‘CHRISTMAS HOMECOMING’ Cast Bios

JULIE BENZ (Amanda) – Julie Benz captivates any audience with her radiant beauty and infectious energy. The acclaimed actress is best-known for her work on Showtime’s multiple Golden Globe® winning and Emmy®-nominated hit series “Dexter” as Rita Bennett, the title character’s tormented girlfriend, a role for which she won a 2006 Golden Satellite Award for Best Supporting TV Actress. In a twist that sent shockwaves through the fan community, Benz’s character was murdered in the season four finale, one of the most memorable send-offs in television history.

After “Dexter,” Benz played a masters degree-carrying stripper in a recurring role on the ABC hit, “Desperate Housewives.” She also starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movies “Uncorked” and “Charming Christmas.” Benz starred in Syfy’s “Defiance,” and starred alongside Michael Chiklis in ABC’s “No Ordinary Family.” Benz has also had recurring roles on CBS’ drama series “A Gifted Man” alongside Patrick Wilson and “Hawaii Five-0” alongside Scott Caan and Daniel Dae-Kim. Most recently, she was a series regular in the CBS drama series “Training Day” alongside the late Bill Paxton.

Star of cult classics such as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Roswell,” Benz has never been one to shy away from challenging roles. She continued her streak as a serial thriller alongside Sylvester Stallone in 2008’s action film Rambo performing stunts and starring as a missionary taken prisoner by sadistic Burmese soldiers and as the vengeful blue-collar wife of a murdered cop in Punisher: War Zone. Benz returned to the big screen in The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day, reuniting with the original cast and in Saw 5, in which she plays one of JigSaw’s latest victims.

Born and raised in Pennsylvania to a general vascular surgeon and a homemaker, Benz is the youngest of three children, all of whom are accomplished ice skaters. A natural performer, Benz competed in the 1988 U.S. Championships in junior ice dancing with her partner David Schilling, coming in 13th. When she was 14, Benz suffered a crippling stress fracture and had to take time off, but once she stepped off the ice she was able to step onto the stage, which is something she had always been interested in. Starring in numerous community theater productions, Benz earned a whirlwind of attention.

Benz’s first major role came at 16 when she was cast in the “Black Cat” segment of the Dario Argento and George A. Romero horror film, Two Evil Eyes, sharing a notable scene with Harvey Keitel. Next came a recurring role on the first ever ABC and Nick at Nite collaborative TV series, “Hi Honey, I’m Home.”

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Benz took a break from her budding career to attend New York University, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting. She graduated in three years with honors and studied abroad in Moscow, enriching her appreciation for the Stanislavski acting method. Upon graduation, Benz moved to Los Angeles and immediately earned her first guest-starring role on “Married with Children,” which helped open the door to features, including a role as the receptionist in the two- time Academy Award® winning film, As Good as it Gets with Jack Nicholson and Helen Hunt.

In one of the most critically acclaimed and cult classic TV series of all time, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” Benz starred as what appeared to be an innocent schoolgirl who was actually a fanged demon and Buffy’s (Sarah Michelle Gellar) nemesis. The series was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Best Shows of All Time, one of TV Guide’s 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and was voted #3 in TV Guide’s Top 25 Cult TV Shows of All Time. Her character Darla also made a jump to the “Buffy” spin-off series “Angel,” in which Benz starred alongside David Boreanaz as Angel’s forbidden lover.

During “Buffy,” Benz also starred in the film Jawbreaker with Rose McGowan, Rebecca Gayheart and Carol Kane and she recurred on the sci-fi series “Roswell” with Katherine Heigl. She appeared in the Steven Spielberg-produced alien abduction miniseries, “Taken” with Dakota Fanning, and lent her voice to the popular “Halo 2” video game as Commander Miranda Keyes. Benz also made several special guest appearances on such hit TV shows as “Supernatural,” “CSI” and “Law & Order.”

With a flourishing career, Benz resides in Los Angeles with her husband and precious dog children.

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MICHAEL SHANKS (Captain Jim Mullins) – After a decade-long stint as fan favorite Dr. Daniel Jackson in the Sci-Fi Channel’s number-one hit show “Stargate SG-1,” Michael Shanks wasted no time testing the waters on the other side of the acting portal when the series wrapped in 2007. Since wrapping the record-breaking show, Shanks has been in high demand, starring on several hit shows, movies of the week and films.

Shanks recurred on USA’s “Burn Notice” as Victor. His critically acclaimed performance in the first half of season two set the stage for more fireworks as the remaining episodes of “Burn Notice” began airing in early 2009. He appeared in a three-episode arc on the Emmy®-winning drama “24” and recurred as Carter Hall, aka Hawkman, on the CW hit “Smallville” during its 10-season run. Shanks played a nasty bad guy opposite Anne Archer in the Lifetime movie “Judicial Indiscretion” and portrayed the hockey legend Gordie Howe in the CBC film “Mr. Hockey: The Gordie Howe Story,” a role which earned him a 2014 Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Television Movie.

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In 2013, Shanks earned a Leo Award for Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series for his work on “Saving Hope,” which enjoyed a five-season run on CTV. Other television credits include guest-starring roles on “CSI: Miami,” “Stargate: Atlantis,” “Mr. Young”, “Endgame” and “Supernatural,” to name a few. He also co-starred in the Emmy Award®-winning William H. Macy telefilm “Door to Door,” the adaptation of Jack London’s “The Call of the Wild: Dog of the Yukon” and the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Hearts of Spring.”

In his free time, Shanks, who lives with his family in Vancouver, enjoys rollerblading, golfing and spending time with his children. “There is no denying that I’m a true Canadian!” says Shanks, who has also played hockey for more than 23 years and still cheers for his hometown Vancouver Canucks.

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