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Home , Angie Dickinson, Calista Flockhart, Candice Glover, Courteney Cox, Famke Janssen, French Stewart

‘NORTHPOLE’

CAST BIOS

TIFFANI THIESSEN (Chelsea) — Talented actress and performer Tiffani Thiessen currently stars as Elizabeth Burke in the hit USA Network original series “White Collar,” which wrapped its fifth season in January.

A versatile performer, Thiessen has proven her talent in comedy and drama in a variety of film and television roles. From 's comedy “Hollywood Ending,” to “Beverly Hills, 90210,” Thiessen's charisma has kept her career moving constantly forward and has gained her the adoration of millions internationally.

Thiessen has been seen in “What About Brian” and in a nine-episode guest-starring role on NBC's “Good Morning Miami.” In 2003, she starred in the Fox series “Fastlane” with and Bill Bellamy, directed by McG. She also guest-starred on the NBC hit comedy “Just Shoot Me” in a three-episode arc, portraying a columnist who becomes romantically involved with David Spade's character, and appeared in a recurring role on the ABC comedy “Two Guys and a Girl.”

She began modeling at the age of eight and soon went on to star in the television series “” for five seasons. At the same time, she made her feature film debut in “Son In Law” opposite Pauly Shore. In 1993, she showed her range when cast her in “Beverly Hills, 90210,” where she portrayed the multi-layered Valerie Malone for five seasons.

Her feature film roles include the comedy “Ladies Man,” the independent film “Speedway Junky” with Jesse Bradford, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and , “Love Stinks” with Tyra Banks and French Stewart, and the horror/comedy spoof “Shriek If You Know What did Last Friday the Thirteenth,” opposite Tom Arnold.

In 2005, Thiessen started up her own production company called Tit 4 Tat Productions while directing her first short film entitled “Just Pray” the same year. “Just Pray” went on to win awards at top film festivals around the country. In addition, Thiessen has also successfully participated in campaigns for GLAD, Sergeant's Pet Care, TRIA Beauty and many more.

Thiessen currently splits her time between New York and , with her husband and daughter.

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JOSH HOPKINS (Ryan) – A dynamic and versatile actor, is a veteran of both television and feature films.

Hopkins can currently be seen opposite on the TBS sitcom “,” which will begin its sixth season next January. Hopkins portrays Grayson Ellis, the love interest of Cox’s Jules Cobb. Last season, Hopkins segued behind the camera and directed an episode of the hilarious comedy. (more)

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This summer, Hopkins will be seen in “Get on Up,” a chronicle of musician ’s rise to fame. Directed by , the biopic also stars , and . Hopkins will also soon be seen co-starring in two independent features; “Kelly and Cal” and “A Bet’s a Bet.” In “Kelly and Cal,” Hopkins stars opposite Juliette Lewis in a drama about a suburban mom who befriends a young man in a wheelchair who helps her rediscover her youthful self. “A Bet’s a Bet,” with Mena Suvari and Kristen Chenoweth, tells the story of Vince, a guy whose life is one big competition until he meets his match in June, a beautiful woman who is successful and also extremely driven. Together they enter into a series of entertaining wagers where the winner gets to decide the fate of the loser.

In 2011, Hopkins starred in “Lebanon, PA,” an independent drama directed by Ben Hickernell. Film critic Rex Reed highlighted his performance by lauding Hopkins as a “personable, enormously gifted actor with keen intuition and intelligent timing.”

Hopkins made his debut as a season regular on FOX’s critically acclaimed series “Ally McBeal.” Created by David E. Kelley, Hopkins portrayed Raymond Milberry, a rival lawyer and love interest to ’s “Ally McBeal.”

