‘LOVE’S CHRISTMAS JOURNEY’
CAST BIOS
SEAN ASTIN (Mayor William Wayne) – Sean Astin is one of Hollywood's most respected young actors with a distinctive list of projects and credits. Astin starred as beloved Sam Gamgee in the Academy Award®-winning "The Lord of the Rings Trilogy." The three films have grossed over $3 billion worldwide and have entered the history books of classic cinema.
Astin has just recently signed up for Nickelodeon‟s re-launch of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” He will lend his voice to Raphael in the latest animated incarnation of the hugely successful franchise which premieres in fall 2012. Currently, he is lending his voice to Playhouse Disney‟s “Special Agent Oso.” Astin stars as a lovable, bumbling special agent-in-training who enlists viewers at home to help complete his missions.
Premiering fall 2011, Astin heads an all star cast in “And They‟re Off,” an independent comedy about thoroughbred horseracing that also stars Kevin Nealon, Cheri Oteri and Martin Mull. Astin also has two other comedies in the can: “Stay Cool” about an older man‟s homecoming whose cast includes Winona Ryder, Chevy Chase, Hillary Duff and more, and “Demoted” in which Astin plays a mean-spirited prank whose victim becomes his boss.
Adding to his seemingly boundless list of occupations, Astin released his acting memoir titled There and Back Again: An Actor's Tale. The book opened at #1 on the New York Times Best- seller list, putting him on the map as a true literary story-teller as well as the unabashed screen actor audiences fall in love with again and again. Published by St. Martin's Press and co-written with Joe Layden, the book is a very personal exploration of Astin's prestigious career, from his first big role as Mikey in Warner Bros. classic "The Goonies" through the 18 month arduous challenge of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy shoot.
Astin had a very successful run as Lynn McGill in Fox's hit series "24." He was most recently seen in the British miniseries “The Color of Magic,” opposite Tim Curry. He also starred in the Steven Spielberg produced miniseries "Into the West," about the white man's expansion into western America. He was seen in NBC's four-hour miniseries "Hercules," from Hallmark Entertainment. Astin played Linus, Hercules' music teacher, starring alongside Leelee Sobieski, Timothy Dalton and British newcomer Paul Tefler in the title role. Astin also starred alongside his mother, Patty Duke, in the romantic comedy "Bigger Than the Sky."
Even with the busy schedule that his film career demands, Astin makes special time for his passion as a very involved public servant. He was invited to Washington, D.C. where his mother presented him with the Creative Coalition's prestigious Spotlight Award for his contributions to their cause. The coalition focuses on bridging the gap between Hollywood and Washington, with members meeting White House staffers to raise money for art programs in schools and promote art awareness in children around the country. Astin is also an adamant
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animal rights advocate. He attended the Genesis Awards in Beverly Hills, presenting an award to the Genesis Guest of Honor, Virginia McKenna.
Since 1995, Astin has been the Civilian Aide to the Secretary of the Army. He is also an active supporter of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and The Wildlife Waystation. He recently took an oath of office with the White House Chief of Staff to serve on The President's Council on Service and Civic Participation, working alongside such prominent public figures as Senator Bob Dole and Astronaut John Glenn. The mission of the council is to recognize and encourage outstanding volunteer service and civic participation by individuals, schools and organizations thereby encouraging more such activity, especially on the part of America's youth. Last fall, Astin partnered with Verizon as the Verizon Literacy Champion benefiting the National Center for Family Literacy. In this position, he assists the NCFL in speaking out for family literacy issues across the country but closer to home; he greatly appreciates the importance, enormous benefit and simple joy that come from teaching his own children to read.
Astin is also a promising director. He directed a short film called "The Long and Short of It" which was featured at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival. This short was shot on the set of "Lord of the Rings" and features cast and crew from the film. In 1994, he received an Academy Award® nomination and won a Jury Prize at the Texas Film Festival for his short film "Kangaroo Court," which he co-produced with his wife Christine. In addition to this short film, Astin has also directed an episode of the television hit "Angel," and an episode for the HBO anthology "Perversions of Science."
