'Reading, Writing & Romance' Cast Bios Eric Mabius
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‘READING, WRITING & ROMANCE’ CAST BIOS ERIC MABIUS (Wayne Wenders) – Eric Mabius is best known for his role in the hit series “Ugly Betty,” playing a womanizing executive. An actor with an intense screen presence, Mabius brings a varied background to his work. He is the second of two sons of Craig and Elizabeth Mabius. Of Polish, Irish, and Austrian ancestry, he was born in Pennsylvania, but spent much of his life in Massachusetts. A graduate of Sarah Lawrence College, he first came to the attention of movie fans with his film debut in “Welcome to the Dollhouse.” Since then, Mabius has taken on a wide variety of roles, avoiding being typecast. He earned favorable notice for his performance as a high school gang leader in “Black Circle Boys,” but is known for his role as a blackmailed prep school athlete in the box office smash “Cruel Intentions.” In 2012, Mabius stared in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “How to Fall in Love.” Mabius also starred in “The Crow: Salvation,” a sequel to the Brandon Lee film and appeared in the science fiction action film “Resident Evil.” He continues to have a devoted fan base, particularly among audiences of independent films. Mabius currently stars on BBC’s “Outcasts.” ### VIRGINIA WILLIAMS (Amy) – Accomplished actress Virginia Williams is best known for her work in the USA series “Fairly Legal.” Williams portrayed Lauren Reed, a tough as nails attorney, who is called to take over her husband’s firm when he unexpectedly passes, all the while dealing with her troublesome and defiant step-daughter of the same age. This multilayered role allows her to explore a common relationship dynamic with an unconventional twist. On the big screen, Williams recently wrapped production on the indie features “The Culling” and “Sleeping Around” and sang lead vocals for the upcoming “Choosing Signs.” Williams is also the face of La Fresh, a natural skin care company that specializes in Eco-Beauty wipes. She has collaborated with La Fresh since they launched their commercial campaign in 2012. For the past four seasons, Williams has had a recurring role on the CBS hit series “How I Met Your Mother.” Her character Claudia is a friend of the gang’s and went to college with Ted, Marshall and Lily. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/’READING, WRITING & ROMANCE’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 Williams has appeared in over 30 television series including “Better Off Ted,” “Two and a Half Men,” “Veronica Mars” and “Cold Case.” Additionally, in 2010, she starred with Raven Simone in the People’s Choice nominated “Revenge of the Bridesmaids” for ABC Family. In 2006 Virginia landed the starring role in the Lifetime Original Series "Monarch Cove.” She also played Shelley Long's jilted-at-the-alter daughter in the film “Honeymoon with Mom” and recurred for two seasons on the cult-classic “Strangers with Candy.” Williams began her career as a high school student, starring for two years on the soap operas “One Life to Live” (Lorna) and “As the World Turns” (Brandy). She earned a B.A. in Theatre Performance from Fordham University at Lincoln Center and studied Shakespeare at Oxford University, as well as with the British American Drama Academy in London. Raised in Memphis, TN, she is fiercely loyal to her Southern roots, where she first fell in love with the craft. ### STEFANIE POWERS (Brenda Post) – Stefanie Powers began her career at age 15, dancing for famed Broadway choreographer, Jerome Robbins. She was put under contract to Columbia Pictures in the final years of the Hollywood star system. While under contract, she appeared in 15 of the 31 motion pictures she has made, co-starring with screen legends such as; John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Lana Turner, Ava Gardner, Cliff Robertson, Elliot Gould, Roger Moore, Donald Sutherland, Bing Crosby, Glenn Ford, Lee Remick, James Caan and Sammy Davis. She recently co-starred with Richard Chamberlin in the critically acclaimed independent film, “Three Days of Hamlet.” Powers first television series, “The Girl From U.N.C.L.E.,” marked a milestone in U.S. television's history as the first hour long series featuring a female in the leading role. Her television career includes over 25 mini-series, over 200 episodic guest starring appearances, 35 movies for television and two more television series, “Feather and Father” and the long running “Hart to Hart,” starring opposite Robert Wagner. She became a member of the Screen Writers' Guild of America in the 1980s and has produced several of the screenplays she has written, one of which, “Family Secrets,” was not only a stepping stone for the careers of James Spader and Gary Sinise but it garnered her a nomination for the best screenplay of the year by her peers in the