‘CLASS’ CAST BIOS JODI LYN O’KEEFE (Kylie) – Jodi Lyn O’Keefe, who viewers watched grow up on television as Don Johnson’s rebellious daughter, Cassidy, in the long running CBS hit, “Nash Bridges,” was most recently a series regular on FOX’s critically acclaimed “Prison Break,” where she played the deliciously evil Gretchen. O’Keefe’s episodic work includes guest and recurring performances on “Lost,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Boston Legal,” “Dharma and Greg,” “Criminal Minds,” “CSI: NY” and many more. On film, she is best remembered for starring in “She’s All That” with Freddie Prinze Jr, for which she won a Young Hollywood Award, and a series of popular horror films including “Halloween: H20,” “Devil in the Flesh Part II” and more. She also starred with Billy Baldwin in “Red Rover” and with James Franco in “Whatever it Takes.” Born in Cliffwood Beach, NJ, O’Keefe began her career as a model at the age of eight when she was signed by the Ford Modeling Agency in New York. She starred as the Gitano Girl in the print and television campaign ‘Spirit of the Family’ and later as the Candies Girl for the famous shoe company. O’Keefe attended public school when not working, but the teasing about her height made her very uncomfortable. At age 13, she signed with J. Michael Bloom for theatrical representation and joined the cast of “Another World” as the youngest member of the Corey family. Her first trip to Los Angeles was for the final screen test for “Nash Bridges.” The next six years were spent in San Francisco with the “Bridges” cast and crew, and O’Keefe spent her yearly hiatus from the series working on films in Los Angeles. O’Keefe is a self-taught gourmet chef who loves preparing almost any cuisine and giving lots of dinner parties for friends and family. She shares her home with her two Chinese Shar Peis, Penny Lane and Ophelia. ### JUSTIN BRUENING (Whitt Sheffield) – Originally from a small town in Nebraska with a population of 85 people, Justin Bruening graduated high school with only nine members in his class. Following graduation, Bruening moved to San Diego and was discovered at a local McDonald's by a modeling agent. His first modeling job was an Abercrombie & Fitch campaign, and soon after, Bruening began to study acting and was noticed by the casting director at “All My (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘CLASS’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 Children.” He joined the cast in July 2003, playing the contract role of Jamie Martin, for which he won a Soap Opera Digest Award in 2005. While working on “All My Children,” Bruening guest starred on ABC’s “Hope and Faith” and the short lived CBS series “3lbs.” Additionally, he gave a memorable performance in the festival favorite “Fat Girls.” He was also featured as one of Daytime’s Hottest Stars in Teen People, Us Weekly, Star and J-14 magazines. After leaving “All My Children” in the summer of 2007 to relocate to Los Angeles with his wife, actress and co-star Alexa Havins, Bruening immediately landed guest starring roles on CBS’ “Cold Case” and “CSI: Miami.” A mere two months after his arrival, he was cast in the role of Mike Traceur in NBC’s short-lived remake of “Knight Rider.” ### MAXWELL PERRY COTTON (Shane) – Maxwell Perry Cotton got his start in the entertainment industry by doing print work for Mattel at age four, and then he landed a print campaign for Hanes. He also booked an episode of “Untold Stories from the ER.” Shortly after, Cotton started auditioning on a regular basis for film and television and quickly booked the CBS pilot “Welcome to the Jungle Gym.” Cotton currently plays Rachel Griffiths’ son, Copper Whedon, on the hit ABC series “Brothers and Sisters.” A last minute decision made by his father to send him and his mother on a plane from Oakland, CA to the final callbacks in Los Angeles definitely paid off. Cotton can also be seen as title character Dennis Mitchell in the new film, “A Dennis Christmas,” for Warner Home Video. Recently, Cotton starred opposite Mira Sorvino and Barry Pepper in the award-winning festival film “Like Dandelion Dust.” When Cotton is not on set, he likes to play video games, swim, ride his bike and just be a regular kid. He currently resides with his mother, father, and younger brother in San Diego. ### RYAN CARNES (Alex) – Ryan Carnes is an actor and musician born and raised in Pittsfield, IL, a rural community of 4,300. A graduate of Duke University, Carnes got his start when he starred in the internationally acclaimed independent film “Eating Out.” His role garnered him praise from both critics and fans all over the world. He then landed his first big break on “General Hospital,” as the ninth actor to portray Lucas Jones, the adopted son of Bobbie, played by Jackie Zeman. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘CLASS’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 His recent projects include a two-episode stint on “Doctor Who,” the acclaimed BBC series. He has also recently guest-starred on episodes of “CSI: Miami,” “Saving Grace” and “Samantha Who?” His next role is in the Syfy Network’s series “The Phantom.” Prior to that, Carnes was the young man who mowed the lawn of Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) and the boyfriend of the son of Bree Van de Camp (Marcia Cross) on the ABC hit series, “Desperate Housewives.” For two seasons, Carnes played Justin to the delight of the audiences who love Wisteria Lane. Carnes’s other television credits include playing Tim “Ray” Markus in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Thicker Than Water,” and a guest lead in “The Closer” on TNT. Other credits include both print and national commercials, including a national campaign for Nintendo. Carnes was also seen on film in Lionsgate’s “Surf School,” from writer/director Joel Silverman, playing Tyler, a local surfing champ who must defend his title against a group of eccentric high school boys. He also had the great opportunity to work with his personal idol, director Clint Eastwood, as a young soldier in “Letters From Iwo Jima.” Carnes currently resides in Los Angeles. ### CATHERINE MARY STEWART (Julia) – Born and raised in Edmonton, Canada, Catherine Mary Stewart got her start studying dance at age seven. She toured through Canada, the Middle East and Germany with the Synergy Dance Company throughout high school, and moved to London to study dance and theater at the London Studio Center after graduation. Stewart landed her first role in the 1978 British rock musical film, “The Apple.” In 1981, Stewart moved to Los Angeles to continue her acting career. She was cast in a series regular role on the daytime drama, “Days of Our Lives,” and went on to star as a girl-next-door in “The Last Starfighter,” with Lance Guest and Robert Preston, as a tomboy in “Night of the Comet” and as a nuclear holocaust survivor in “World Gone Wild.” One of Stewart’s most recognizable roles is that of Gwen in the 1989 comedy “Weekend at Bernie’s” opposite Jonathon Silverman and Andrew McCarthy. Other television and film credits include “Dudes,” with Jon Cryer, “Hollywood Wives,” opposite Candice Bergen, Anthony Hopkins and Angie Dickinson, the miniseries “Passion and Paradise,” and TNT’s presentation of Jack London’s “Sea Wolf.” She has also had parts on “Guiding Light” and “The Outer Limits.” Her recent work includes the TV movies “My Neighbor’s Secret,” “Generation Gap” and “Dead at 17.” Stewart relocated to New York in 1995, and has two children with her husband, Richard Allerton. ### (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘CLASS’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 CONSTANCE MARIE (Victoria) – Constance Marie is best-known for her role as the hard- working and devoted wife, Angie, in “The George Lopez Show.” For this role, the Imagen Awards honored her with a Best Actress in a TV Series award and a nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy Series. Recently, Marie has made guest appearances on “According to Jim,” “CSI” and “The Secret Life of an American Teenager.” Marie’s thriving career began when she was a teenager in Los Angeles’ underground break- dancing scene, where was selected out of a group of 500 hopefuls to dance on tour with David Bowie. Upon returning to Los Angeles, she was cast as a dancer in the movie “Salsa.” The film’s choreographer, Kenny Ortega, introduced her to Steve Tisch, who offered Marie her very first acting job, a starring role as Penny on the CBS series “Dirty Dancing.” It wasn’t long before Marie was working in feature films, including starring as Toni Sanchez in the New Line film “Mi Familia,” directed by Gregory Nava. She won praise from fans for her portrayal of Tejano music legend Selena Quintanilla’s mother, Marcella, in the blockbuster film “Selena.” Only a year older than her onscreen daughter, Marie had to undergo four hours of extensive make-up in order for her to portray Selena’s mother. Marie also starred in the celebrated film, “Tortilla Soup,” playing Yolanda, the daughter of Raquel Welch. The film received an Alma Award nomination for Outstanding Motion Picture. Television producer Gary David Goldberg soon offered Marie a role as Michael J. Fox’s antagonist love interest, Gabby, on the hit series “Spin City.” She also played Gabriella Diaz on “Union Square,” for which she received an Alma Award nomination for Outstanding Female in a Comedy Series. In her personal life, Marie recently welcomed her first child into the world, Luna Marie Katich. Marie has been candid about the difficulties she faced trying to get pregnant and eventually turning to IVF.