<<

‘A COUNTRY WEDDING’

CAST BIOS

JESSE METCALFE (Bradley Suttons) – is one of Hollywood’s leading men, and recently was seen as in the popular TNT series, “Dallas.” Born in and raised in Waterford, Connecticut, Metcalfe played in several basketball leagues in his youth. Studying acting at at the famed Tisch School of the Arts, Metcalfe’s first role on television was starring in the NBC series “” as Miguel Lopez- Fitzgerald. After a successful five-year stint on the show, Metcalfe took a brief break from “Passions” to pursue other opportunities. He returned to make his final appearance in January, 2005.

Metcalfe went on to star as the teen gardener John Rowland on ABC’s hugely popular “.” His storyline of an illicit affair with ’s character, a married housewife, garnered fan and media attention. He won a Choice TV Breakout Performance Male at the for his role on the show, as well as a nomination for Choice TV Actor in a Comedy and a SAG Award for Best Television Ensemble.

During this tie, Metcalfe also played the title character in the 20th Century Fox black comedy film “John Tucker Must Die.” The film, which also starred , and Ashanti followed three friends who set out to break the heart of a serial cheater by setting him up with the new girl in town. Metcalfe’s other film roles include “Insanitarium,” “The Other End of the Line,” “Beyond a Reasonable Doubt” (with ) and “The Tourtured.” On television, he also starred in the Jerry Bruckheimer series “The Chase” for NBC.

Most recently, Metcalfe was the lead character, John, in the digital film “Dead Rising,” which is produced by Legendary Entertainment. “Dead Rising” is based off of the popular video game franchise by the same name. The game has sold 6.5 million copies worldwide and has a huge pre-existing fan base. Metcalfe was also recently cast in the indie film, “Destined.”

Outside of work, Metcalfe is a huge professional basketball, football and baseball fan. He also works out religiously and is still a regular on the basketball court. A music lover, Metcalfe is an accomplished guitarist and pianist. He is also into classic cars, motorbikes and is an avid poker player. He is also active in several charities, including North Texas Food Bank, The Go Campaign, Weingart Foundaton and UNICEF.

###

AUTUMN REESER (Sarah Standor) – has established herself as a highly sought after young actress in film and television. Most recently, she starred in ABC’s drama series "Last Resort" opposite Andre Braugher and Scott Speedman and on ABC’s drama series “The Whispers.”

Reeser was seen as the ambitious junior agent Lizzie Grant on the seventh season of HBO’s hit series, "Entourage." She also starred in ABC’s action-packed superhero drama, "No Ordinary

(more)

HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘A COUNTRY WEDDING’ – Cast Bios – Page 2

Family" opposite Michael Chiklis and . Reeser rose to fame through her starring role as Taylor Townsend in the FOX hit series "The O.C." Critics buzzed about her work as the determined go-getter in the show’s final two seasons. She also starred as a young goddess in The CW’s "Valentine," a romantic dramedy about a family of modern Greek Gods. Reeser’s additional television credits include the ABC Family film "Nature of the Beast," as well as guest roles in "Royal Pains," "Jane by Design," "," "Ghost Whisperer," "It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," ": Voyager," "CSI" and "Cold Case." Her recurring roles include “Hawaii Five-0,” “Necessary Roughness,” "Human Target," "Raising the Bar," "The George Lopez Show" and ABC’s Mel Gibson-directed sitcom "Complete Savages."

On the film side, Reeser appeared in "So Undercover," starring . She also appeared in "The Big Bang," a neo-noir thriller directed by , where she played Fay Neman, a physics groupie and love interest for , who stars. Continuing on a path to explore diverse characters, she portrayed AK-47, a violent member of the Tremor family in "Smokin Aces 2: Assassins Ball" and a reluctant teenage vampire in the horror film "Lost Boys 2: The Tribe." Her portrayal of a small-town Southern dreamer in the indie "Our Very Own," helped lead the cast (including Allison Janney, Keith Carradine, and Jason Ritter) to a Best Ensemble Acting award at the 2006 Saratoga Film Festival. Reeser also spent years training in dance and singing and was able to put her considerable skills to work as the villainess in the MTV musical, "The American Mall," from the producers of Disney’s "High School Musical."