Astin is well known for playing the title role in the critically acclaimed "Rudy" and for his feature debut in "The Goonies." His other film credits include “The Final Season,” “What Love Is,” "Marilyn Hotchkiss' Ballroom Dancing and Charm School," which received critical praise at last year's Sundance Film Festival, “Click,” 50 First Dates," "Bulworth," "Smile," "Courage Under Fire," "Memphis Belle," "Encino Man," "Like Father Like Son," "Where the Day Takes You," "Staying Together," "War of the Roses" and "Safe Passage." He has also been seen in several independent movies, including "Deterrence," "Kimberly," "The Last Producer" and "Boy Meets Girl."
Astin has earned a degree in History/American Literature and Culture from UCLA. He resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their three daughters.
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ERNEST BORGNINE (Nicholas) – Ernest Borgnine‟s parents emigrated from Italy to Hamden, Connecticut, where he was born on January 24, 1917. His mother took him back to Italy when he was two, but several years later they returned to Connecticut, this time New Haven, where he completed his education through high school. From high school, he went into the Navy, starting out at the bottom and coming out 10 years later as a Gunner‟s Mate 1st Class.
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Once he had his land legs back, Borgnine enrolled in the Randall School of Dramatic Arts in Hartford. From there, he broke into the professional ranks at the famous Barter Theatre in Virginia, where he painted scenery and drove a truck in addition to acting.
When Borgnine made his Broadway debut as the hospital attendant in Harvey, his career was officially underway. He made a motion picture with the famed Louis de Rouchemont, “Whistle at Eaton Falls,” and then, still in New York, he did more than 200 live television performances including such masterworks as “G. E. Theatre” and “Philco Playhouse.”
In the film “From Here to Eternity,” Borgnine played the brutal stockade Sergeant Fatso Judson and went on to become famous around the world for his Oscar®-winning portrayal of the Bronx butcher in “Marty.” Since then, he has done dozens of films for features and television. His favorites include “The Catered Affair” with Bette Davis and the classic “Bad Day at Black Rock.”
In the 1960s, “McHale‟s Navy” set a standard for broad comedy and ensemble work. Later, as Dominic Santini on “Airwolf” for three seasons, Borgnine brought a reality to his role that few actors could equal. In the 90s, he added his own brand of humor as the doorman in “The Single Guy.”
His staggering number of film roles has made Borgnine something of an icon in the motion picture community. Titles like “The Vikings,” “Torpedo Run,” “Ice Station Zebra,” “Wild Bunch,” “Flight of the Phoenix,” “The Dirty Dozen” and “The Poseidon Adventure” give only a sample of the dozens of films he has starred in. In the animation field, Borgnine can be heard on the Nickelodeon hit, “Spongebob Squarepants.”
Borgnine launched his eighties by portraying the legendary J. Edgar Hoover in a one-man feature motion picture, “Hoover.” He followed that with appearances on “JAG,” “Early Edition,” “Walker, Texas Ranger,” “Touched By An Angel,” “7th Heaven,” “Family Law” and “The District.”
In 2002 he celebrated his continuing good health by mounting a horse to ride in the Western feature, “Long Ride Home.” In 2004, at 87 years young, Borgnine guest-starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, “Trail to Hope Rose,” in which he drove a team of horses. For that role, he received the Wrangler Award from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame in Oklahoma City. In 2005 he was featured in an Adam Sandler picture, “Strange Wilderness.” Turning 90, he starred in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie, “A Grandpa for Christmas,” for which he was nominated for a Golden Globe. After that, he was in another western for the ION Channel called “Aces „N Eights.” His autobiography, Ernie, hit the shelves in the summer of 2008.
Most recently, Borgnine starred opposite Doris Roberts in “Another Harvest Moon,” Bruce Willis and Helen Mirren in “Red,” lent his voice to the animated film, “The Lion of Judah” and starred in another Hallmark Channel Original Movie, “The Wishing Well.”
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Borgnine has received an Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters from three separate institutions. He has also been recognized for his support of the Navy Memorial Fund with the Lone Sailor Award from the Memorial Foundation, and he is an Honorary Chief Petty Officer with the Navy Chiefs. He was elected Veteran of the Year 2000 by the Veteran‟s Foundation, and was honored in May 2001 for a lifetime of artistic achievement by the National Film Theater of Great Britain. In 2002, he received a lifetime achievement award from his mother‟s birthplace, Carpi, Italy. As he celebrated his 90th birthday, he was honored with the California Commendation Medal for his support of the military by the Commanding Officer of the California National Guard. In honor of his Italian parentage, he received the Ellis Island Medal of Honor.
