The ten Finest Feminine Actors In Hallmark Christmas Films, Ranked

Should you watch plenty of Hallmark vacation films (and consider us, it is scary simple to get hooked on them from October to December when you get began), you will discover faces that reappear over and over. Hallmark is nothing if not reliant on secure, predictable storytelling, and this tendency extends to the folks they rent to behave of their made-for-TV movies — as soon as you’ve got confirmed that you could present a secure, likable presence in a lead position, they will carry on reserving you. 

However whereas Hallmark male stars have to personify no matter romantic fantasy Hallmark is promoting — whether or not that is delicate, or caring, or supporting, or rugged, or good at preventing fires — their actresses have an altogether completely different accountability. Since a big portion of the Hallmark viewership is made up of girls, these actresses must be aspirational and, above all else, relatable. We want to have the ability to see ourselves in them, which is not as simple a job because it sounds. So once they discover a performer who can do it properly, they get their sweet cane hooks in them and by no means allow them to go. Listed below are among the better of the very best that the Hallmark community has to supply.

Like lots of our Hallmark stars to be, Bethany Pleasure Lenz obtained her begin on this planet of soaps — her very first tv position was on “Guiding Mild,” which she appeared in from 1998 to 2000. However she’s higher identified for her work on The CW’s “One Tree Hill,” the place she performed Haley, Lucas Scott’s finest good friend and future spouse. (Apparently the “One Tree Hill” to Hallmark pipeline is actual, since Chad Michael Murray has additionally starred in a number of vacation movies for the community.)

For Hallmark, Lenz has been a daily function. She first appeared with the community again in 2014, when she starred in “The Christmas Secret.” From there, they had been off to the races. Lenz went on to star in “Royal Matchmaker,” “5 Star Christmas,” “An Surprising Christmas,” and most just lately, “A Biltmore Christmas,” during which a modern-day screenwriter on a film set is transported into the movie universe of a Nineteen Forties vacation basic.

When Merritt Patterson was a youngster, she was forged within the ABC Household teen sci-fi drama “Kyle XY.” That was just the start for the younger actress — she later starred in a number of completely different tv collection, together with the “Fairly Little Liars” spinoff “Ravenswood,” “The Royals,” and “The Artwork of Extra.” However her most dependable work has been with the Hallmark Channel: Since her first look in 2017 with “A Royal Winter,” she’s carried out six extra vacation movies with them, together with “Christmas on the Palace” and “Christmas Chateau.” 

Sadly for Hallmark, it appears as if Patterson has been poached by the Nice American Household community, which is swiftly shifting in on the standard Hallmark and Lifetime territory — she’s carried out 4 movies with them since 2022. But it surely speaks to her likability as a vacation movie star that a number of completely different networks are vying for her when it comes time to make their annual Christmas movies.

Kimberly Williams-Paisley has a protracted historical past within the romance division — she obtained her huge break in “Father of the Bride” taking part in Annie, George Banks’ (Steve Martin) daughter who stuns the household by returning residence from learning overseas in Italy with the announcement that she’s engaged to be married. She’s acted frequently since then, largely in supporting roles in movies like “We Are Marshall” and “The Christmas Chronicles.” However she’s additionally had a considerable profession on tv, each for the Hallmark community and past. 

Her largest position thus far was as Dana, Jim’s sister-in-law, in “In response to Jim,” during which she appeared for 165 episodes and even directed a number of alongside the best way. For Hallmark, she starred in “The Christmas Prepare” alongside Dermot Mulroney, as the 2 embark on a long-distance prepare journey from the east coast to Los Angeles. She adopted this up with “A Nashville Christmas Carol” in 2020 because the Ghost of Christmas Current, and a yr later, she appeared alongside her real-life sister, actress Ashley Williams, in two extra Christmas-themed films for Hallmark, “Sister Swap: A Hometown Vacation,” and “Sister Swap: Christmas within the Metropolis.”

