This year, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries is excited to welcome many new family members to the all-new original Christmas movies featured in the Miracles of Christmas event! Find out more about the talent arriving in this year's heartwarming movies. Tune in for all-new premieres on Saturday and Sunday nights at 10pm/9c.
Alvina August as Molly in "Deliver by Christmas"
Alvina August is a rising actress who recently came off as a series regular in The CW’s hit show “Nancy Drew.” August played Detective Karen Hunt, an ambitious police detective and Scott Wolf, Nancy’s father’s, love interest.
Also on the television side, she just wrapped a recurring role in Hulu’s upcoming comedy series “Woke,” opposite Lamorne Morris. August recently appeared in Amazon’s superhero drama “The Boys,” executive produced by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg. Additionally, she heavily recurred in Netflix’s “Chilling Adventures of Sabrina” as well as Freeform’s “Siren.” Prior to that, August was a series regular in “The Other Kingdom” for Nickelodeon Network, recurred opposite Freddie Highmore in ABC’s “The Good Doctor” and had several guest star roles in the hit shows “Suits” (USA), “Supernatural” (The CW) as well as “Arrow” (The CW).
August’s feature film credits include playing opposite Anna Kendrick and Bill Hader in the Disney+ fantasy comedy movie Noelle, directed and written by Marc Lawrence. She can also be seen in Bad Times at the El Royale, written and directed by Drew Goddard and starring Chris Hemsworth, as well as The Intruder opposite Meagan Good and Dennis Quaid.
August is also an incredible singer and has been since she was young. She has worked in many studios and has recorded her original songs. Born and raised in Zimbabwe, August moved to Canada at 17 years old where she studied acting, which became her true passion. She currently is based in Vancouver and Los Angeles.
Listen to Alvina August's Podcast interview with the Bubbly Sesh >>
Drake Hogestyn as Benjamin in "Christmas Tree Lane"
Drake Hogestyn is best known to viewers for his role as John Black in the long-running daytime drama, “Days of Our Lives.” Hailing from Fort Wayne, Indiana, Hogestyn graduated from the University of South Florida in Tampa, where he attended on a baseball scholarship. He was drafted by the New York Yankees and played third base for their farm team until he was sidelined by an injury in 1978.
His first television role was as Brian McFadden in the series “Seven Brides for Seven Brothers,” based on the feature film of the same name. Additional television appearances include the TV movie “Beverly Hills Cowgirl Blues” starring Lisa Hartman and James Brolin, “Criminal Minds” and two primetime installments of “Days of Our Lives” – “One Stormy Night” and “Night Sins.”
Hogestyn and his wife Victoria have a son and three daughters.
Briana Price as Emma in "Christmas Tree Lane"
Briana Price was born and raised in Pasadena, California. She studied at Columbia University in of New York City, where she was preparing to be a doctor. However, her love for the arts took over and steered her in the direction of acting and dance. Price has toured with Nicki Minaj, performed on “13 Reasons Why,” “Shameless,” “The Prom,” “Glee” and “The Neighbors.” Stage credits include Tempest Redux as Ariel, All My Distances are Far as Ruby, Lysistrata Unbound as a female chorus member and she starred in Center Theatre Group’s remount of For the Love Of (or The Roller Derby Play) as Joy Ride. Price also wrote, directed, produced and starred in the web series entitled “Sunday.” She has trained at Berg Studios, Graham Sheils Studios, The Groundlings, and is a member of the actor-run non-profit The Collaborative.
Janel Parrish as Melody in "Holly & Ivy"
Born in Hawaii, Janel Parrish started in show business at the age of six on Broadway as Little Cosette in Les Miserables. From there, she discovered a love of television and film and ended up in Los Angeles. Parrish is best known for her role as Mona in the hit TV show “Pretty Little Liars” and as Margot in the film series To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before. She also was a contestant in season 19 of “Dancing with the Stars” where she placed third.
When not working on tv and film, Parrish loves returning to the stage when she can.
Listen to Janel Parrish's podcast interview with the Bubbly Sesh >
Jeremy Jordan as Adam in "Holly & Ivy"
Jeremy Jordan recently starred on Broadway opposite Kerry Washington in the provocative new play, American Son, and then reprised his role in the Netflix film adaptation of the show. Next up is his lead role as seminal record producer and Casablanca Records founder Neil Bogart in the feature Spinning Gold and starring as Seymour in the New York production of the iconic Little Shops of Horrors. Other films include The Last 5 Years opposite Anna Kendrick, Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, and Newsies. His TV work includes series regulars on The CW’s “Supergirl,” NBC’s “Smash” and Disney Channel’s “Tangled,” and guest starring on “The Flash,” “Elementary” and "Law & Order: SVU.” Other Broadway shows include his Tony-nominated starring role in Newsies, playing Clyde in Bonnie & Clyde (Theatre World Award), starring as Tony in West Side Story and playing leads in Rock ofAges and Waitress.