Writers' Guild. Powers writing has extended itself to a memoir called, One From The Hart, published by The Robson Press. Throughout her career she has never neglected her theatrical roots, appearing in productions of How the other Half Loves, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Sabrina Faire, View from the Bridge, Oliver, Annie Get Your Gun, the West End debut of Matador, off-Broadway in The Vagina (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/’READING, WRITING & ROMANCE’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 Monologues, back to the West End with Robert Wagner in Love Letters, which they also toured the United States with, becoming the cast most associated with the play after over 500 performances. She once again appeared in the UK in the West End production of The King and I, which also toured the United States for ten months. As a result of the successful remounting of the musical Sunset Boulevard at the Ogunquit Theatre, a US revival is being planned. She appeared once again in the UK in 2012 co-starring opposite Richard Johnson of Royal Shakespeare Company fame, in the play, On Golden Pond. She has recorded a CD with the legendary jazz artist Page Cavanaugh called On the Same Page, available online at Jambomusic.com. Also in 2012 she performed her one woman show, Hart of my Heart, a tribute to the life and the lyrics of Lorenz Hart at the newly opened Matcham Room at the Hippodrome. While appearing in a production of Love Letters in the Middle East, she received a request from Valerie Harper to take over her role in the play, Looped. As much a part of her life as her career, is her devotion to animal preservation and protection, which at times becomes more of a vocation than an avocation. She is founder and president of the William Holden Wildlife Foundation, established in 1982 to continue and to further her long- time partner’s conservation work in East Africa after his death. She was appointed conservation consultant to Jaguar and Land Rover after creating the Jaguar Conservation Trust which she has operated in Central America. She has been on the advisory board of four zoos in the United States and is a fellow of the Los Angeles Zoo, the Explorers' Club and the Royal Geographic Society. She is active in the movement to preserve and protect the remaining herds of the North American wild horses and has received numerous international awards for her grass roots work in conservation which she considers a life-long commitment. She resides part of the year in Kenya. ### MEREDITH BAXTER (Elaine) - Born in Los Angeles, California, Meredith Baxter was the only daughter born to aspiring actress Whitney Blake and radio announcer Tom Baxter. After her parents divorced, when she was five, her mother wed Hollywood producer Jack Fields. Baxter attended Hollywood High School, where she found her niche in the highly esteemed drama department. Bit by the acting bug, she went on to train at Michigan's Interlochen Arts Academy. While developing her acting skills, she met Bob Bush, to whom she was married from 1966-69. After their divorce, Baxter became a 22-year-old struggling actress and a single mother of two. With the help of her stepfather, she began her professional career with supporting roles in the critically panned horror film “Ben” (1976), and in the political thriller “All the President's Men” (1976), which starred Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/’READING, WRITING & ROMANCE’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 During the 1970s, Baxter found more lucrative work on the small screen. In 1972, she and actor David Birney (whom she married in1974) starred as the title characters in the CBS sitcom “Bridget Loves Bernie.” The series failed to find a wide audience and was cancelled after one season. As the decade progressed, Baxter made a name for herself in the role of Nancy Lawrence Maitland on the dramatic series “Family” (1976-80). Her performance as the eldest daughter of a single mother earned her respect from her peers, as well as two Emmy® nominations. Baxter also had enormous success when producer Gary David Goldberg handpicked her to play hippie mom Elyse Keaton on the NBC sitcom “Family Ties” (1982-89), which introduced her to a whole new generation of viewers. Baxter and actor Michael Gross were cast as the liberal parents of conservative children played by Michael J. Fox, Justine Bateman and Tina Yothers. After the series' acclaimed seven-year run, Baxter returned to television movies in an attempt to land more serious roles. She shattered her wholesome image with dramatic turns as a psychotic kidnapper in “The Kissing Place” (1990), as a murderer in “A Woman Scorned: The Betty Broderick Story” (1992) and as a member of the Donner Party in “One More Mountain” (1994). For the remainder of the 1990s, Baxter settled into a routine of dozens of TV appearances.