Borgnine maintains contacts with old shipmates from his destroyer days. Some 20 years ago, he acquired another Naval title: Honorary Flight Leader for the Navy‟s Flight Demonstration Team, the Blue Angels. Borgnine has flown with the Blues, and whenever they‟re in the Los Angeles area, he fetes the current pilots and sometimes an alumni pilot or two at an intimate dinner.
In spite of his busy schedule, Borgnine makes time to go fishing in Alaska, stay active in several charities and is very proud to have been honored with the 33rd Degree of the Masonic Order of the Grand Cross. Borgnine lives in Beverly Hills with his wife, Tova, the record-breaking television personality selling Tova cosmetics.
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JOBETH WILLIAMS (Mrs. Thompson) – JoBeth Williams has been on both sides of the camera as an actor, producer and director. She has been nominated for numerous awards, including an Oscar®, two Golden Globes and several Emmy® Awards. Born and raised in Houston, Williams attended Brown University, where she received her B.A. in English. She worked at the Trinity Repertory Theatre for two years before going to New York, where she has done numerous plays over the years.
Williams began working in film starting with the award-winning “Kramer vs. Kramer” with Dustin Hoffman and Meryl Streep and “Stir Crazy” with Gene Wilder. In 1982, Williams was nominated for a Saturn Award for Best Actress for her performance in “Poltergeist,” produced by Steven Spielberg. She also starred in “Endangered Species,” “The Big Chill,” “American Dreamer,” which won Williams a Kansas City Film Critics Circle Award for Best Actress, “Teachers,” "Desert Bloom," Disney‟s “Jungle 2 Jungle” with Tim Allen and “Fever Pitch.” Williams has also starred in numerous independent films, including “Just Write,” “Little City” with Jon Bon Jovi, and “In the Land of Women.” She plays opposite Steve Martin in the upcoming comedy "The Big Year.”
Williams has also made her mark on the small screen, starring in two series, CBS‟s “The Client” and “Payne” with John Larroquette. Other television appearances includes “Frasier” for NBC, which garnered her an Emmy® nomination, “Private Practice,” “24,” “Dexter,” “NCIS” and "Miss Match," among others. Williams has also starred in numerous TV movies, including the
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Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Uncorked” with Julie Benz and Elliott Gould, “Adam” and “Baby M,” for which she was nominated for an Emmy® and a Golden Globe, “My Name is Bill W” with James Garner and James Woods, “Child in the Night” with Tom Skerritt and Elijah Wood, ABC‟s “Trapped in a Purple Haze” and “The Ponder Heart” for PBS. She currently plays Rachel Bilson's mother on the new series "Hart of Dixie."
Behind the camera, Williams produced and directed “On Hope,” a short film that was nominated for an Oscar®. She also directed “Night Visions” for Warner Bros. and Showtime‟s “Frankie and Hazel” with Mischa Barton.
Williams was inducted into the Texas Film Hall of Fame in March 2006. She is married to John Pasquin, and they have two sons.
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CHARLES SHAUGHNESSY (Mr. Weaver) – Charles Shaughnessy, born and raised in London, England, came from a show business family. His father was the principal writer and script editor on "Upstairs, Downstairs" and his mother was an actress. He started acting in school plays while in grade school, but, after graduating from Eton College, got his Bachelor‟s degree in law at the Magdalene College of Cambridge University.
While at Cambridge, he joined the famous "Footlights Revue" comedy group. Upon graduation, Shaughnessy returned to his first love, acting, and enrolled in drama school in London. After a year touring in repertory, he was cast in the Agatha Christie television series "Partners in Crime." He then won the lead role in the BBC drama series "Jury."
Romance brought the actor to America and he moved to Hollywood to marry Susan Fallender, an actress he had met in drama school. Shaughnessy first covered the Los Angeles Theatre scene, appearing at The Mark Taper Forum, the LAAT, and the Ahmanson opposite the late Alan Bates in A Patriot for Me. He was then cast in the role of Shane Donovan in the daytime series "Days of Our Lives." He stayed with the series for eight years and won three Soap Opera Digest Awards.