Hopkins’ additional television credits include a recurring role on the ABC drama “Private Practice,” the CBS drama “Swingtown,” “CSI: Miami,” “Ghost Whisperer,” the ABC drama “Brothers & Sisters” opposite Calista Flockhart and , the CBS drama “Surrender, Dorothy,” with , the CBS mini-series “Robert Ludlum’s Covert One: The Hades Factor,” the TNT original movie “Pirates of Silicon Valley” opposite Noah Wyle and Anthony Michael Hall, FOX’s “,” the WB’s “Jack & Jill” and “Kate Brasher.” In addition, Hopkins starred opposite in the WB romantic comedy “Pepper Dennis.”

Hopkins’ additional film credits include the comedy “Pretty Ugly People” co-starring Missi Pyle and Melissa McCarthy, directed by Tate Taylor and the independent film, “Insatiable,” co- starring Sean Patrick Flanery and Michael Biehn, directed by Chack Konzelman and Cary Solomon. Prior to that, he starred in “One Eyed King” opposite William Baldwin, Chazz Palminteri and Armand Assante, “The Perfect Storm” where he portrayed helicopter Darryl Ennis, “Love & Sex” opposite , “G.I. Jane” and “Paulie.”

Son of former representative Larry Hopkins, Hopkins grew up in Lexington, Kentucky and attended Auburn University.

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BAILEE MADISON (Clementine) — A young, rising star, Bailee Madison is already one of the most proficient actresses in the business, effortlessly executing both dramatic and comedic roles, as well as establishing her presence in the world of philanthropy. With inherent charm, sharp intelligence and a vibrant personality, Madison is a multitalented actress who has showcased her talent across the board.

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Madison’s most recent appearances on the big screen include a starring role as the daughter of and the granddaughter of and Billy Crystal in 20th Century Fox and Walden Media’s “Parental Guidance,” released on Christmas day, 2012. Prior to this, in August 2011, she was the star of producer Guillermo Del Toro’s thriller “Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark” with Katie Holmes and Guy Pearce where she played a withdrawn child being haunted by insatiable demons.

In 2009, Madison delivered one of the most sought out performances from a child actress under the age of 10, earning her a Critics Choice Movie Award nomination for her work in Jim Sheridan’s film, “Brothers” opposite Tobey Maguire, and Jake Gyllenhaal. She also played the young Betty Ann Waters in Fox Searchlight’s “Conviction” with and Minnie Driver. Her other films include “Letters to God” and the Hallmark Channel Original Movies, “A Taste of Romance” with Teri Polo, “Smart Cookies” with Patricia Richardson, and “Pete’s Christmas” with Bruce Dern. For her role in Columbia Pictures’ comedy, “Just Go With It” with and , Madison earned rave reviews in a The Wall Street Journal article titled “How 11-Year-Old Bailee Madison Stole Adam Sandler’s Movie.”

Madison also captured audiences hearts with her role as May Belle in Disney’s “Bridge to Terabithia” and has left lasting impressions with her performances in the independent film “Phoebe in Wonderland,” starring and Elle Fanning and on television in NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU.” She appeared as Maxine in ’s “Wizards of Waverly Place” for its fourth and final season & has a recurring role in ABC's hit series “Once Upon A Time” as young Snow White. She currently stars as Hillary Harrison on ABC’s hit sitcom “Trophy Wife,” alongside Malin Akerman, , and .

A driven and talented young actress, Madison is equally committed to using her public profile to raise awareness for those less fortunate. Between filming major motion pictures, Madison has been devoting her time and energy to Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation, an organization that encourages children nationwide to raise money to find a cure for childhood cancer through running their own lemonade stands. In 2011, Variety named Madison an honoree for her philanthropic efforts at the “Variety Power Of Youth Awards” which pays homage to the industry’s most talented young activists and in 2012 ALSF named Madison their national Youth Spokesperson.

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MAX CHARLES (Kevin) – At just 10 years of age, Max Charles is already an industry veteran, landing coveted roles on and off the big screen and working with some of Hollywood’s most respected and acclaimed actors, writers and directors.

