Hallmark’s Second String

In October, I introduced this new series of articles, highlighting the second string of actors who have appeared in a handful (or more) of Hallmark movies over the network’s 20 year history, running the gamut from its Winter Fest, Spring Fling, Fall Harvest and, of course, Countdown to Christmas series of movies.

While viewers know the regular leads of the network’s movies like Candace Cameron Bure, Lacey Chabert, Brennan Elliott and Ryan Paevey, the network has a lot of familiar faces who play an equally important role that of “second string.”

Here is the next group of actors to honor:

Tammy Gillis – The Manitoba native appeared in three Hallmark movies in 2015, including A Novel Romance and the Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise movies Truth Be Told and The Impossible Dream. Over the next two years, she appeared in Unleashing Mr. Darcy, Wedding Bells and Murder, She Baked: Just Desserts. In 2018, she appeared four Hallmark movies, including Frozen in Love, Deadly Deed: A Fixer Upper Mystery, The Sweetest Heart and Marrying Mr. Darcy. Her most recent movies for Hallmark have been Aurora Teagarden Mysteries: A Game of Cat and Mouse and Poisoned in Paradise: A Martha’s Vineyard Mystery.

Lisa Durupt – The Winnipeg native has appeared in a whopping 18 Hallmark movies since 2012. Her list includes Hitched for the Holidays, The Color of Rain, The Convenient Groom, The Irresistible Blueberry Farm, Operation Christmas, A Dream of Christmas, The Perfect Catch, Reunited at Chirstmas, Holiday Hearts, High Flying Romance and Time for Them to Come Home for Christmas. She also appeared in the following Murder She Baked franchise movies Just Desserts, A Deadly Recipe, A Peach Cobbler Mystery, A Plum Pudding Mystery and A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery. To top it off she appeared in The Chronicles Mysteries: Recovered and Garage Sale Mystery: A Case of Murder.

RELATED: Hallmark’s Second String

Stephanie Bennett – The Vancouver native appeared in a episode of the Signed, Sealed, Delivered franchise when it was a weekly series and then was in the 2014 holiday movie The Nine Lives of Christmas, and she also reprised her role in the sequel The Nine Kittens of Christmas that was out last month. Her other Hallmark movies include Valentine in the Vineyards, The Last Bridesmaid and The Julius House: An Aurora Teagarden Mystery.

Sarah Smyth – She hails from Nova Scotia, and appeared as Andie MacDowell’s daughter on all three seasons of the Hallmark series Cedar Cove. Her other Hallmark movies include The Mistletoe Promise, Christmas Getaway and the Hailey Dean Mysteries franchise movie A Prescription for Murder. She has also appeared in a handful of episodes of the popular Hallmark series When Calls the Heart.

How many of these Hallmark movies have you seen? Do you recognize these actresses?

Please be on the look-out for more sections of this new article series in the future.