He later starred in the successful CBS show "The Nanny" opposite Fran Drescher. After a six year run, he has since appeared in a number of feature films including "Denial" with Jason Alexander and Patrick Dempsey, “Second Chances,” “The Painting,” “Kids in America” and “Audrey.” On TV he has starred in many movies such as "A Kiss So Deadly" with Charlotte Ross, "Dayo" with Elijah Wood, "Moms Got A Date With A Vampire" with Caroline Rhea, "Get A Clue" with Lindsay Lohan and “Everything to Gain” with Sean Young. Many will have recently enjoyed his recurring role of St. John Powell in the multi-award winning series “Mad Men.”
In the world of voiceover, Charles has contributed his work to standards like “Rugrats,” “The Wild Thornberries,” “Duckman,” and “Johnny Bravo.” He was the voice of Pietro in “The Tales
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of Despereux” and recently worked on the soon-to-be-released film “Your Highness.” For the past five years you could also hear him most evenings as the voice of Land Rover.
Shaughnessy‟s many stage appearances include the Triple Tony Award winning Broadway musical Urinetown, Pasadena Playhouse‟s acclaimed production of Orson‟s Shadow as well as favorites like Camelot, My Fair Lady and Spamalot!
Finally, Shaughnessy was able to make use of his very expensive education by being a runner- up in the Celebrity Jeopardy: Round of Champions, winning $100,000 for “1736: A Family Crisis Center.” Grateful for all that his career has given him, Shaughnessy spends a lot of time bringing the life-tools of Improvisation to Youth at Risk groups. Recently, he was honored to be elected to the Advisory Board at The Robert F. Kennedy Children‟s Action Corps in Massachusetts.
Shaughnessy lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two girls.
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NATALIE HALL (Ellie Hall) – Born in Vancouver, Canada, Natalie Hall is a triple treat in the entertainment world. As a singer, dancer and actress, Hall was nominated for an Ovation Award for her role as Val in the National Tour of Broadway‟s A Chorus Line and also appeared in the Broadway tour of Wicked.
Known mostly for her role of Colby Chandler on “All My Children,” Hall has appeared in the CBS series, “The Good Wife,” NBC‟s “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and had a recurring arc on ABC Family's hit series, “Pretty Little Liars.”
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DYLAN BRUCE (Michael) – Born in Vancouver, Canada and raised in Seattle, Washington, Dylan Bruce earned a degree in Economics and Drama from the University of Washington before going on to appear on the miniseries “24: Conspiracy” in 2005. The spin-off to the original Keifer Sutherland series "24” lasted for only one season, but landed Bruce on the cover of Variety magazine.
Bruce continued making frequent television appearances across several series, including episodes of “Passions,” “Joey,” the mob drama “The Sopranos,” “CSI-NY” and “Las Vegas.” Bruce scored a considerable level of notability by his portrayal of Dr. Chris Hughes on the daytime drama “As The World Turns” from 2007 to 2008. Bruce was the eighth actor to appear in this role, following the departure of actor Bailey Chase.
In 2008, Bruce ended his time on the series and went on to make his feature film debut with the fast-paced action outing “Unstoppable,” starring Denzel Washington and Chris Pine. Most
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recently, he was seen on the series “The Bay” beside Kristos Andrews and Mary Beth Evans.
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GREG VAUGHAN (Aaron Davis) – James Gregory Vaughan, Jr., was born in Dallas, Texas and raised in both the big city of Dallas and the small German town of Fredericksburg, Texas. Before graduating high school, Vaughan was discovered in a community back-to-school fashion show, and was immediately signed by a local modeling agent.
With the opportunity to travel the world, he ventured to Milan, Italy just months after high school graduation. Upon his arrival, he landed prestigious campaigns for the legendary designers Giorgio Armani and Gianni Versace, as well as Banana Republic, Tommy Hilfiger and Ralph Lauren.
The nomadic lifestyle came to an end through his mother's influence who encouraged him to follow his true passion: acting. Vaughan's acting career began with abundant commercial work, preparing him for opportunities ahead.
In 1996, Vaughan made his television series debut as Josh Walker in the popular Aaron Spelling series “Malibu Shores.” This soon spun off into “Beverly Hills 90210,” where Vaughan played Cliff Yeager. Trying his hand at a few small independent films, he was cast in the popular cult films “Poison Ivy” and “The New Seduction.”
Vaughan spent his time between projects in a number of guest-starring television appearances in such series as “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Any Day Now,” “Sabrina the Teenage Witch” and “Nash Bridges” before shooting a controversial dramedy pilot, “Student Affairs” for Imagine Television.
Spelling Entertainment soon created a role for Vaughan as series regular, Dan Gordon, on “Charmed” in 1999. After the series ended, Vaughan quickly landed the role of Milo Mosley in “Glory Days,” the highly anticipated Kevin Williamson series.
After its short television run, Vaughan began his foray into daytime drama as Diego on CBS's “The Young & The Restless.” With rave reviews and notoriety, a Daytime Best Newcomer nomination followed, along with People Magazine naming Vaughan as "One of the Sexiest Men Alive" in 2002. Finding little spare time, he still managed to appear in guest roles on both “Will & Grace” and “Still Standing.”
This all led to Vaughan's opportunity to grab the highly acclaimed role of Lucky Spencer on “General Hospital,” a role he held from 2003 to 2009. Since his departure, he has already completed a horror film, “Sebastian,” and was cast as a recurring guest star on the hit CW series “90210.” This was followed up with indie-film “Borderline Murder” along with spots on “The Closer,” the ABC Family Pilot “Jane by Design,” and an upcoming role in the new ABC series, “Good Christian Belles.” (more)
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While maintaining his busy acting career, Vaughan and his wife Touriya have two children and together launched the Fashion PR company, THV PR, in 2010.
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RYAN WYNOTT (Christopher Davis) – In just a short time, Ryan Wynott has already enjoyed a very successful acting career. Most recently seen starring in the NBC drama series “The Cape,” Wynott also landed roles on HBO's "Tell Me You Love Me," "Flash Forward," the pilot "Hank," as well as the feature film "Brothers Solomon."
From a very early age, Wynott had a passion for performing, whether in church plays or the family living room. At the age of six he began taking formal acting classes and was trained at Young Actors Space under the direction of Nora Eckstein.
Wynott loves to perform and currently takes singing, hip-hop and other dance classes. He is also an accomplished athlete in soccer, baseball and basketball, and is currently on an all-star soccer team. He enjoys jumping and flipping on his trampoline, playing video games, making Flip videos and just hanging with his friends.
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JADA FACER (Annabelle Davis) – Born in St. George, Utah, it was obvious from a very early age that Jada Facer had a unique gift for singing, with a voice that defied her age and a flare for the dramatic. At eight, she founded a performing group and began captivating audiences in her hometown. With power and range way beyond her years, this triple-threat became the youngest and only soloist, out of several hundred, to place in the finals at The American Family Talent Search. At the age of nine, while on a trip to Los Angeles, Facer was discovered by Trisanne Marin of LA Management. She was quickly signed to one of the top youth agencies and is now residing in Los Angeles.
Facer recently starred alongside Marsh Mokhtari of “The Young and the Restless” and “Passions,” and she can currently be seen in numerous national commercials and print campaigns. Having also trained with acting coaches that have had notable clients such as Dakota Fanning, Kirsten Storms and Riley Griffiths of “Super 8.”
This rising star spends hours a day writing her own songs and is currently studying guitar and piano. Her album, 'Til You Find Me, was released in 2011 with a music video that soon followed. Tweens have fallen in love with the effervescent beat and relatable lyrics that have played on Yahoo Music. In just a year, this up and coming actress is already making her mark leaving us wondering what the future holds for this bright young star.
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BOBBY CAMPO (Erik) – Born in Wheeling, West Virginia, Bobby Campo is fast becoming Hollywood's hot new up and comer. He recently wrapped the independent feature “General Education” opposite Janeane Garofalo and Larry Miller, which is due to be released in 2012.
Campo is best known for starring in “Final Destination 4” for Newline Cinema directed by David Ellis in 2009. Campo‟s other credits include guest leads on “CSI: Miami,” "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" and “Mental.” In 2008, he starred in the independent feature “Legally Blondes” directed by Savage Steve Holland for MGM. He also recurred in ABC Family's hit show “Greek.”
Prior to pursuing his acting career, Campo planned on playing soccer in college and also was a part-time model. Campo is also an avid rock climber and usually spends his spare time in the great outdoors.
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