Most recently, this charismatic and endearing young talent starred opposite Emmy®-award winning actor Ty Burrell as of Sherman in the DreamWorks animated box office favorite “Mr. Peabody and Sherman,” directed by “The Lion King’s” Rob Minkoff. Charles also starred as young Peter Parker in the blockbuster film “The Amazing Spiderman.” In the film, his

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HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘NORTHPOLE’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 adult counterpart was internationally acclaimed actor . Charles reprised this role in “The Amazing Spiderman 2.” His other feature films include, “The Three Stooges,” “Least Among Saints,” “White Space” and “The Well.”

This diverse young actor is also no stranger to the small screen. He was a series regular on the Emmy®-nominated ABC sitcom, “The Neighbors.” Charles is also a known member of the Hallmark Channel family, winning hearts in his acting debut as a lead in the Hallmark classic “November Christmas” – a role he booked on his very first audition.

Charles has also guest-starred on numerous hit television shows, including “,” “Raising Hope,” “Community,” “” and “Rizzoli & Isles.” Other notable credits include, “Jessie,” “Haunted Hathaways” and “Scent of the Missing.” He also landed a supporting role in the Disney Buddies franchise “Spooky Buddies” and starred in the NBC pilot “My Life as an Experiment,” with the legendary Donald Sutherland. Charles has also voiced various characters on “,” “,” “American Dad,” “” and “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.”

When not filming, Charles, who hails from Dayton, Ohio, is just like any young boy, playing video games and basketball or skateboarding and riding his bike. He also loves spending time with his three brothers, Logan, Mason and Brock, who are also actors. Much to his delight, Mason and Brock appeared with him in “The Three Stooges.” On days off, Charles can also be found hanging out with his dog, Pip, who shared the screen with him in “Spooky Buddies.” During filming, Charles fell so in love with the three-month-old beagle puppy that he decided to adopt him.

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CANDICE GLOVER (Josephine) – As a little kid, was so shy that she could only sing for her parents—and even then asked them to listen in from the other side of her closed bedroom door. Over the years, the golden-voiced Glover worked through her stage fright to become the star of her school chorus and a frequent soloist in the church choir in her hometown of Beaufort, South Carolina. After auditioning for “” three times and twice getting cut before making it to the live rounds, Glover scored a spot on the show’s twelfth season—then used her pure and powerful vocals to emerge as the season winner. With her coronation song “” entering the Billboard R&B/Hip-Hop Digital Songs chart at number five, the 23-year-old’s debut , , brings her rich voice and stirring delivery to a bold fusion of soul, pop and R&B.

A self-taught vocalist who began singing at age four, Glover first delighted audiences with her dynamic voice at a Christmas pageant in fifth grade. “A little while after that I sang a solo at church and ended up getting a standing ovation, and that’s when I really started to move forward with my singing,” Glover recalls. After devoting much of her adolescence to performing in talent shows and at church, Glover briefly studied psychology after high school, but then left college to audition for “American Idol.” Cut from Season 9 during the top 70 round and from

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Season 11 in the top 40 round, Glover made Season 12’s live rounds and floored both audiences and judges with her awe-inspiring renditions of songs like Ben E. King’s “I (Who Have Nothing)” and Emeli Sandé’s “Next to Me.” “Nobody expects to win after getting cut twice,” Glover admits, “but I knew that if I kept trying and believing in myself and in my singing, it would eventually happen for me.”

Released by /, Music Speaks serves up a sophisticated yet supremely soulful blend of love songs and self-empowerment anthems. In creating the album, Glover partnered with an A-list lineup of producers that includes The Underdogs (Beyoncé, , Justin Timberlake), Mike WiLL Made-It (, Miley Cyrus), The Jackie Boyz (Madonna, Sean Kingston), Rodney “Darkchild” Jerkins (The , ), and Paul “Hotsauce” Dawson (, Usher). Endlessly moving and deeply intimate, Music Speaks finds Glover channeling the emotional dynamism of legendary vocalists who’ve long inspired her, including , Patti LaBelle, Marvin Gaye, and Whitney .