Follow @JeremyMJordan for concert and music updates.
Marisol Nichols as Nina in "Holly & Ivy"
Marisol Nichols can be seen starring as Hermione Lodge on The CW’s “Riverdale”. She will next appear as the female lead alongside Samuel L Jackson, Chris Rock and Max Minghella in Spiral, releasing May 2021. She has appeared as the mysterious and elusive Desert Wolf on the popular MTV series “Teen Wolf" and had significant recurring roles as ATF Special Agent Zoe Keates on “NCIS" and Agent Natalie Colfax on the staple crime series “Criminal Minds”. Showcasing her versatile acting skills, Nichols next played the Pakistani- American Nadia Yassir, who commands CTU in Season Six of the hot series “24". Additionally, she starred as Sarah Monahan on ABC’s “The Gates” and as Heather Cruz in the Darren Star produced ABC show “GCB” opposite Kristin Chenoweth and Leslie Bibb.
In addition to her work on screen, Nichols fights for the rights of young girls and women through her philanthropic and activism work with her non-profit organization Foundation for a Slavery Free World as well as Youth for Human Rights International. Both organizations fight to bring awareness and shine a light on modern day slavery and the commercial sexual exploitation of children on a global level, as well as here in the United States. Additionally, she produces the annual Human Rights Hero Awards, where she awards other organizations and individuals that are doing heroic work in this field.
Early in her career, Nichols landed a role in Showtime’s groundbreaking “Resurrection Boulevard,” for which she received critical acclaim for her defiant portrayal of troubled teen Victoria Santiago. After a three-year run on “Resurrection Boulevard,” Nichols starred in the Steven Bochco drama “Blind Justice” as Detective Karen Bettancourt.
Her breakout role as Audrey Griswold alongside Chevy Chase and Beverly D’Angelo in Vegas Vacation brought her to the forefront of classic American cinema. She then appeared as Windsor College student and Omega Beta Zeta sorority girl Dawnie in horror box office thriller Scream 2, which was followed by appearances on the big screen hits Can’t Hardly Wait, and Mafia! From there she went on to star opposite Martin Lawrence in Big Momma’s House 2 and opposite Larry the Cable Guy in Delta Farce.
Three-time ALMA Award nominee and Latin beauty, Nichols is one of Hollywood’s hottest commodities. According to The Washington Post, she “brings spirit and even a [dash] of sizzle and easily manages to be the most magnetic presence around.” This Chicago born beauty’s career, like her Mexican-Hungarian-Romanian roots, can be best described as deliciously diverse. Marisol currently resides in Los Angeles with her daughter Rain.
Nazneen Contractor as Kendra in "The Christmas Ring"
Born in Mumbai, India and raised in Nigeria, Africa until the age of seven, Nazneen quickly became well versed in world travels and a variety cultures at a very young age. She attended boarding school in London before her family moved to Toronto, Canada where she spent the majority of her young adulthood and studied classical ballet. It wasn’t until the age of 16 when she realized she actually wanted to pursue acting seriously. One year into her studies at University, Contractor went to an open call audition for the play Pericles at the prestigious Stratford Shakespeare Festival in Ontario, Canada, landing the female lead role. Contractor was immediately offered the opportunity to enroll in Stratford’s conservatory program, shortly thereafter joining the cast of A Midsummer Night’s Dream as Hermia.
By the third season with the company, Contractor set her sights on a career in film and television, quickly booking a regular role in the Anthony Hines (Borat, Bruno) produced Fox pilot, “The Papdits.” While the show didn’t end up getting picked up to series, soon after Contractor landed the role of Layla Hourani in “The Border,” a Canadian produced drama for CBC. The series aired worldwide, garnering Nazneen a Golden Nymph Award nomination at The Montecarlo Television Festival.
Upon moving to Los Angeles, Contractor booked the role of Kayla Hassan in the eighth season of the hit Fox drama series, “24.” Other roles soon followed including a recurring role on CBS comedy “Rules of Engagement” starring David Spade. Contractor later joined the cast of the final season of hit drama “Covert Affairs,” opposite Piper Perabo, before landing the role of Farah Nazan in NBC’s revival, “Heroes Reborn.” On the film front, Contractor appeared as Rima Harewood in the record-breaking Paramount feature film, Star Trek Into Darkness, directed by another one of her industry heroes, JJ Abrams.
Nazneen most recently starred as “Zara Hallam” in the Frank Spotnitz produced drama series, “Ransom.” She also proudly voiced the role of “Synara San” in “Star Wars Resistance.”
When not working, Contractor is an avid runner and yogi. Philanthropy is a huge priority for her and she supports such organizations as Second Harvest to feed the homeless, and Look Good Feel Better, supporting women with cancer. Nazneen lives in Los Angeles with her husband, children, and border terrier.
