Hallmark Christmas Movies: 10 Best Actors, Ranked

Few television phenomena are as popular year after year as the comfort food that is the Hallmark Channel’s annual slate of Christmas movies. For over a decade, millions upon millions of viewers have been tuning in to watch couples fall in love and families come together around the holiday season.

It’s true that many of these movies recycle the same tropes and themes, but it’s also clear that Hallmark has a real preference for certain cast members as well. While most people may think of certain actresses as being the stars of Hallmark, there are definitely plenty of actors who have made a name for themselves on the network, too. We’re taking a look at the ten best actors to come out of the Hallmark Channel’s Christmas movies.

10 Patrick Muldoon

Known for his lengthy career in soap operas such as Melrose Place and Days of Our Lives, as well as a starring role in Starship Troopers, Patrick Muldoon has also built a steady career in the genre for television movies across many channels including Lifetime, ION, and of course Hallmark.

But Muldoon has only made one memorable appearance in a Hallmark Christmas movie, and it just so happens to be one of the earliest of them all: 2004’s A Boyfriend for Christmas, opposite Kelli Williams and Charles Durning.

9 Brendan Penny

Canadian actor Brendan Penny will best be known to fans of Canadian series Whistler, Motive, and The Runner, as well as to fans of Hallmark’s original drama series Chesapeake Shores. He’s also made notable appearances in series such as Supernatural, Smallville, and Stargate: Atlantis.

But since 2014, Penny has been consistently appearing in many of Hallmark’s made for TV movies, including murder mysteries and other seasonal fares. He’s made three Christmas movies so far, including ‘Tis the Season for Love, Magical Christmas Ornaments, and Pride, Prejudice, and Mistletoe.

8 Brennan Elliott

One of Hallmark’s main leading men, Brennan Elliott may also be familiar to fans of dramas including The 4400, UnREAL, and Strong Medicine. He also had a leading role in Hallmark’s short-lived Andie MacDowell-led drama series Cedar Cove.

Since 2012, Elliott has been working consistently at Hallmark Channel, often with Hallmark leading lady Lacey Chabert, but he made the jump to Christmas movies in 2015. He has so far starred in four of the festive classics: A Christmas Melody, Love You Like Christmas, Christmas Encore, and Christmas at Grand Valley.

7 Luke Macfarlane

Canadian actor Luke Macfarlane has had quite an impressive and lengthy television career so far, with leading roles on acclaimed and cult favorite dramas including Brothers & Sisters, Satisfaction, Mercy Street, The Night Shift, and Killjoys.

But since 2014, Macfarlane has been part of the Hallmark Channel family. Since 2015, he has so far starred in five Christmas movies at the network: Christmas Land, The Mistletoe Promise, Karen Kingsbury’s Maggie’s Christmas Miracle, A Shoe Addict’s Christmas, and Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen.

6 Jonathan Bennett

Though he’s probably best known as the dreamy Aaron Samuels in the cult classic comedy film Mean Girls, or even as the host of various baking competitions such as Cake Wars, Halloween Wars, Cupcake Wars, and Holiday Wars, Jonathan Bennett has been making fetch happen over at the Hallmark Channel since 2010.

To date, the always charming Bennett has appeared in many Christmas movies on other channels, but only one Hallmark Christmas movie so far, 2018’s Christmas Made to Order.

5 David Haydn-Jones

Perhaps best known to most audiences for his recurring role as Arthur Ketch on the long-running cult The CW series Supernatural, David Haydn-Jones has been steadily building a career in television movies across networks including Lifetime crime dramas for the past few years as well.

When it comes to the Hallmark Channel, Haydn-Jones has so far appeared in three of their beloved Christmas movies: 2014’s A Cookie Cutter Christmas, 2016’s My Christmas Dream, and 2017’s A Bramble House Christmas.

4 Sam Page

Sam Page has had quite the versatile television career so far, with either recurring or starring roles on series such as Mad Men, Gossip Girl, House of Cards, Switched at Birth, and The Bold Type. Page joined the Hallmark Channel family in 2016, and he’s been working steadily with them ever since.

In addition to appearing in some Valentine’s Day and summer-themed films, Page has so far appeared in three Christmas movies at the network: The Perfect Christmas Present, A Royal New Year’s Eve, and Christmas in Rome.

3 Colin Ferguson

Canadian actor Colin Ferguson has also had quite the impressively versatile career in the world of television, with major roles in series including Eureka, The Vampire Diaries, Hallmark Channel’s Cedar Cove, Haven, and You’re the Worst. He is, of course, also well known as the Maytag Man in the commercials for Maytag appliances.

Since 2016, Ferguson has been working steadily on Hallmark, in both their murder mysteries and in their Christmas movies. So far, Ferguson has appeared in three of the channel’s beloved films: Every Christmas Has a Story, Christmas on Honeysuckle Lane, and Christmas in Montana.

2 Cameron Mathison

Cameron Mathison is just one of the many soap opera actors who made the jump from the world of soaps to the world of the Hallmark Channel, but he may just be one of the most successful in both of those genres. After appearing over a thousand episodes of All My Children between 1998 and 2011, Mathison made the jump to Hallmark Channel in 2013.

And ever since then, he’s not slowed down in the slightest. So far, Mathison has starred in four Christmas films at the network, including The Christmas Ornament, Window Wonderland, A Christmas to Remember, and The Christmas Club.

1 Andrew Walker

Prior to his career at Hallmark, Andrew Walker had quite the lengthy career as a character actor, with turns on shows including Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, Reba, The Big Bang Theory, and Flashpoint. But since joining the Hallmark Channel in 2012, Walker has become their veritable leading man, and undoubtedly one of their most popular.

So far, Walker has appeared in six Christmas-themed movies at the network: A Bride for Christmas, Debbie Macomber’s Dashing Through the Snow, A Dream of Christmas, A Christmas in Tennessee, Merry & Bright, and Christmas on My Mind.

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