‘PERFECT MATCH’

CAST BIOS

DANICA MCKELLAR (Jessica) - Danica McKellar, recently seen competing on the ABC juggernaut “Dancing With The Stars,” is best known as Winnie Cooper on “The Wonder Years” and Elsie Snuffin on “The West Wing.” She is also a three-time New York Times bestselling author, having written the groundbreaking books Math Doesn’t Suck, Kiss My Math and Hot X: Algebra Exposed. Her fourth book, Girls Get Curves: Geometry Takes Shape, came out in 2012.

Tackling math education and simultaneously breaking the stereotype of the “math nerd,” McKellar was named “Person of the Week” by “ABC World News with Charles Gibson.” This honor came on the heels of her debut as author of this highly entertaining and illuminating math book series. Using fun topics like popularity and jewelry-making – as well as stories from her own life - McKellar shows girls and their parents how to master the tough mathematical concepts introduced in middle school and high school, the time when young girls begin to shy away from math. McKellar’s message to girls? Smart is sexy!

A summa cum laude graduate of UCLA, McKellar earned her undergraduate degree in mathematics while also contributing original research. She co-authored a paper in the field of statistical mechanics entitled “Percolation and Gibbs States Multiplicity for Ferromagnetic Ashkin-Teller Models on Z2,” which she presented at the 87th biannual Statistical Mechanics conference at Rutgers University. Her theorem, since dubbed “The Chayes-McKellar-Winn Theorem,” was published in Britain’s esteemed Journal of Physics and has been featured on the front page of the Science section of The New York Times.

In addition to continuing her acting career with such roles as a recurring spot on CBS’s hit show “How I Met Your Mother” and a guest appearance on “The Big Bang Theory,” McKellar voiced the regular role of Miss Martian on Cartoon Network’s “Young Justice.” She also recurred as a voice on “Phineas and Ferb” and “Generator Rex,” which reunited her with her “The Wonder Years” co-star Fred Savage.

McKellar also starred in the SyFy Network’s futuristic TV movie “Tasmanian Devils” and in the 2012 Lifetime feature film “Love at the Christmas Table.” In 2013, she starred in “The Wrong Woman,” another Lifetime feature, which garnered some of the highest ratings in the network’s history. Recently, she created a sensation with her risqué guest cameo in the hit Avril Lavigne video Rock and Roll.

McKellar often appears around the country as a speaker on mathematics education, a vocation she began following her invitation to speak to a subcommittee of Congress on the importance of women in math and science in 2000. In recent years, she has served as a spokesperson for St. Jude Research Hospital’s Math-a-thon program, which raises millions of dollars every month for cancer research and free care to young cancer patients.

(more) HALLMARK CHANNEL / ‘PERFECT MATCH’ – Cast Bios – Page 2

Most recently, McKellar was honored with a UCLA Award for Recent Graduate Achievement. The Award, bestowed by the UCLA Alumni Association, pays tribute to alumni who manifest outstanding achievement in their professional fields, in service to their communities and in academic pursuits.

###

LINDA GRAY (Gabby) - Linda Gray is an award-winning actress, an accomplished director, a former United Nations Ambassador and one of the world’s most recognized and admired stars.

Gray’s portrayal of Sue Ellen in the original TV series “” garnered her international fame and critical acclaim, earning her an Emmy® nomination for Best Actress as well as numerous international awards, including Germany’s Bambi Award and Italy’s Il Gato for Best Actress on Television. She was also voted “Woman of the Year” by The Hollywood Radio & Television Society. After eleven years as the # 1 show on television, “Dallas” returned to TNT in 2012 and ran for 3 seasons.

Gray has appeared on the stage in England in the original stage production of Terms of Endearment, based on the screenplay of the Oscar® winning motion picture, and has also starred in the West End production of , which played to sell-out audiences. On Broadway, Gray replaced for a limited engagement of The Graduate. She has also graced the stage in productions of The Vagina Monologues, Agnes of God and .

Gray directed many episodes of the first “Dallas” TV series and made her theatre directing debut with Murder in the First. She has numerous TV acting credits, including the successful series “” and “Models Inc.,” and has starred in many movies of the week and feature films.

Gray returned to the stage to star in the British stage production of the 2014 Christmas pantomime Cinderella, playing the Fairy Godmother, and recently completed filming the independent film “Wally’s Will.” She also stars in “Perfect Match,” a 2015 Hallmark Channel Original Movie.

A large portion of Gray’s career and personal time is spent supporting charities and endeavors she believes in, including AIDS awareness and environmental protection.

--HALLMARK CHANNEL--