Raised in Carlsbad, CA, Reeser spent her childhood developing a solid foundation for her acting career by playing a wide variety of characters in local musical theater productions starting at age 7. After high school, she enrolled in UCLA’s competitive theater program. She spent the next three years totally immersed in the acting world, studying theater history, acting technique, dance, voice and movement. Reeser’s love for the stage continues today.

Reeser resides in , and has two sons – Finn and Dashiell. This is her third project for , she also starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movies “I Do, I Do, I Do,” and “Love at the Thanksgiving Day Parade.”

###

LAUREN HOLLY (Margaret Feldburg) – Born in Bristol, Pennsylvania, the daughter of two college professors, Lauren Holly was raised in Geneva, New York. Her childhood was split between experiences of growing up in a rural town and the sophistication of her parents’ academic careers. She credits her love for acting to her great-grandmother, who bred a family tradition of “treading the boards” on the musical theater stages of Liverpool and London.

Holly spent time traveling in Europe and lived for a year in London, where she studied languages and flute at the famed Sarah Siddons School. At Sarah Lawrence College, she majored in English literature and economics and intended to become a lawyer until the Elite Modeling Agency discovered her as a college freshman. By her sophomore year, her talent landed her a theatrical agent and a series of commercials. During her last year of school, Holly

(more)

HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘A COUNTRY WEDDING’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 appeared in the -produced “Seven Minutes in Heaven” and after graduating, starred in Michael Mann’s “Band of the Hand.”

Holly’s breakthrough performance in film came in the box office smash “Dumb and Dumber.” Next, she received glowing reviews for her performance in the Edward Burns drama “No Looking Back.” Her other film credits include “Any Given Sunday,” “Sabrina,” “Turbulence,” “Beautiful Girls,” “Dragon: The Bruce Lee Story,” “A Smile Like Yours,” “The Adventures of Ford Fairlane,” “Down Periscope,” “Entropy,” “The Last Producer,” “What Women Want,” “Colored Eggs” and “U-Boat.” She also lent her voice to the character of Chihiro’s mother in the animated motion picture “Spirited Away.” Holly recently appeared in “The Pleasure Drivers,” “Down and Derby,” “Fatwa” and “Raising Flagg.”

In addition to starring in the Emmy® Award-nominated TV drama “ Hope” and Emmy® winner “Picket Fences,” Holly was seen in the television movie “King of Texas” and the miniseries “Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot.” She has most recently starred in CBS’s Emmy®-nominated “N.C.I.S.” and CTV’s “Movie.” Holly starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movies: “Santa, Jr.,” “Just Desserts,” “Before You Say I Do,” “The Town Christmas Forgot” and “Debbie Macomber’s Call Me Mrs. Miracle.”

Adding writer and producer to her resume, Holly and her father have a production company, Hollycould Productions. ###

LAURA MENNELL (Catherine Mann) – Laura Mennell is a Canadian actress who grew up in Mission, British Columbia. Over the past decade, she has built a successful and busy career, and is best known for her work on shows like Syfy's “” and “Haven,” A&E's Emmy® Nominated “Flight 93,” as well as the Warner Brothers blockbuster, “Watchmen.”

Mennell has appeared in recurring and guest starring roles on a series of high profile television shows, including CTV’s “Motive,” Fox’s “Fringe” and The CW’s “Supernatural” and “.” Mennell has also appeared on the Hallmark Channel Original series “When Calls the Heart,” alongside Lori Loughlin, Erin Krakow, Daniel Lissing and Jack Wagner. Mennell can be seen in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “The Christmas Ornament” and the Hallmark Movies & Mysteries Original Movie “Gourmet Detective.”

Laura Mennell has earned several nominations for her work on stage and screen. She was nominated for a Jessie Richardson Theatre Award for best performance by a female lead for her work in The Electric Company and The Arts Club Theatre’s Tear the Curtain!, a performance she conducted in both Vancouver and Toronto. Mennell was also nominated for a Leo Award for best performance by a leading lady for “Alphas.”

Along with Mennell's love of performing, she's also fluent in French, having attended French Immersion schools throughout elementary and high school.

--HALLMARK CHANNEL--