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- With November coming soon and Christmas right around the corner, fans of Hallmark Christmas movies are making their lists and checking them twice... lists of which movies to watch this year, that is. There are many releases that promise as much fun and cheer as previous years, and when looking back on favorite films from the last few holiday seasons, there are many Hallmark actors who have starred in some of the most popular and festive movies.
Fans are getting ready for cozy holiday films like A Magical Christmas Village, A Kismet Christmas, and Noel Next Door. 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 as well. From Luke McFarlane to Tyler Hynes and Ryan Paevey, fans often debate the most popular Hallmark male actor, and they all lend some holiday cheer and magic to each project. The best Hallmark actors always leave viewers with a smile on their faces.
Updated on October 26th, 2022 by Aya Tsintziras:
With November coming soon and Christmas right around the corner, fans of Hallmark Christmas movies are making their lists and checking them twice... lists of which movies to watch this year, that is. There are many releases that promise as much fun and cheer as previous years, and when looking back on favorite films from the last few holiday seasons, there are many Hallmark actors who have starred in some of the most popular and festive movies.
13 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.
12 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 Stargate: Atlantis.
But since 2014, Penny has been consistently appearing in many of Hallmark's best Christmas 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.
11 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.
10 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 for the network: Christmas Land, The Mistletoe Promise, Karen Kingsbury's Maggie's Christmas Miracle, A Shoe Addict's Christmas, and Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen.
9 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.
8 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. These include some of the best Hallmark Christmas movie storylines out there.
7 Sam Page
Sam Page has had quite a versatile television career so far, with either recurring or starring roles on series such as The Bold Type. Page ed 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 on the network: The Perfect Christmas Present, A Royal New Year's Eve, and Christmas in Rome.
6 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.
5 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 be one of the most successful in both of those genres. After appearing in over a thousand episodes of All My Children between 1998 and 2011, Mathison made the jump to Hallmark Channel in 2013.
Ever since then, he's not slowed down in the slightest. So far, Mathison has starred in four Christmas films for the network, including The Christmas Ornament, Window Wonderland, A Christmas to , and The Christmas Club. These are all sweet Christmas movies that even cynical partners will enjoy.
4 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 ing 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 on 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.