‘FIVE STAR CHRISTMAS’ Cast Bios
BETHANY JOY LENZ (Lucy Ralston) – Bethany Joy Lenz is an award-winning director and actress, a singer, composer and producer. She is a sharp and emotional actress who has been lauded by some of the toughest critics. Her acting credits are vast and she just wrapped production as the lead in the feature film adaption of New York Times best-selling author Michael Koryta’s novel So Cold the River, as well as wrapping season one of the Suits spinoff, “Pearson.” Lenz is more recognizable from The CW hit series “One Tree Hill,” which made her a pop-culture icon and established a worldwide, loyal fanbase. She has since gone on to star and support on shows such as “Dexter,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Colony,” “American Gothic” and “Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.,” as well as leading five network television pilots prior to “Pearson.” Lenz is best known to Hallmark Channel viewers for her starring role in 2018’s “Royal Matchmaker” and more recently, in “A Valentine’s Match” and “Bottled with Love.”
As a musician, Lenz has five albums, three songs in major motion pictures, a nationwide large- venue concert tour, iTunes chart topping songs and a contract with Epic Records under her belt. She was trained vocally in New York City for eight years by Richard Barrett, the director of the Brooklyn College of Opera, an was raised on Rogers & Hammerstein, Gershwin and Sondheim. Her grandfather, George Lenz, was a regular on the Broadway stage in that golden era.
Lenz herself starred in musicals like The Outsiders directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman and Happy Days: The Musical as Pinky Tuscadero, directed by Garry Marshall and music director Carole King before leaving New York to begin filming “One Tree Hill.” Though she was finally offered her Broadway debut as Belle in Disney’s Beauty & the Beast in 2005, she was unable to accept due to scheduling conflicts. It was a heartbreak for her, but Lenz continues to come close to her dream of appearing in the West End or on Broadway. Lenz is a New York Broadway casting director favorite, often brought in from Los Angeles for final casting sessions on new musicals and in the final handful of four to eight actresses considered. In the meantime, she is currently writing her third musical for stage. Her first was a trial adaptation of “Newsies” in 2000. Her second was the first stage adaptation of Nicholas Sparks’ The Notebook, for which she wrote the libretto and the music with co-composer Ron Aniello, the Grammy Award-winning Bruce Springsteen producer. The Notebook musical was workshopped in 2008, and met with acclaim by audiences and Broadway producers alike. Finally, Lenz’s third and current musical composition is a pop-rock musicial in the vein of Aida, based on the trial history of Pocahontas. She is working closely with Chickasaw composer Jerod Tate as well as the Mattoponi tribe’s anthropologist, Angela “Silver Star” Daniel. They expect to workshop/premiere the play in 2021.
Lenz is also an experienced director: multiple episodes of “One Tree Hill,” award-winning web series “Nasty Habits,” one short film, she was chosen by Lancome in 2016 to promote their St. Jude’s campaign in a commercial she wrote, directed and starred in. She finds that her musical tendencies help her capture the emotion in a story in a unique way from behind the camera. Lenz lives in Los Angeles with her young daughter on a small ranch with two horses, three dogs, and a honeybee hive where there’s never a dull moment. She is an advocate for Equality Now and Love146, is also a jewelry designer and fine artist, but is beset known for her being a terrific actress in both comedy and drama.
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VICTOR WEBSTER (Jake) – A familiar face to film and television audiences, Victor Webster discovered his passion for acting when he made his television debut on the NBC daytime drama “Days of Our Lives.” He then segued to the AMC network series “The Lot” and the number one syndicated series “Mutant X.” His growing body of work brought him accolades and spots on various lists of Hollywood notables, including People magazine’s “50 Most Eligible Bachelors.” While it was a fun title and something to talk about at parties, Webster took that moment to hone his craft and play characters that challenged his abilities.
Victor’s commitment paid off with roles opposite acclaimed talents in some of television’s most popular series, including “Sex and the City,” “Castle,” “Bones,” “CSI,” “NCIS,” “Charmed,” “Criminal Minds,” “Melrose Place,” “Rio Heat” and “Girlfriends’ Guide to Divorce,” just to name a few. Webster co-starred as Detective Carlos Fonegra in the acclaimed SyFy series “Continuum” which ran for four seasons. Most recently, Victor joined the cast of the Netflix comedy “Workin’ Moms,” playing Mike Bolinski for two seasons.
Webster is known to Hallmark Channel fans for his roles in “Homegrown Christmas,” “Love Blossoms,” “Summer Villa” and “A Harvest Wedding.” He also starred in “MatchMaker Mysteries: A Killer Engagement,” as well as “Matchmaker Mysteries: A Fatal Romance,” the first two installments of the new original franchise for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Most recently, he starred in “Hearts of Winter,” which premiered in January 2020 as part of Hallmark Channel’s popular “Winterfest” programming event.
On the film side, Webster has built a career that spans genres, from romantic comedies to action thrillers. His credits include Bringing Down the House,” Must Love Dogs, Surrogates and “Why Did I Get Married Too?, as well as the leading role in the third and fourth installments of The Scorpion King franchise. Webster can also be seen starring in the action-packed thriller Wings Over Everest.
An artist to his core, Webster pursues his passion for photography and martial arts, holding a black belt and undefeated record in tae kwon do, and a black belt in Brazilian jiu jitsu. He is committed to his various charities, and life of giving through arts and travel. Although he calls California his home, he hails from Canada and will always be the Canadian Cowboy.
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