CAST BIOS

LISA HARTMAN BLACK (Dr. Sydney Ludwick) – Lisa Hartman Black made television history as the only prime time TV character to be killed off one season and brought back by popular demand to the same series as somebody else! The “reincarnated” Hartman Black moved from Ciji Dunne to Cathy Geary on “.” Then, after four successful years, she went on to star in an array of motion pictures-for-television and miniseries such as “The Operation,” “Roses Are for the Rich,” “Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues,” “Full Exposure; The Sex Tape Scandal,” “Not of this World,” “Fire! Trapped on the 37th Floor,” “Without a Kiss Goodbye,” “The Search for Grace,” “Someone Else’s Child,” “Dazzle,” “Have You Seen My Son” and “Out of Nowhere.”

Hartman Black graduated from the High School for the Performing Arts in Houston, Texas. She moved to Los Angeles to pursue her career and, within months, she was the star of her own series, “Tabitha,” a spin-off from “.” Her recognition grew when she was cast in the miniseries “Valley of the Dolls” and “2000 Malibu Road,” for which she earned rave reviews.

Lisa’s starring role of “Jazz,” in the CBS mini-series adaptation of Judith Krantz’s “Dazzle,” was considered to be one of her most appealing performances. Lisa’s love of horses came into play since her character’s family owned a vast ranch in Orange County, California.

Hartman Black and her husband, country singer , starred together as husband and wife in “: The Legend of Cadillac Jack,” the true-life story of the late rodeo champion, Jack Favor, who was wrongfully accused of murder. Hartman Black also served as executive producer of the telefilm.

Hartman Black, her husband and daughter Lily Pearl live in Nashville.

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HALLMARK CHANNEL / “Back to You & Me” Cast Bios – Page 2

DALE MIDKIFF (Gus) – Dale Midkiff started acting off-Broadway before landing a starring role in the film "Streetwalkin'." Among his credits are the starring roles of Elvis Presley in the made-for-TV biopic "Elvis and Me" and the part of Buck Thurman in “A Cry for Help: The Tracey Thurman Story.” His other telefilm credits include "Torn Apart," "Video Voyeur: The Susan Wilson Story," "Another Woman's Husband" and the Hallmark Channel Originals “Love Comes Softly”– for which he received the Grace Award for TV at the 12th Annual Movieguide Awards – and the movie’s sequel “Love’s Enduring Promise.” Midkiff starred as 22nd-century cop Darien Lambert in the weekly sci-fi crime series "Time Trax."

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RUE MCCLANAHAN (Helen) – Rue McClanahan was born in Healdton, Oklahoma, and graduated cum laude from The University of Tulsa. She was awarded a one-of-a-kind third-year scholarship to the Pasadena Playhouse, where she was later honored as Alumna of the Year. Best known for her Emmy® Award-winning role as Blanche in “The Golden Girls,” she also gained recognition for her portrayal of Vivian in the groundbreaking series “Maude.”

McClanahan has appeared in countless motion pictures-for-television including “Hogan’s Goat,” “The Little Match Girl,” “The Margaret Mitchell Story,” “After the Shock,” “A Saintly Switch,” “The Moving of Sophia Myles” and the “Children of the Bride”/“Baby of the Bride”/“Mother of the Bride” trilogy. She was seen in the feature films “The Fighting Temptations,” “Dear God,” “Starship Troopers,” “Out to Sea” and the award-winning Sundance film “This World, then the Fireworks.”

On stage, McClanahan has starred in the Broadway productions of “Jimmy Shine,” “California Suite” and “Sticks and Bones.” Some of her off-Broadway credits are “MacBird!,” “The Secret Life of Walter Mitty,” “Tonight! In Living Color!,” “Dark of the Moon” and “Dylan Who’s Happy Now?,” for which she won the prestigious Obie Award.

A breast cancer survivor, McClanahan travels all over the country talking about her life experience and “Aging Gracefully.” She is also an avid animal advocate and creator of an award-winning clothing line for women. Her musical farce “Oedipus, Shmedipus, As Long As You Love Your Mother” played at the Globe Theatre in Burbank, California to sell out houses. She is currently starring in “Wicked” on Broadway.

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HALLMARK CHANNEL / “Back to You & Me” Cast Bios – Page 3

BARBARA NIVEN (Connie) – A native of Portland, Oregon, Barbara Niven appeared in more than 2500 radio and television commercials and served as spokesperson for a number of companies before landing her first dramatic role, opposite James Garner and James Woods in the Emmy®-winning "Hallmark Hall of Fame" telefilm “The Promise.”

A regular on the daytime drama “One Life to Live,” Niven also had a recurring role in “The Bold and the Beautiful” and the syndicated series “Pensacola: Wings of Gold.” Among her numerous other television credits are recent guest-starring roles in “Cold Case” and “Las Vegas.” Her TV movies include “The Perfect Neighbor,” “Breast Men,” “I Married a Monster,” and “Tiger Cruise.” She has appeared in the motion pictures “Chasing Ghosts,” “The Drone Virus” and the independent feature “Anoosh of the Airways,” playing eight different wacky characters.

Niven is a single mom whose Web site features the Dreamers Network – to help people get the courage to make their dreams come true and an Eating Disorders/Cutters message board where people can start getting help. "Every day I hear from someone who says it has made a difference. It doesn’t get much better than that."

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