The lead single from Music Speaks, “Cried,” is an epic heartbreaker powered by choir-like harmonies, sweeping string-laced arrangements, and—most strikingly—a breathtaking mix of vocal mastery and raw emotion that Glover infuses into her entire album. The sprawling and shimmering “Passenger” uplifts and inspires in its celebration of life-changing love, while “Thank You” twists the traditional breakup song into a goosebump-inducing expression of gratitude for the transformative power of pain. “Kiss Me” shows Glover’s more seductive side, weaving sleek and subtle electro effects and searing guitar through the track’s lovestruck lyrics. And on “Love Song,” Glover turns the classic Cure hit into an aching piano ballad, harnessing the same passion that fueled her widely praised “American Idol” performance of . Revealing Glover’s stunning versatility, Music Speaks also features the R&B smolder of “Die Without You,” the old-school soul of “Same Kind of Man,” and the playful, beat-driven strut of “In the Middle.”

For Glover, gaining self-confidence after years of struggling with shyness and insecurity is a key part of her journey as a singer. “I’ve had the experience of feeling like I’m not good enough and I’ve overcome that, and now I want to help other people overcome it too,” she says. Already making strides toward that goal, Glover notes that many of her fans have reached out to tell her they’ve found inspiration in “I Am Beautiful,” a tough but tender tribute to self- acceptance whose acoustic version closes out Music Speaks. “One of the things I value most as a singer is connection with the people I’m singing for,” Glover says. “I want people to feel what I’m singing and know that I’ve really been through what I’m singing about, and to find something in my songs that makes them feel good, and maybe even helps them out in their own way.”

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ROBERT WAGNER (Santa Claus) – One of the most popular and successful stars in the entertainment industry, has had a career highlighted by three hit television series and an impressive portfolio of movies for film and television as well as becoming a best- selling author. While Wagner was still a young man under contract to 20th Century Fox, Darryl F.

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Zanuck cast him in "With a Song in My Heart.” The part was perhaps a minute's duration, but in that minute, the tears pouring from Wagner's eyes as he played the role of a crippled soldier responding to the singing of Miss Hayward's Jane Froman, brought immediate reaction pouring into the studio from the public. That one-minute part established Wagner as a major star, and he has been working every since.

Wagner recently wrote and released his book, You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood's Golden Age. In the fall of 2008, Wagner wrote his memoir, Pieces of My Heart for Harper Collins, debuting at #3 on Bestseller List. The book provides an inside look at his life and career, from his days as a teen caddying for Clark Gable, to his friendships with some of the biggest Hollywood names of our time.

In 2007, Wagner appeared in the first episode of the AMC and BBC series “Hustle,” a weekly, hour-long series that follows the exploits of a crew of -based con artists who pull off daringly intricate stings to swindle money from greedy, morally corrupt “marks.” In November 2007 Wagner appeared in the feature family film “A Dennis the Menace Christmas,” based on the hit comic strip and television show.

Wagner is a recurring guest star on the CBS hit series “NCIS” and has previously appeared in the series “,” “Hope & Faith” and “.” Wagner has also appeared on the big screen in the role of “Number Two,” the villainous henchman to Dr. Evil, a cryogenically revived special agent who squares off against the title character, in all 3 of the “Austin Powers” films, starring Mike Myers. His earlier classics include "Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story," "The Pink Panther," "The Curse of the Pink Panther," "Midway," "The Towering Inferno," "Banning" and "Harper," " Valiant," "All the Fine Young Cannibals" and "With a Song in My Heart," starring Susan Hayward.

More recent film credits include “Last of the Mustangs,” “Man in the Chair,” “Everyone’s Hero,” “Netherbeast Incorporated,” New Line Cinema’s “Hoot” with , “No Vacancy” with Lolita Davidovich and , “Play It To The Bone” which co-stars Woody Harrelson and Antonio Banderas, “Crazy in Alabama,” directed by Antonio Banderas and starring Melanie Griffith, “Tiara Tango,” “Sordid Affair,” the suspense thriller “The Road to Santiago” co-starring Anne Archer, Anthony Quinn and Charleton Heston, and the cult classic “Wild Things,” starring Matt Dillon and .

