‘I’LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS” CAST BIOS
JAMES BROLIN (Jack) – Golden Globe and Emmy Award-winning actor James Brolin is among the entertainment industry’s most popular stars, with acting and directing credits that range from comedy and drama to big scale action-adventure.
His early start in film began as a teenager when he started shooting 8mm motion pictures. By 20, he had made his motion picture debut in Take Her, She’s Mine, alongside James Stewart and Sandra Dee. He went on to appear in many feature films, including Traffic, Catch Me If You Can, Antwone Fisher, A Guy Thing, The Alibi, The Hunting Party, Amityville Horror and Westworld. Additionally, Brolin produced and starred in several independent films, including Cheatin’ Hearts, Ted and Venus, We the People, Night of the Juggler, Last Chance Harvey and Gas, Food Lodging.
While Brolin has proven his versatility in all genres, he is most widely recognized for his starring roles in the critically acclaimed television dramas “Hotel” and “Marcus Welby, M.D.,” for which he earned Emmy and Golden Globe Awards. His additional television credits include “The Reagans,” a movie which earned him Emmy and Golden Globe nominations, “Trapped,” a miniseries on the Network, “And the Sea Will Tell” and “Christmas with Tucker,” which became the Hallmark channel's highest-rated film ever.
Brolin’s upcoming film projects include The 33, The Steps and Sisters.
As a director, Brolin made his feature film debut with My Brother’s War, which won Best Film at the Hollywood Film Festival. Currently, he is preparing to direct the period script Ruby McCollum, the true-crime story that shook the foundation of the segregationist South. On the small screen, he directed “The Young Riders,” which starred his son, Josh Brolin, and he executive produced, directed and starred in “Pensacola: Wings of Gold.”
Brolin has raced cars professionally worldwide with the B.F. Goodrich Team and France's Renault Factory, among others. Having grown up around horses, he spent many years breeding, raising and training 2-year-olds for both western riding and the racetrack. Also, he is an accomplished dog trainer. He has served as a spec house designer and builder with his Oak Country Lumber company in San Louis Obispo County, and he is also a pilot currently operating Sun Quest Executive Jet Charter, which is the world's busiest general aviation airport located in Van Nuys, Calif.
Brolin was born in Westwood Village, Calif. He and his wife, singer/songwriter/actress/director Barbra Streisand, are always planning the next movie whether watching them or making them. They both are true cinema devotees, always learning more and always wanting to please others with their craft.
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MENA SUVARI (Jackie) – Her film debut was made working with director Gregg Araki in the cult-classic Nowhere (1997) which was soon followed up by the blockbuster American Pie (1999), for which she did her own singing, and the five-time Oscar-awarded American Beauty (1999) directed by Sam Mendes, in which she was nominated for a BAFTA Award as Best Supporting Actress. In 2001, as part of the blockbuster franchise, she added American Pie 2 (2001) to that list, and then more than a decade later with American Reunion (2012). She reunited with Jason Biggs in Amy Heckerling’s romantic comedy Loser (2000) and then continued to showcase her range in ability to costar with John Leguizamo in Jonas Åkerlund’s cult-classic Spun (2002) and then alongside Jennifer Aniston in Rob Reiner’s Rumor Has It (2005) and Tony Scott’s Domino (2005).
Mena rounded out her creative pursuits by playing the iconic Black Dahlia in Ryan Murphy’s television series “American Horror Story” (2011) and continued working in the medium by following up with an arc in the hit series “Chicago Fire” (2013), as well as leading the Amazon pilot “Hysteria” (2014) and WeTv’s mini-series “South of Hell” (2015), executive produced by both Eli Roth and Jason Blum for Blumhouse Productions. Mena most recently wrapped on TV Land’s pilot “American Woman” starring opposite Alicia Silverstone and produced by John Wells.
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GISELLE EISENBERG (Gracie) - Giselle Eisenberg made her feature film debut at just 5 years old as the daughter of Leonardo DiCaprio and Margot Robbie in The Wolf of Wall Street, directed by Martin Scorsese. Most recently, Giselle received rave reviews for her work opposite Al Pacino in Danny Collins. Her additional feature film credits include A Most Violent Year and Sex Tape.
Her television credits include a series regular role on the comedy pilot “Love is Relative,” a recurring role on the upcoming series “Flesh & Bone,” and she has guest starred on “Law & Order: SVU” and “Believe.”
Eisenberg has also appeared in several national commercials for brands such as Kraft Mac & Cheese and Cheerios.
Eisenberg was born in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., and when not filming “Life in Pieces” on CBS, lives north of New York City in the Hudson Valley. She loves piano, ballet, swimming, skiing and her family’s two cats. She credits her introduction to acting to her older sister, Julia.
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JOHN REARDON (Mike) – John Reardon has accomplished what most actors only dream of, a dynamic and extensive resume of coveted roles in film and television. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Reardon began his time in the spotlight as an all-star football player at Mount Allison University. With his classic good looks and athletic build it wasnʼt long before Hollywood took notice.
Reardonʼs first break came in 2001 when he was cast in an episode of the Showtime series “The Chris Isaak Show.” A slew of recurring roles followed as he was cast on the FOX Family Channel series “Edgemont,” FOXʼs “Tru Calling,” SyFyʼs “Eureka,” Showtimeʼs “The L Word,” CWʼs “Hellcats” and leads in the hit miniseries “Merlinʼs Apprentice” as well as “Son of the Dragon,” which filmed in China.
Reardon became a fan favorite with his supporting roles in the Wayansʼ brothers hit film “White Chicks” and slasher comedy “Scary Movie 4.” He also made his mark in the film world with a role in the blockbuster film “Tron: Legacy” with Jeff Bridges and Olivia Wilde.
Reardon played the role of Blake Laviolette for the three seasons of “Arctic Air” on CBC. Set in Yellowknife, the series portrays renegade bush pilots at work and play in Canada’s north. He also appeared in three seasons of the Showcase sci-fi thriller series “Continuum” in his recurring role of Greg Cameron.
With classical training at RADA, Reardon performed in a number of plays on their mainstage. He now splits his time between Vancouver and Los Angeles
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--HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES--