‘FRESHMAN FATHER’ CAST BIOS DREW SEELEY (John Patton) – Drew Seeley grew up in Toronto, where he first fell in love with the stage. At age 11 he was cast in Hal Prince’s revival of Showboat, and stayed with the production for a year. He has guest-starred on shows such as “One Tree Hill,” “Dawson’s Creek” and “Guiding Light.” Seeley also has a career as a musician and has toured the country as one of the lead singers of the R&B group Nu Ground. In 2005, Seeley began working with established producer Ray Cham and together they wrote “Getcha Head in the Game” for Disney’s quadruple platinum “High School Musical” soundtrack. This garnered them an Emmy® nomination in the Best Original Song and Lyrics category. In addition, Seeley co-starred in the North America and Latin America tours of High School Musical: The Concert, playing in 60,000 seat arenas. Seeley’s song and video, “Dance with Me,” from the platinum “Cheetah Girls 2” soundtrack, can be seen on the Disney Channel. Seeley also appeared in Belinda Peregrin’s music video “Ni Freud, Ni Tu Mama.” Seeley has appeared in the Hallmark Channel Original Movie “Claire” opposite Valerie Bertinelli, and co-starred in the film “Fly Kidz,” for which he co-wrote and produced the soundtrack. He also wrote and performed music for the Disney Channel Original Movie “Jump In!,” starring Corbin Bleu. Seeley has recently been on a national tour performing his own original music and is recording his forthcoming debut album. Seeley can currently be seen on Broadway as Prince Eric in Disney’s The Little Mermaid as well as in Warner Premiere’s “Another Cinderella Story” airing on ABC Family, where he stars as pop star Joey Parker, opposite Selena Gomez. In addition to his starring role, Seeley wrote and recorded four songs for the film. Seeley also made a guest appearance on the current “Chipmunks” CD, singing the re-make of “Shake Your Groove Thing” with Alvin and the gang. Most recently, Seeley wrapped filming on the Adam Sandler produced vehicle “The Shortcut.” Seeley resides in Los Angeles and spends as much time at the beach as possible. # # # ANNIE POTTS (Dorothy) – Since graduating from Stephens College in Missouri with a BFA in theatre arts, actress Annie Potts has had a successful career on the stage and screen. Best known for her roles as the ditzy secretary Janine Melnitz in the “Ghostbusters” movies and as Mary Jo Shively on the CBS series “Designing Women,” this dynamic performer has more than 60 film and television credits. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘FRESHMAN FATHER’ – Cast Bios – Page 2 During her run on “Designing Women,” (1986 - 1993), Potts shared the screen with Delta Burke, Dixie Carter and Jean Smart, in the show about four Southern Belles working as interior designers in Atlanta. The show was nominated for two Golden Globes and seven Emmys. Potts’ other television roles include guest appearances on “Two and a Half Men,” “Boston Legal” and “Ugly Betty,” and prominent recurring roles on series “Huff,” “Joan of Arcadia” and “Men In Trees.” Potts also continues to recur in her role as Sophie Devere on episodes of “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Potts garnered an Emmy nomination for her role as a series regular on CBS’ “Love & War,” and also starred in Lifetime’s short-lived series “Any Day Now,” for which she received two Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series. In 1996, Potts played the strict teacher of inner-city high school students in the ABC series “Dangerous Minds,” based on the 1995 film of the same name. In the 1990s, Potts lent her voice to the animated Disney films “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2” as Bo Peep. Her other feature film credits include her Golden Globe-nominated debut in “Corvette Summer,” “Pretty in Pink,” “Crimes of Passion,” “Pass the Ammo” and “Elvis Has Left the Building,” among others. # # # KIM ZIMMER (Dean Frost) – Actress Kim Zimmer is a seasoned television star, appearing on soap operas and series since the late 1970s. She is a four-time Daytime Emmy winner for her role as Reva Shayne on the daytime drama “Guiding Light.” Appearing on the show since 1983, Zimmer has garnered an additional seven Daytime Emmy nominations and two Soap Opera Digest Awards for the role. Zimmer has also received acclaim for her recurring roles on the daytime dramas “One Life to Live,” “The Doctors” and “Santa Barbara.” Originally from Michigan, Zimmer got her start in acting with the theatre at a young age, and went on to study at the American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco. She continues to return to Michigan to participate in their oldest regional summer stock theatre, Augusta’s Barn Theatre. Her recent stage credits include Gypsy, Blood Brothers, Shirley Valentine and 3 O’clock in Brooklyn at the Access Theatre in New York City. After starting her daytime career in 1978 on “One Life to Live,” Zimmer went on to guest star in several other television series, including “Seinfeld,” “MacGyver,” “Designing Women,” “University Hospital” and “Babylon 5.” She has also appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies, including “Trenchcoat in Paradise,” “Keeping Secrets” and “The Disappearance of Vonnie.” Zimmer also starred in the Warner Brothers feature film, “Body Heat,” alongside Kathleen Turner, in 1981. (more) HALLMARK CHANNEL/ ‘FRESHMAN FATHER’ – Cast Bios – Page 3 When not acting, Zimmer participates in numerous charities, including Ronald McDonald House and the Duke Children’s Hospital. Zimmer resides in Montclair, NJ with her husband, A.C. Weary, and their three children. # # # BRITT IRVIN (Kathy Blair) – A native of British Columbia, Britt Irvin has been a performer since appearing on stage in Showboat and A Christmas Carol at the age of 10. Prior to Irvin’s screen debut, she gained recognition as a very skilled voice actor, lending her voice to such projects as “Nilus the Sandman,” "Sabrina The Teenage Witch," "Madeline," “The Nutty Professor” and “George Of The Jungle.” Irvin continues to do voice work, but is now most recognized for her performances in such projects as “Life Unexpected,” “Normal,” which earned her a 2008 Leo Award nomination in Canada, and ABC’s recent relaunch of the classic sci-fi series, “V.” In 1996, Irvin got her start on screen with the television movies “Panic in the Skies!” and “Angel of Pennsylvania Avenue.” She went on to land a role in 2000’s “Angels in the Infield.” She continued to act, doing guest roles on “Sleepwalkers,” “Night Man” and “The Outer Limits,” before landing a series regular role as Anthea Harding on “Little Men,” based on the story by Louisa May Alcott, from 1998 to 1999. For that performance, Irvin was nominated for a Young Artist Award in 2000. Most recently, the 25-year-old actress has appeared in episodes of “The Days,” “Aliens in America” and “The Assistants.” She played single teenage mother Paige in the Canadian television series “Edgemont” in 2004. She also starred in the MTV movie, “Wasted,” in 2002, and 2007’s “Hot Rod” with Andy Samberg, Bill Hader and Sissy Spacek. --HALLMARK CHANNEL-- .