‘UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID’ CAST BIOS BROOKE BURNS (Tanya) – Brooke Burns, host of Oxygen Network’s “Hair Battle Spectacular,” was born in Dallas, TX. The middle child of three siblings, her mother encouraged her from a young age to pursue her dream, which, since kindergarten, was to become a ballerina. As a teenager, she showed great promise as a professional ballet dancer, but her career was abruptly ended at age 14 after a ski accident. She is a natural athlete and a talented swimmer, having been trained by her father, a former national champion swimmer at Southern Methodist University. Burns got into acting in 1996, when she played Peg in the TV series “Out of the Blue.” She went on to guest star in several episodes of “Ally McBeal” and then moved on to play Jessie Owens in “Baywatch.” Burns broke onto the silver screen when she acted opposite Jack Black and Gwyneth Paltrow in “Shallow Hal.” She also played Jan Lambert in “Single White Female 2: The Psycho” alongside Allison Lange and Todd Babcock. Burns also played Kathy Dinkle in “Pepper Dennis” and starred in “Urban Decay.” For two summer seasons in 2002 and 2003, Burns hosted the American version of the “Dog Eat Dog” game show, for which she was nominated for a Teen Choice Award. Burns starred in the ABC comedy “Miss/Guided,” opposite Chris Parnell (“Saturday Night Live”) and Judy Greer. The series was created by Caroline Williams (“The Office”), produced by Ashton Kutcher and helmed by Emmy® Award-winning director Todd Holland (“Malcolm in the Middle”). Burns also shot “Mistresses,” a pilot for Lifetime and “Fixing Pete” for Hallmark Channel. She is currently developing and producing a show for Oxygen. In her free time Burns is a mentor for Penny Lane, a residential home for abused children. Burns lives with her daughter, Madison in Los Angeles. ### NICOLE PAGGI (Daisy) – While growing up in Austin, Nicole Paggi dreamed of becoming an actress. She visited a fellow Texan in Los Angeles and decided to make her move. She spent the next two years studying intensively in Los Angeles and New York. In 2001, Paggi landed her big break when she was cast as Jenny in Fox’s “Pasadena.” Following this she increased her screen exposure with the reoccurring role of Brittany on the popular NBC series “Providence” and her role as Sydney in the first season of ABC’S “Hope & Faith.” She has guest starred on “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,” “Fastlane,” “Glory Days” and “One on One.” She has also starred in the original telefims “Frozen Impact” and “Expert Witness.” (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 Paggi currently resides in Los Angeles, where she spends her free time traveling, cooking, reading and running. ### JUSTIN BALDONI (Jake) – Justin Baldoni was born in Los Angeles, California, and raised in Medford, Oregon. He was a soccer and track standout in high school, as well as a radio disc jockey at a Medford Oregon KISS FM affiliate. He was offered a place on the Division I Long Beach State track team his freshman year, but a hamstring injury left him unable to compete. He left Long Beach for Los Angeles where, while moving into a new apartment building, he met a manager who advised him to pursue a career in acting. Soon after, Baldoni booked a series regular role on the WB’S “Everwood,” in which her played Reid Bardem, a medical student and love interest for Amy Abbott (Emily VanCamp), who was secretly battling depression. Reid was the first character on the WB to attempt (unsuccessfully) suicide, giving the show a platform to discuss the effects and consequences of depression. Baldoni later filmed PSAs urging teens battling the disease to seek professional help. He starred in a recurring arc on NBC’s “Heroes” and can be seen in “Knuckle Daggers,” “The Lost Tribe,” “Unrequited” and most recently as the former “wonder boy of Wall Street” Barry Minkow, opposite James Caan and Ving Rhames, in “Minkow.” Baldoni also starred in VH1’s “Single Ladies” and the made for television mini-series event “Blackout.” Baldoni has recently establish himself as one of Hollywood’s up-and-coming directors, having directed campaigns for Warner Borthers, Island Def Jam, Decca, and Universal Records with artists including Jason Derulo, Brendan James, Bobby Valentino and Snoop Dogg. In 2008, Baldoni wrote, produced, and directed a music video called “ARMED” performed by Bahai musician Devon Gundry that was selected and won the Audience Choice Awards at the Dawn Breakers International Film Festival. He has also directed short film/web series for Warner Brothers artist Jason Derulo and Island Def Jam artist Romance on a Rocketship as well as various music videos for Brendan James and most recently rising star S-Curve artist Andy Grammer. ### Gregory Harrison (Thompson) – Gregory Harrison was born on May 31, 1950 on Santa Catalina Island, California in the resort city of Avalon, located twenty-six miles offshore the teeming metropolis of Los Angeles. Gregory spent his youth swimming, fishing, and diving for coins tossed by the tourists who lined the railings of the two-thousand passenger S.S. Catalina as it sailed into the bay each summer’s day at noon. It was during these early years that Gregory first discovered his flair for acting, and his ability provided immediate rewards. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 Gregory quickly learned that "the better the show, the better the dough", and he and his buddies would create dramatic scenarios that would thrill their spectators. In 1966, a feature film crew came to Avalon to shoot “The Glassbottom Boat,” starring Doris Day, Rod Taylor and Arthur Godfrey. It was a turning point for him, as he realized that the magic he had always been so captivated by in the cinema was not some mysterious process beyond his understanding, but a craft that required dedication, discipline and occasional dashes of inspiration. These were things that he knew he possessed, and it was during this time that a dream began to grow inside him. For the six years Gregory bounced around several well-known acting schools in Los Angeles, picking up the techniques, connections and life experience required to successfully create an acting career in Hollywood. He occasionally worked in educational films for their $25 a day paycheck, and once tried being a non-union extra in the film "The Harrad Experiment." Mostly, though, Gregory spent countless hours in his classes preparing to be a leading man, and avoided extra work and bit part opportunities as much as his limited funds would allow. Gregory’s first big break came in 1976, when he was cast in a guest-star role in the CBS series "M*A*S*H." That was followed by roles in "Barnaby Jones" and the TV movie "Trilogy Of Terror" with Karen Black. In 1977, Harrison landed the title role in the science-fiction TV series "Logan's Run." The series was cancelled after one season, but Gregory was finally becoming an established leading man. Shortly after, Gregory was cast in the Christmas TV Movie "The Gathering," which was the first of many times he would work with Stephanie Zimbalist. After it won the Emmy® for best movie of the season, it also led to his biggest break, the 1978 mini- series "Centennial," in which he had the central role of Levi Zendt. Gregory was cast into the pilot episode of "Trapper John, MD" for CBS’ 1979 season. Starring as Dr. Gonzo Gates, he was thrilled to be part of an immediate hit on the network’s Sunday night schedule. Eventually, Gregory directed eight of the later episodes of the show, but halfway through its seventh and final season he moved on. In 1980 he formed, with Franklin R. Levy, the Catalina Production Group. Over the next eleven years, they produced numerous stage projects and nearly two dozen television movies. Catalina Productions was an important force in the Los Angeles theater scene from 1981 to 1992, and plays presented by the company were honored with over 150 local theater awards. Those plays included The Hasty Heart, which won the Los Angeles Drama Critics Award as Best Production (including Best Actor for Gregory) and Picnic, for which Gregory won a Dramalogue Award. In 1990, he was supremely honored with a L.A. Ovation Award for Outstanding Contribution to L.A. Theater. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘UNDERCOVER BRIDESMAID’ – Cast Bios – Page 4 Gregory is married to former "CHiPs" actress Randi. The couple has three girls and a boy…Emma, Lily, Kate and Quinn. They currently reside in southern Oregon. --HALLMARK CHANNEL-- .
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