In 1996, Wagner returned to primetime television as star and producer, reprising his role of Jonathan Hart in three "Hart to Hart" special presentations for cable's Family Channel. Previously, he had produced five two-hour "Hart to Hart" movies for NBC. In 1993, Wagner starred in David Wolper's critically acclaimed miniseries "Heaven and Hell: North and South III" for ABC.

Wagner has starred in two other popular series: "Switch," with Eddie Albert; and "It Takes a Thief," with Fred Astaire, the latter earning him an Emmy® nomination. Wagner also starred with Jaclyn Smith in "Windmills of the Gods," the top-rated miniseries based on 's best- selling novel, with Angie Dickinson in the miniseries "Pearl," with in "Here a Thief,

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There a Thief," with Lesley-Anne Down in "Indiscreet" and with in "There Must Be a Pony," which he also executive produced.

Sir Laurence Olivier chose Wagner to star with him in the television adaptation of ' play, "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof," in which Wagner co-starred with his wife, the late , who played Maggie the Cat. He also starred in "This Gun for Hire," "'s Jewels" and "To Catch a King."

Additionally, Wagner toured the U.S. with his wife, Jill St. John, breaking house records starring on stage in A.R. Gurney’s play Love Letters, including a sold-out three week engagement at the Royal George Theater in .

Following in their parents’ footsteps, Wagner's three daughters, Katie, Natasha and Courtney all have successful careers in the arts.

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JILL ST. JOHN (Mrs. Claus) – A native of Los Angeles, Jill St. John got an early start in the entertainment industry when she began acting on the radio at age . Her screen debut came at age nine, when she appeared in the first full-length made-for-TV movie “A Christmas Carol” in 1949.

As a member of the Children’s Ballet Company and graduate of Hollywood Professional School, St. John’s big break came in 1967 at age 16, when Universal Pictures signed her to a contract and she appeared in her feature film debut, “Summer Love” alongside John Saxon. St. John’s boldly beautiful good looks and on-screen charisma placed her in high-demand to appear opposite some of Hollywood’s most handsome leading men. Throughout the 50s, 60s, and 70s, St. John enjoyed the peak of her career, performing in several films, including “The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker,” “Holiday for Lovers,” “The Lost World,” “The Roman Spring of Mrs. Stone,” “Tender is the Night,” “Who’s Been Sleeping in My Bed?,” “The Liquidator” and “Honeymoon Hotel.” In 1964, St. John received a Golden Globe® award nomination for her role in the film “Come Blow Your Horn,” starring Frank . She followed this up with another performance alongside Sinatra in 1967 in “Tony Rome.” But St. John’s most memorable role came in 1971, when she starred opposite Sean Connery as the first American to play a Bond girl in the film “Diamonds Are Forever.”

St. John’s talents weren’t just limited to the movies, however. She also found success guest- starring in several hit television series, miniseries, and movies. In 1964, she guest-starred alongside in an episode of the CBS drama “Mr. Broadway.” Her other notable roles include appearances on the first two episodes of “Batman,” “Hart to Hart,” “Vega$,” “,” “Magnum, P.I.” and “.” In 1983, she starred with Dennis Weaver on the CBS soap opera “Emerald Point N.A.S.”

St. John has been married to fellow actor Robert Wagner since 1990. Together, they have starred in the television films “How I Spent My Summer Vacation” and “Around the World in 80 Days,” and

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HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘NORTHPOLE’ – Cast Bios – Page 8 more recently in the feature films “Something to Believe In” and “The Calling.” In 1997, the couple also guest-starred on an episode of the popular sitcom “.” In the , they toured in a wildly successful run of A.R. Gurney’s play Love Letters.

In addition to acting, St. John also pursued her love of cooking, becoming a culinary personality in monthly segments on ABC’s morning show “Good Morning America.” She also wrote a column in USA Weekend magazine throughout the 80s, and authored The Jill St. John Cookbook in 1987.

--HALLMARK CHANNEL--