This Is a Test

‘KISS AT PINE LAKE’ CAST BIOS BARRY WATSON (Luke) – A native of Traverse City, Michigan, handsome and charismatic actor Barry Watson first started turning heads when he was cast on Brenda Hampton and Aaron Spelling’s blockbuster WB series, “7th Heaven.” As the oldest of seven children of the Reverend Eric Camden, Watson’s character, Matt, was just the teenage hunk they were looking for when he landed the role in 1996. The highly-rated show had eleven successful seasons on air, and remains the WB’s most watched TV series ever, garnering Watson three Teen Choice Award nominations and a Young Artist Award with his young ensemble cast. Watson’s career started at the age of eight, when he moved to Dallas and started modeling. At age 15, he earned a spot on the NBC soap, “Days of Our Lives.” After returning to Texas to finish high school, he gave Hollywood another shot and was cast in the Aaron Spelling series, “Malibu Shores.” His other television credits include a series regular role on the short-lived drama, “What About Brian,” an ensemble series which told the story of a single thirty- something—Watson—who gets set up by his married friends in an attempt to find his soul mate. The show was only on the air for a year, but Watson got another opportunity soon after when he was cast in “Samantha Who?” as the boyfriend of an amnesia patient, played by Christina Applegate. He has also had guest starring roles on “Baywatch,” “The Nanny,” “Nash Bridges” and, most recently, “Drop Dead Diva.” Watson is no stranger to the big screen, either, appearing in several feature films to break away from his small screen persona. His feature film credits include “Teaching Mrs. Tingle,” “Sorority Boys,” “Boogeyman,” “Oceans 11,” “When Strangers Appear” and “Love on the Side.” He has also starred in many made-for-TV movies, including the recent ABC Family movie, “My Future Boyfriend,” alongside Sara Rue and Fred Willard. Not just content with being an actor, Watson has shared his talents behind the camera as both a writer and director. In 2005, he directed two episodes of “7th Heaven,” and in 2002, he wrote an episode entitled “Peer Pressure.” Most recently, he’s directed an episode of ABC Family’s runaway hit, “The Secret Life of an American Teenager.” In 2002, Watson publicly announced his diagnosis with Hodgkin’s Disease, which he beat in 2003 after undergoing chemotherapy. He has two children with his wife, “Extreme Home Makeover” star Tracy Hutson. ### MIA KIRSHNER (Zoe) – Born in Toronto, Canada, Mia Kirshner came from a family of Holocaust survivors; her journalist father was born in a displaced camp in Germany and her mother was a Bulgarian-Jewish refugee. Kirshner studied Russian literature at McGill University (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘KISS AT PINE LAKE’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 in Montreal while pursuing an acting career in the early 1990s. Kirshner portrayed a young, clairvoyant dominatrix in “Love and Human Remains” before her memorable turn in “Exotica.” In 1995, Kirshner had a supporting role in the Southern coming-of-age tale, “The Grass Harp,” starring Sissy Spacek and Walter Matthau. She then played the lead opposite Vincent Perez in “The Crow: City of Angels” in 1996. Kirshner then revealed a lighter side with a featured role in the spoof comedy “Not Another Teen Movie.” In 2001, she appeared throughout the duration of the series as a professional assassin in the action-filled drama, "24" starring Kiefer Sutherland. The talented actress was then cast in the critically acclaimed series "The L Word," which centered on a small, close-knit group of lesbians living in Los Angeles. She played a twenty-something writer, Jenny Schecter. After the "The L Word,” Kirshner starred in Brian De Palma's movie “The Black Dahlia,” alongside Josh Hartnett, Aaron Eckhart, Scarlett Johansson and Hilary Swank, playing the young actress Elizabeth Short, who was horrifically murdered in 1947. Most recently, Kirshner has had a recurring role on the series “The Vampire Diaries.” Kirshner also has co-written a book, I Live Here, published by Pantheon Books, which is a four- volume anthology detailing the lives of refugees and displaced people focusing on hidden stories. Kirshner traveled and collected stories from Ingushetia (on the border of Chechnya), Burma, Juarez, Mexico and Malawi. She has also founded the “I Live Here Projects,” which runs a full time school in Kachere Juvinile Prison, located in Lilongwe Malawi. ### MATTY FINOCHIO (Tommy) – Canadian-born Matty Finochio has already added a long list of credits to his resume in his eight years of performing. After studying at the Santa Monica Playhouse and earning an acting diploma from Vancouver’s Capilano College, Finochio got his start playing leads in several stage productions, including Arsenic and Old Lace, Grease, Dinner in the Dark and Boy’s Life. His film career started with several indie movies, including “Big