Lucia Micarelli as Kate in "The Christmas Bow"
Born in Queens, New York, Lucia Micarelli was immersed in the arts by the age of three, diligently practicing dance, piano and violin. It didn’t take long for Micarelli to discover her passion and greatest talent was the violin, which quickly became her main focus. After moving to Hawaii at the age of five, she continued to refine her skills on the violin with teachers Kathryn Lucktenberg and Sheryl Shohet, and just a year later at the age of six, Micarelli made her debut as a soloist with the Honolulu Symphony Orchestra. Soon after, she began frequently appearing on local television shows and concertizing throughout the Islands.
At 11 years old, Micarelli was accepted into the prestigious Juilliard School of Music’s Pre-College Division. She studied with the renowned violin pedagogue Dorothy DeLay and also took lessons with Itzhak Perlman, Cho-Liang Lin and Won-Bin Yim. Within a year, playing against some of the world’s most gifted prodigies, she won the Pre-College Concerto Competition and settled into a routine that would combine instruction with concert appearances at the Hollywood Bowl, Lincoln Center and other prominent international venues. Micarelli spent her summers at the Aspen Music Festival where she regularly performed with the orchestra. She won the Violin Concerto Competition in 2000, resulting in a performance of the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto with the Festival Orchestra.
At 17, Micarelli left Juilliard to attend the Manhattan School of Music, where she studied with celebrated international violinist Pinchas Zukerman. It was during this time that she began to develop a growing interest in non-classical music. Micarelli started moonlighting with local jazz and rock bands in New York clubs and by the following year, she had accepted an offer to tour with the Trans-Siberian Orchestra as a featured violinist and concertmaster.
Since then, her profile has continued to soar. She’s been a featured soloist in two of Josh Groban’s world tours, toured extensively with Chris Botti and was featured in his “Live From Boston” PBS special (from which the duet they performed together, “Emmanuel,” has received over seven million YouTube views) and was featured in Barbra Streisand’s 2013 international tour. She also released two solo albums, Music From A Farther Room and Interlude. In 2009, Micarelli broadened her career even further when she was cast in the starring role of Annie in HBO’s critically acclaimed series “Treme,” created by David Simon and Eric Overmeyer, which ran for four seasons and won a Peabody Award as well as a Primetime Emmy Award.
Recently, Micarelli finished her first PBS concert special which has been airing throughout the U.S. This PBS event is an eclectic journey through her many musical influences – from classical to jazz to traditional fiddle music and Americana – all bound together by her trademark emotional vulnerability and technical wizardry.
Adrian Holmes as Luke in "The Christmas Doctor"
With over 100 film and television credits to his name, award winning actor Adrian Holmes has become one to watch in the entertainment industry through the diverse and dynamic characters he has brought to life on screen. Holmes can be seen starring in Netflix’s vampire-drama series “V-Wars,” based on the popular best-selling book series by Jonathan Maberry. He also appeared on the second season of “Sacred Lies” as well as Amazon’s “The Boys.” On the film front, Holmes was recently seen in the Universal Pictures’ summer action-thriller Skyscraper alongside The Rock and “Chained” an indie-feature that will premiere fall 2020.
Holmes is well-known for starring as Nick Barron on Bravo's original series, “19-2” and for his portrayal of "Captain Pike" on the long running CW series, "Arrow." In 2017 he took home Canada's top honor in film and television for “19-2,” with the Canadian Screen Award for Best Lead Male in a Dramatic Series. The show also won Best Drama at the 2016 Canadian Screen Awards and was also nominated for a 2016 International Emmy Award.
In addition to working in front of the camera, Holmes has also tried his hand in producing and co-produced (alongside Step by Step Productions) the docudrama "Barrow: Freedom Fighter.”
Additional film credits include Sony/TriStar Pictures’ Elysium & Debug, WWE Studios’ Vendetta, Frankie & Alice, IFC’s Wrecked, and Warner Bros’ Red Riding Hood.
Born in Wrexham, North Wales, with family from Barbados, Holmes grew up in and around Vancouver, British Columbia. The eldest of three boys, Holmes was a natural entertainer as a child, doing Michael Jackson impressions for anyone who would watch. In junior high school Holmes’ drama class wrote a play for a local festival called The Challenge, which was awarded Outstanding Junior Play, and Holmes awarded Outstanding Junior Actor. From that moment on he knew he wanted to pursue a career in acting. He continued to perform in stage productions throughout high school and college and studied his craft in Vancouver with world-renowned coach Larry Moss. He went on to study in New York City at Black Nexxus Inc. at the Times Square Arts Center. Holmes received his first LEO Award nomination [the Canadian Emmys] for Best Guest Performance, for his work in the series “The Collector.”
When he isn’t on set, Holmes enjoys traveling, and tries to get back to see his family in Barbados as much as possible. He likes to keep active on his down time and is always up for a great game of golf.
