‘CHRISTMAS SONG’

CAST BIOS

NATASHA HENSTRIDGE (Diana Deason) – Natasha Henstridge was born on August 15, 1974 in Springdale, Newfoundland, Canada and raised in Fort McMurray, Alberta, Canada. Henstridge was barely a teen when she entered and earned the first runner-up prize in the Casablanca Modeling Agency's worldwide "Look of the Year" contest. At age 14, with the reluctant blessing of her parents, Henstridge left home to pursue a modeling career in New York and Paris. She landed her first cover on French Cosmopolitan when she was only 15 and has since graced the covers of many international fashion magazines. She also appeared in commercials for such products as Lady Stetson, Oil of Olay and Old Spice.

Like so many other model-turned-actresses before her, Henstridge grew tired of being just another pretty face and craved a more intellectually stimulating career. She left the runways of Paris for the lights of Hollywood and never looked back. At 21, Henstridge beat out hundreds of other doe-eyed hopefuls when she was cast in “Species” for MGM. “Species” took in over $100 million at the box office, making Henstridge a hot property.

In 1998, Henstridge returned as an extraterrestrial in “Species II.” While the “Species” films were physically demanding, it was not enough of a role to consider Natasha a burgeoning actress. But more roles began to follow her feature film debut. She was cast in “Maximum Risk” with Jean-Claude Van Damme, “Adrenaline: Fear The Rush,” and appeared in an episode of “Homeboys in Outer Space.”

Then came the comedy hit “The Whole Nine Yards,” in which she played mob moll Cynthia Tudeski. She played the estranged wife of a hit man, played by Bruce Willis, who manages to charm her way out of potentially dangerous situations. Matthew Perry plays her love interest in the film, and she garnered critical praise for her charismatic portrayal of the character.

In 2000 Henstridge appeared in the Ben Affleck romantic film, “Bounce.” Her small but pivotal role as the woman for whom Affleck, in the hopes of having a fling, gives up his seat on an ill- fated flight to another passenger, further increased her momentum. In 2001, she accepted the role of Cassie in the television series “She Spies.” The series lasted two seasons and is currently finding success in syndication.

She is known for her work on the ABC series “Commander & Chief,” opposite Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland. Henstridge also starred opposite Jonny Lee Miller on the ABC hit series “Eli Stone.” She played attorney Taylor Wethersby, Miller’s fiancée, who stays by his side through the ups and downs of his outrageous visions. Most recently, Natasha starred on the CW series “Secret Circle” produced by Kevin Williamson about six teenage witches in a small Washington town who form an infamous coven. Based on the book series by acclaimed author

(more)

HALLMARK CHANNEL / ‘CHRISTMAS SONG’ – Cast Bios – Page 2

L.J. Smith (“Vampire Diaries”), the series also featured Britt Robertson, Thomas Dekker and Gale Harold amongst its impressive cast.

###

GABE HOGAN (Ken Stoddard) – Gabe Hogan has a diverse slate of credits to his name that range from television series to theatre productions. On-stage, Hogan’s work includes Weekend Healer, Old Man’s Band, Macbeth, Our Town and Forever Young. Hogan has been cast in a variety of television series including “Traders,” “Amazon,” “The Associates,” “Playmakers,” “Robson Arms,” “The Best Years,” “Rent-a-Goalie,” “The Dating Guy,” “Heartland” and “King.” Hogan also starred in television films for Lifetime including “The Devil’s Teardrop,” “Wisegal,” “Everything She Ever Wanted,” “A Lucky Girl,” “Who Named The Knife,” “Murder In The Hamptons” and “Widow On The Hill.”

Hogan was nominated for two Gemini Awards for his work on “The Associates” and CBS’ “Peacekeepers.” He has previously worked on the 2008 Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Bridal Fever,” opposite Delta Burke.

###

AMANDA THOMSON (Liz) – Amanda Thomson is a Canadian actress who began acting, singing and dancing at a young age. Thomson began her career on-stage, performing in theatre productions including A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Land in Between, Once Upon a Mattress, Unpublished and Cinderella. Thompson has had the opportunity to act on-screen in “My Babysitter’s A Vampire” and “Totally Amp’d.”

###

BRITTANY ADAMS (Amy) – Brittany Adams was born in Toronto, and has been acting, dancing and singing since the age of 10. Adams has fifteen years of competitive dance training studying ballet, tap, jazz, hip hop and lyrical dance. She quickly moved to musical theatre and for five years attended a musical theatre program in Vancouver, BC. Adams graduated from the Theatre and Drama Studies program at the University of Toronto, Mississauga and Sheridan College, where she received a Bachelor of Arts.

Adams starred on the hit television series “Wingin’ It” for three seasons on Family Channel. Additional film and television credits include “Warehouse 13,” “Nurse 3D,” “Really Me,” “The Latest Buzz” and “Scare Tactics.”

###

JACK ETTLINGER (Billy) – Jack Ettlinger was born in Los Angeles and moved with his family to Toronto in 2003. Singing was always Ettlinger’s first love and he joined the Canadian

(more)

HALLMARK CHANNEL / ‘CHRISTMAS SONG’ – Cast Bios – Page 3

Children’s Opera Chorus at age 11 where he performed in numerous professional productions, including a featured solo role in La Boheme at the Sony Centre for the Performing Arts. As he made the transition into musical theatre, Ettlinger was cast as Danny Zuko in Grease for the Bennington Players and Jean Val Jean in the C.A.T.S Main stage production of Les Miserables at Toronto’s famed Berkeley Street Theatre. Recently Ettlinger won the lead roles of Mark in Rent as well as Tony in West Side Story, in recent productions at the acclaimed Etobicoke School of the Arts, where he is about to complete his senior year.

Making the move into film and television, Ettlinger was cast with Sean Cullen in the comedy series “Hot Box” and guest-starred in the series, “Really Me.” In Fall 2011, Ettlinger auditioned for “Canada’s Got Talent,” and sang his way through to the semi-finals as one of only 36 performers chosen from over 30 thousand! An avid sports enthusiast, Ettlinger excels at golf, hockey, snow and water skiing, rock climbing and baseball.

###

KENT NOLAN (Carlo) – Born and raised in Regina Saskatchewan, Kent Nolan has been involved in the arts since age six. At just twenty-two years old, Nolan has already appeared in over thirty theatre productions and is featured in six films and twelve television series. Career highlights include working with three Academy Award® nominated directors: Terry Gilliam in “Tideland,” David Lynch in “Surveillance,” John N. Smith in “The Tommy Douglas Story” and most recently Palme D’or winner Laurent Cantent in the feature film “Foxfire.” Television highlights include featured roles on “Corner Gas,” “Lost Girl,” “Little Mosque,” “Murdoch Mysteries” and most recently, BBC America’s series “Copper.” Nolan also has a deep passion for directing and writing in both film and theatre.

At sixteen Nolan won ‘Most Promising Director’ at NYC’s Digital Film Festival for his short “Presage.” His theatre directing includes Urinetown! The Musical and Olympus (an original play by Nolan). Nolan studied classical acting at Canada’s prestigious George Brown Theatre School.

--HALLMARK CHANNEL--