Guns,” “The Multiverse and the Haircut,” “Tree,” “Taming Tammy,” “Kodiak” and “Man Feel Pain” in 2004, which was the winner of Best Short at the Toronto Film Festival. For feature film, he has appeared in “Night at the Museum” and “Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian” opposite Ben Stiller, “The Loop,” “LaLa Wood,” “Seven to Eleven Indian” and “Camera Shy.” On television, Finochio has had several guest roles on popular series such as “Battlestar Galactica,” “Criminal Minds,” Showtime’s “The L Word,” “Masters of Science Fiction,” “Aliens in America,” “Reaper” and “Sanctuary.” In 2010, Finochio was nominated for a Leo Award for his role on “Wolf Canyon.” His most recent credits include the Syfy Network’s movie of the week, “Seattle Superstorm,” a role on the TV movie “Riverworld,” a lead part on the web series “The Acting Class” and a lead in the 2010 short film, “Salvation,” for which he won the Best Actor award at the Global Film Fest. ### (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘KISS AT PINE LAKE’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 VICTORIA BIDEWELL (Erica) – Victoria Bidewell was born in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan and grew up in Tsawwassen, British Columbia. It was always evident that she had a very vivid imagination; writing plays, poems and making short films with the family camcorder. Although she played soccer and golf, belonged to a swim club and took English riding lessons, she preferred her dance and piano classes. Her high school drama teacher encouraged her to perform and this became her career path. Following high school, Bidewell moved to Pasadena, California to complete the two-year degree program at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. She then went on to study Shakespeare at the British American Drama Academy in Oxford under the tutelage of Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Derek Jacobi and Alan Rickman. She was invited to a third year of advanced training and performance and received a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Acting. In Hollywood she studied improv with Cheryl Hines (“Curb Your Enthusiasm”) at the Groundlings, while taking classes at the Larry Moss Studio in Santa Monica. Bidewell’s first role and big break was in the feature film “What Lies Beneath” with Harrison Ford and Michelle Pfeiffer. She has also appeared in “Good Luck Chuck” and “Alien Vs Predator: Requiem.” Most recently, she had a challenging starring role in the psychological horror film “Comforting Skin” opposite Tygh Runyan where she played Koffie, a complex young woman, who has a very unique relationship with her tattoo. Television roles have included “The L Word,” “Supernatural,” the pilot for “Hiccups” and numerous commercials. Bidewell has performed in numerous plays throughout L.A. and Vancouver including playing Honey in Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf, Almost, Maine and the naïve and troubled lead of David Rabe’s critically acclaimed play In the Boom Boom Room. A portion from every ticket purchased for the play was donated to Beauty Night Society, a Canadian charity that provides makeovers and wellness programs for marginalized women on the Lower East Side of Vancouver. Bidewell volunteers with them and also with the Vancouver Symphony. Bidewell currently resides in Vancouver, British Columbia. ### BILL ENGVALL (Frank) – It’s the quality of sharing the humor in everyday situations that has made Bill Engvall one of the top comedians today and among the busiest. Engvall has starred in and executive produced his own self-titled sitcom for TBS, which ran for three seasons. He was also the host of one of the top rated shows on CMT, “Country Fried Home Videos.” In 2009, he shot a one-hour special for Comedy Central at the Vic Theater in Chicago, “Aged and Confused.” In 2008, Engvall released “Bait Shop” which co-starred Billy Ray Cyrus. Additionally, Engvall (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘KISS AT PINE LAKE’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 starred in the movie “Delta Farce” with Larry the Cable Guy and D.J. Qualls, a hilarious comedy about three blue collar heroes on the military’s front line. Prior to his big screen debut, Engvall was one of the stars of the sketch comedy show “Blue Collar TV” on the WB network. The ensemble cast included Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy. He also shot a special for the WB network called “Mobile Home Disasters.” The show was a blue-collar version of “Extreme Home Makeover” and the episode took a deserving family and completely transformed their mobile home. Engvall later starred in “Blue Collar Comedy Tour, The Movie,” which premiered on Comedy Central and at that time was the most watched movie in the channel’s history. The sequel, “Blue Collar Comedy Tour Rides Again,” also premiered on Comedy Central and was the third most watched telecast ever for the network.

Load more