Should you had been coming of age within the Nineteen Nineties and 2000s, likelihood is you acknowledge Rachael Leigh Cook dinner, who was having a fairly large second as a star of teenage films on the time. Most well-known for her position in “She’s All That” reverse Freddie Prinze Jr., she additionally starred in “The Babysitters Membership” as Mary Anne (her on-screen debut), cult classic “Josie and the Pussycats,” and company thriller “Antitrust,” to call just some. 

Though she was arguably most outstanding throughout that interval, she’s continued to behave over the previous few a long time, and today, she’s been taking over plenty of work with the Hallmark Channel. She starred in “Frozen in Love,” a sports-themed winter romance that paired up a hockey participant with a mild-mannered bookstore proprietor, in addition to “A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas,” “Cross Nation Christmas,” “Tis the Season to be Merry,” and “Rescuing Christmas.”

There will not be an enormous quantity of overlap between followers of the “Energy Rangers” franchise and Hallmark aficionados, however the frequent floor in that venn diagram is actually aware of Erin Cahill. Her first tv position was because the Pink Ranger on “Energy Rangers Time Drive,” becoming a member of the legacy of a cult basic motion collection. (She additionally reprised this position within the 2017 net collection “Energy Rangers Hyperforce.) Within the years since, she’s been a preferred day participant on many well-known TV exhibits, making one-off appearances on exhibits like “Supernatural,” “Gray’s Anatomy,” “How I Met Your Mom,” and “Monk.”

Her profession with Hallmark has been equally illustrious, starring in “Sleigh Bells Ring,” “Final Vermont Christmas,” “Christmas on the Vary,” “A Timeless Christmas,” and “Each Time a Bell Rings.” She’s so well-known with the vacation subgenre that she appeared as a visitor choose on Hallmark’s “Discovering Mr. Christmas,” a actuality collection that put a gaggle of males by way of a collection of Christmas-themed challenges, with the winner receiving a lead position in an upcoming Hallmark vacation movie.

Alicia Witt started her profession as an actor with one of the unnerving little one performances we have ever seen — she performed Alia in David Lynch’s perennially underrated “Dune” (and later appeared in “Twin Peaks” as properly). Through the years, she efficiently transitioned into an grownup profession, working in each movie and tv. As a younger grownup, she performed Gertrude Lang in “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” whose clarinet classes are one of many first indicators that Mr. Holland (an Oscar-nominated Richard Dreyfuss) would possibly truly be lower out for instructing in any case. She additionally appeared in “The Sopranos,” and “Ally McBeal,” with recurring roles on “Legislation and Order: Legal Intent,” “Friday Evening Lights,” “Justified,” “Nashville,” and “Orange Is the New Black.” Witt has even taken steps into the world of horror, performing in 2024’s “Longlegs.”

As if all of that wasn’t sufficient, she’s been starring in Hallmark vacation movies since 2013, with “A Very Merry Combine-Up” and “A Snow Globe Christmas.” Annually till 2020, it appears to be like like she made time to do one Hallmark movie — “Christmas at Cartwright’s” in 2014, “I am Not Prepared for Christmas” in 2015, then “Christmas Checklist,” “The Mistletoe Inn,” “Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane,” “Our Christmas Love Track,” and “Christmas Tree Lane.”

Most science-fiction followers will probably acknowledge Tricia Helfer because the incredibly popular, slinky red dress-wearing Number Six from “Battlestar Galactica,” a Cylon who has been engaged in warfare in opposition to the remnants of humanity. However her profession goes far past that iconic sci-fi position. Helfer had substantial roles on “Tron: Rebellion,” “Burn Discover,” “Killer Girls,” “Powers,” “Lucifer,” and, most just lately, “Step Up: Excessive Water.” On the massive display screen, she appeared within the Oscar-nominated drama “Bombshell” as broadcaster Alisyn Camerota. (And in between all of this, she discovered time whereas she was filming “Battlestar Galactica” to host the primary season of “Canada’s Subsequent Prime Mannequin” — a becoming position, contemplating that she started her profession as a mannequin.)

