in Hallmark’s 2019 film A Family Christmas Gift.
Carrie Fisher
Yes, Princess Leia herself, Carrie Fisher, was a Hallmark alum as well. In 2012, she starred in It’s Christmas, Carol, a modern twist on the Dickens classic. (The film also featured Queer Eye for the Straight Guy alum Carson Kressley!)
Billy Ray Cyrus
Miley's dad made his Hallmark debut back in the early days of Hallmark's Movies & Mysteries Channel — he played a widower in 2009's Christmas in Canaan.
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