‘CHRISTMAS CONNECTION’ Cast Bios

BROOKE BURNS (Sydney) – Brooke Burns has worked as an actress, host and TV personality in the entertainment industry since she was 18 years old. Most recently, she was nominated for an Emmy Award® for her work as the host of the hit series “The Chase,” GSN’s speed trivia game show that has attracted nearly 20 million viewers since its premiere in August 2013. She recently starred in “Gourmet Detective: Eat, Drink and Be Buried,” which marks her fourth starring role as Maggie in the “Gourmet Detective” original movie franchise for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.

A trained ballerina from age Two, she showed great promise as a professional ballet dancer by the time she was a teenager. Burns, a native, and her family moved to Romania when she was 12, and she had the opportunity to study with the Romanian Opera Ballet. Her dance career abruptly ended at age 15, when she badly damaged her knee in a skiing accident. The following year, supporting her love of travel, she moved to Europe and modeled in , Milan and Munich. But her effervescent personality is what caught the attention of television and film producers alike.

Shortly after her move to to pursue acting, Burns landed her first television role on “Ally McBeal.” In her first feature, the Farrelly brothers are said to have seen a disarming and beguiling sense of humor in Burns. They created a tailor-written role for her in the 2001 film Shallow Hal, remarking in her audition that she was the “prettiest dorky girl” they'd ever met. Burns has also appeared on “,” “Just Shoot Me,” “CSI: Miami,” “Drop Dead Diva,” “Pepper Dennis” and “Melrose Place,” among others.

After the arrival of her first child, Burns segued into the world of television hosting with instant success. At the age of 23, she hosted NBC's “Dog Eat Dog,” for which she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award, and hosted ABC's “You Deserve It” with The Bachelor's . She also hosted TruTV’s “Motor City Masters,” a competition show for automotive designers.

In addition to her television career, after breaking her neck in 2005 with a miraculous 100% recovery, Burns donates her time to LRO, a program that gives back to people who have spinal cord injuries. In her free time Burns enjoys reading, hiking, stand-up paddling and road trips.

She currently resides with her husband and three girls in a suburb of Los Angeles.

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TOM EVERETT SCOTT (Jonathan) – With a handful of diverse roles, Tom Everett Scott has developed a reputation as one of the industry’s most versatile actors, showing up on the big screen, small screen and stage. The Massachusetts-born actor graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in Drama before traveling to New York City to start his career.

Scott first came to Hollywood’s attention as the soulful drummer in That Thing You Do!, Tom Hanks’ feature film directorial debut. Other film credits include Sundance favorite River Red, the drama Boiler Room, One True Thing opposite Meryl Streep, the animated sci-fi Mars Needs Moms, the alien thriller Race to Witch Mountain, the romantic comedy Because I Said So opposite Diane Keaton, family comedy Parental Guidance opposite Billy Crystal, and the award winning La La Land. He is soon to be seen in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul.

With an impressive and diverse film slate, Scott’s television credits include “Law & Order,” “Will & Grace,” “Sons of Anarchy,” “ER,” “Southland,” “Z Nation,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Reign” and “Scream.” His new series “I’m Sorry” recently premiered on TruTV.

Scott’s Broadway debut was in the Tony nominated show, Little Dog That Laughed. Scott's theater credits include a revival of Dead End at the Ahmanson Theatre, Roger Kumble’s smash‐ hit production Turnaround and off-Broadway productions of The Country Club and Touch. His love for theater, inspired by such repertory theater companies as The Wooster Group and Steppenwolf, led him and friends to launch aTheaterCo, a New York-based theater group focusing on original works. It was through aTheaterCo that Scott became involved with the project River Red, which he initially directed for the stage, then later produced as a film.

Scott made his feature film writing and directing debut with the short comedy Glock which won Best Short Film at the Gen Art Film Festival. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and two children.

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