In contrast to many Hallmark stars, who appear to have a particular window of their profession once they do a ton of vacation movies for the community, these roles are peppered all through her filmography. In 2011, she starred in “Mistletoe Over Manhattan,” a movie during which Mrs. Claus travels to the Huge Apple to carry out some miracles through the vacation season. Two years later, she was featured in “Discovering Christmas,” which is actually a gender-swapped model of “The Vacation.” In 2016, she returned once more for “Operation Christmas,” and in 2019, she was seen in “It is Starting to Look a Lot Like Christmas.”

Should you, like us, logged various hours watching the frothy teen drama “The O.C.,” you in all probability keep in mind Autumn Reeser as Taylor Townsend, a high-achieving, Sort A scholar who grew to become a shock love curiosity for Ryan after Marissa’s premature dying. However though that is considered one of her most well-known (or notorious, relying on who you ask — Taylor Townsend was not a universally beloved character) roles, it is from her solely substantial credit score. She additionally had key roles on “Entourage,” the “Incredibles”-esque superhero present “No Atypical Household,” “Hawaii 5-0,” and “The Association.”

As a Hallmark star, Reeser has been equally productive. In 2017, she starred in “A Bramble Home Christmas,” which was adopted by “Season for Love” in 2018 alongside Marc Blucas of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” fame, “Christmas Below the Stars” in 2019, and “A Glenbrooke Christmas” in 2020. She’s additionally labored with the community on “The Wedding ceremony Veil” franchise, which she did six movies for over the course of 2022 and 2023.

To a not insignificant portion of mainstream audiences, Danica McKellar will all the time be identified for the position she took on as a toddler actor within the Eighties — Winnie on “The Surprise Years.” However regardless of her early successes on the favored coming-of-age tv collection, she’s had a protracted and fulfilling profession that has seen her thrive in greater schooling and hunt down roles as an grownup actress. After receiving a level in arithmetic, she printed a collection of books about math for teenagers and youths, every of which had been positively acquired by critics. As an actress, she appeared on “The West Wing,” “How I Met Your Mom,” and “The Huge Bang Principle,” amongst many different exhibits. 

And naturally, she’s grown into one of many Hallmark Channel’s most charming and dependable main girls. Over the course of her time with the community, she has starred in “Crown for Christmas,” “My Christmas Dream,” “Coming Residence for Christmas,” “Christmas She Wrote,” and “You, Me, and the Christmas Timber” — and that is not counting the non-holiday movies she’s labored on. Prior to now few years, she’s gravitated in direction of the extra overtly-Christian Nice American Household community, however her Hallmark fare nonetheless holds a particular place in our hearts.

It is just about official at this level. Lacey Chabert is the modern-day queen of made-for-TV Christmas movies, and though you will see her bouncing between completely different networks (she appeared, for instance, in 2024’s absurdly popular “Hot Frosty” for Netflix), the lion’s share of her work has been for Hallmark. Earlier than she grew to become the community’s go-to feminine star, she labored as a toddler actress, performing in “All My Youngsters” and “Occasion of 5.” Chabert was additionally a reknowned voice actress in her early years, typically collaborating with Nickelodeon — she was featured on “Hey Arnold,” and “Aaahh!!! Actual Monsters,” however her most well-known voiceover position was Eliza Thornberry on “The Wild Thornberrys.” She was even the unique Meg Griffin on “Household Man,” earlier than the position was taken over by Mila Kunis in Season 2. And naturally, anybody rising up within the early 2000s will acknowledge her as Gretchen Wieners, one of many Plastics in “Imply Women.”

However today, she has each ft planted firmly on this planet of Christmas. Since 2012, she’s carried out no less than 17 vacation movies with Hallmark (we truthfully cannot low cost the likelihood that we have missed one or two) and dozens of different non-Christmas romances for the community. So principally, at this level, whenever you see Lacey Chabert, you assume Hallmark — and truthfully, we may consider no higher model consultant.