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‘’MENDING FENCES’ CAST BIOS LAURA LEIGHTON (Kelly Faraday) – Her on screen persona as ‘Sydney’ on FOX’s “Melrose Place” earned Laura Leighton a genuine place in America’s heart. As viewers gripped to their love/hate relationship with the character, the success of this nighttime drama became enormous. In 2003, Leighton made her return to series television in Jerry Bruckheimer’s “Skin” on FOX and followed it up when she appeared opposite Tim Daly on the ABC series “Eyes.” Most recently, she has made memorable appearances on such series as “CSI: Miami,” “Boston Legal,” “Shark” and “Law & Order: SVU.” Leighton was recently seen in the television movie “Love Notes” for Lifetime, “Daniel’s Daughter” for The Hallmark Channel and in the feature film “The Burrowers,” a horror/thriller from Sony/Lionsgate. Other credits include Showtime’s “Naked City,” “The Clean and Narrow,” an independent feature directed by William Katt and co-starring Jack Noseworthy and “Seven Girlfriends” with Tim Daly, Olivia D’Abo, Jami Gertz and Mimi Rogers. Born in Iowa City, Iowa, to a mid-western family, Leighton found a passion early on for the arts. Shortly after high school, she left Iowa to tour the country with the song and dance troupe “Young Americans.” Leighton eventually moved on to study acting, and soon after began landing television commercials and was cast in a guest spot on “Melrose Place.” Her guest spot turned into a permanent gig, which has since earned her a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and an US Magazine Entertainer of The Year Award. Over the years, Leighton has lent her name and energy to several charities, especially ones focusing on AIDS research, including AIDS Project LA, The Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, AMFAR and the Step Up Women’s Network. In June 1999, Leighton married her “Melrose Place” costar Doug Savant, who currently stars as Tom Scavo on the ABC hit “Desperate Housewives.” The pair has two children together, Jack and Lucy, as well as two children from Savant’s previous marriage. ### ANGIE DICKINSON (Ruth Hanson) – Angie Dickinson, one of Hollywood’s most glamorous leading ladies, who rewrote the book on roles that women could handle with her gutsy (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘MENDING FENCES’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 performance in the 1970’s “Police Woman,” has had a long and distinctive career in movies and television. Dickinson was born in Kulm, North Dakota. After placing second in a beauty pageant, she began to pursue a career in acting. Her breakthrough role came in Howard Hawks’ classic “Rio Bravo,” for which she won a Golden Globe Award for Best Newcomer. International acclaim and movie stardom followed in many notable films, including “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Captain Newman M.D.,” “The Killers,” “Cast a Giant Shadow,” “Young Billy Young,” “The Chase,” “Point Blank,” “Pretty Maids All in a Row” and “Dressed to Kill.” But she is best known for creating an indelible role model while expanding the dramatic opportunities for women in television with her portrayal of Sgt. Pepper Anderson in the long- running series “Police Woman.” She was nominated three times for an Emmy® and won the Golden Globe for Best Television Actress. Over the course of her illustrious career, Dickinson has appeared on screen opposite many of the most important Hollywood male stars, including John Wayne, Dean Martin, Gregory Peck, Rock Hudson, Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin, Burt Reynolds, Robert Mitchum and Kirk Douglas. She was also a lifelong friend of Frank Sinatra, and played his wife in a cameo in “Ocean’s 11.” Dickinson was ranked third in TV Guide’s ‘50 Sexiest TV Stars of All Time’ in 2002, only a few years after having been included as one of Playboy Magazine’s ‘100 Sexiest Stars of the Century.’ In addition to her dramatic roles, Dickinson has also appeared on several TV game shows, including “Password” and “Hollywood Squares” and, as an avid poker player, she competed in the second season of Bravo’s “Celebrity Poker Showdown.” Dickinson was recently seen co-starring in “Pay It Forward” with Kevin Spacey. Inspired by her sister’s struggle with Alzheimer’s, Dickinson has become an advocate for issues concerning the disease. ### SHANLEY CASWELL (Kamilla Faraday) – Shanley Caswell started acting at the age of eight, doing local theater in her hometown of Sarasota, Florida. In high school, she got involved with a group called Teen Source, a theater troupe whose focus is to educate the teenage community on social issues. Shanley moved to Los Angeles to pursue her acting more seriously in 2007, where she continued to do small theater, a number of student films and television, including an episode of Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101.” (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘MENDING DENCES’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 Some of her favorite movies are “Pirates of the Caribbean” and “Titanic,” where she got her first glimpse of Kate Winslet, the actress whose career she most admires. Shanley loves spending time with friends, going to the beach and playing guitar, and she is currently studying to get her college degree. ### PETER JASON (Hank) – Peter Jason was born in Hollywood, California and spent his first 18 years on the beach, mostly in front of his family home on the ocean in Balboa, CA. Growing up at the beach helped form his easygoing love of life and people, and his pursuit of happiness. Jason attended Newport Beach Elementary School, Horace Ensign Junior High, and Newport Harbor High School, where he performed the lead in his first play, The Man Who Came To Dinner. Immediately following his curtain call, he was bit and has not been able to shake the acting bug since. Orange Coast College followed with parts in many plays, his favorite being Harold Hill in The Music Man. Always active in sports, Jason found he could now bring his physical talents to the stage. From O.C.C., Jason hitchhiked to Peterborough, New Hampshire for a season of summer stock at the Peterborough Playhouse. Using his thumb once again, he found himself in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, where he entered the drama department at Carnegie Institute of Technology. According to him, this is where he was given the technique to develop his skills. After Pittsburgh, it was back to California to help start the South Coast Repertory Company in his hometown of Newport. There, he played roles in Sergeant Musgrave's Dance, Moon for The Misbegotten, Playboy of the Western World and Three Penny Opera. Then he was off to Hollywood with Red Magic. When the SCRC went back to Newport, Jason decided to stay on and give Hollywood a try. Finding work immediately on “The Red Skelton Show,” he joined AFTRA. After more television roles in “Cimmeron Strip,” “Gunsmoke” and “Judd for the Defense,” he landed his first movie role in “Rio Lobo,” starring John Wayne and directed by Howard Hawks. From there, it was TV shows, movies, plays and seven years in New York doing over 300 commercials, then back to Hollywood to fill in the last 25 years with 100-plus films and hundreds of television shows, commercials and voiceovers. Jason’s most recent work includes Spike Jonze’s award-winning movie “Adaptation” with Nicolas Cage and Tilda Swinton and HBO’s Emmy® and Golden Globe winning series “Deadwood.” He has also appeared in episodes of HBO’s “Desperate Housewives,” “Dirty Sexy Money” for ABC, and AMC’s Emmy and Golden Globe winning “Mad Men.” This year, he appears in Michael Bay’s sequel, “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen.” Jason credits his success in the business to the help of five very dear friends: Stacy Keach, Walter Hill, John and Sandy Carpenter, and Frank Marshall. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his wife Eileen. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘MENDING DENCES’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 ### DAVID LEE SMITH (Walt Mitchell) – Born and raised in Alabama, David Lee Smith attended the University of Alabama as an undergraduate. From there, he went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts degree from Southern Methodist University. Smith’s first work for television was in the early 90s, appearing in soaps such as “As the World Turns,” “One Life to Live” and “All My Children.” Over the next few years, he landed roles on shows like “The Naked Truth,” “Pacific Blue,” “JAG,” “Dharma & Greg” and “Just Shoot Me!” Smith’s other television credits include recurring roles on “Like Family,” “CSI,” “CSI: Miami” and the Hallmark Channel movie “Gone But Not Forgotten.” He made the jump to the silver screen in 1999 in the David Fincher’s cult classic “Fight Club,” starring Edward Norton and Brad Pitt. Only a few years later, he landed supporting roles in both “A Walk to Remember” and “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, as well as in movies such as “Mysterious Skin,” “The Big Empty,” “Chronicles” and “The Man from Earth.” -- HALLMARK CHANNEL -- .