‘THE GOOD WITCH’S GIFT’
CAST BIOS
CATHERINE BELL (Cassie) – Best known for her work as the headstrong Marine Corps attorney Lt. Sarah ‘Mac’ MacKenzie on the action drama series “JAG,” Catherine Bell now stars in “Army Wives,” the one-hour ensemble drama series on Lifetime. “Army Wives,” which recently completed its fourth season, captures the struggles, dreams and friendships of a diverse group of women – and one man – living with their spouses and families on an active army post. They deal with the pressures and traditions the military imposes on those who are left behind while their partners serve their country. Bell plays Denise Sherwood, a devoted wife and mother who has just returned to work as a nurse while her husband is preparing to deploy for war and whose 18-year-old son has just joined the Army.
Bell was born in London and moved to Los Angeles with her family at the young age of three. While studying biomedical engineering at UCLA, Bell ventured into modeling, which soon led to immediate recognition in both the United States and overseas. Building on her success as a model, she decided to pursue an acting career, which was launched soon thereafter.
Her feature film credits include Universal’s mega-hit “Bruce Almighty” opposite Jim Carrey and opposite Steve Carrell in the sequel, “Evan Almighty”, as well as “Men of War.”
Bell’s small screen credits include guest-starring roles on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Friends,” “Misery Loves Company,” “Still Small Voices,” the SY FY miniseries, “The Triangle” and “Hercules.” She appeared in the CBS telefilm “Cab to Canada” opposite Maureen O’Hara. Bell also starred in the TBS thriller “The Time Shifters” opposite Martin Sheen, Lifetime’s “Still Small Voices” and Hallmark Channel’s “The Good Witch,” the network’s highest-rated film of 2007 and “The Good Witch’s Garden.”
Bell is married to a screenwriter and they have a five-year-old daughter and a new baby boy. The couple divides their time between their home in Southern California and Charleston, South Carolina where “Army Wives” is filmed.
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CHRIS POTTER (Jake) – Born in Toronto and raised in London, Ontario, Canada, Chris Potter is best known for his starring role as Peter Caine alongside David Carradine in “Kung Fu: The Legend Continues.” Potter also starred for three seasons as Det. Sgt. Tom Ryan in “Silk Stalkings” and currently stars in the Canadian television series “Heartland.”
He discovered his love of acting in school, but he didn’t pursue it professionally at first, working instead as a stockbroker, until he was discovered in an amateur theater production. He soon
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landed the lead in the Canadian Broadcast Television show “Material World.” He also starred opposite Joely Fisher in the Lifetime series “Wild Card.” Other TV credits include “Queer as Folk,” “The Young and the Restless,” “Will & Grace” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” and the recent TV movie “The Perfect Assistant.”
Potter’s feature film credits include “Hairspray,” “The Pacifier” and “Spymate” and Hallmark Channel’s “The Good Witch,” the network’s highest-rated film of 2007 and “The Good Witch’s Garden.” In addition, Potter has lent his voice to animation, bringing the character of Gambit to life on “X-Men: The Animated Series.”
In 2001, he received the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival Award for best actor for his first feature film role in the drama “Rocket’s Red Glare.” Potter and his wife live in Ontario, Canada. They have three daughters and one son, ages 11 to 17.
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CATHERINE DISHER (Martha) – Genesis Award winner Catherine Disher has lent her talents to a variety of projects including film, television, animation and video games.
From 1992 to 1996, she starred in the Canadian TV series “Forever Knight,” and currently stars in the TV series “The Border.” She has appeared in several television movies, including “Murder in the Hamptons,” “In God’s Country,” “A Dad for Christmas,” Hallmark Channel’s “The Good Witch,” the network’s highest-rated film of 2007 and “The Good Witch’s Garden.” Her feature film credits include “For Lease,” “Shoot Me” and “The Frankenstein Factor.”
Disher’s credits also include several animation and video game projects, with roles in the “Care Bear” movies, “X-Men” cartoons and video games and as Jill Valentine, the title character in the popular “Resident Evil 3: Nemesis” video game.
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PETER MACNEILL (George) – Peter MacNeill has amassed an impressive resume over the span of his career. Recent feature film credits include “The Stone Angel” opposite Ellen Burstyn and Ellen Page, “Cry of the Owl” with Paddy Considine, and “Kit Kitteridge: American Girl” with Abigail Breslin and Julia Ormond.
Among his other big screen credits are Kevin Costner’s feature “Open Range,” with Costner, Robert Duvall and Annette Bening, “Who Is Cletis Tout?” with Christian Slater and Richard Dreyfuss, “The Caveman’s Valentine,” “Violet,” “Frequency,” “Simon Birch,” based on a John Irving novel, and David Cronenberg’s “Crash,” with Holly Hunter and James Spader. In 1997 MacNeill received a 1997 Genie Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance as Whiskey Mac in Thom Fitzgerald’s “The Hanging Garden.”
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MacNeill is also busy on the small screen with regular roles on two new series airing in 2010: “Meet Fitz” for HBO Canada opposite Jason Priestley, and “Rookie Blue” for Global TV and ABC with Missy Peregrym and Gregory Smith. He gave a Gemini Award-winning performance in the CBC biopic “Victor,” based on the life of Olympic gold medalist Victor Davis, as well as for Best Supporting Actor for his work on “The Eleventh Hour.”
Other TV credits include Hallmark Channel’s “The Good Witch,” the network’s highest-rated film of 2007 and “The Good Witch’s Garden,” the popular series “Queer as Folk,” a recurring role on the CW series “Runaway” starring Donnie Wahlberg, and a role in the six-part CBC series “North/South.” MacNeill earned a 1994 Gemini Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the television movie “Gross Misconduct,” and again, in 1998, for his role in “Giant Mine.”
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