You Might Not Recognize These Early-2000s Hallmark Stars Today

No matter a person's opinion on Hallmark movies and shows, it's hard to argue that the channel hasn't influenced culture. Love it, hate it, or find it unbearably cheesy, millions have seen the Hallmark Channel, and most viewers probably have at least one feature that's stuck in their mind to this day. And for longtime viewers, that feature might be from the early 2000s.

Hallmark's brand hasn't changed much since then. It's still heartwarming and sweet, even if that comes with a corny line or two. What has shifted a bit is the actors that bring those features to life. Sure, some of the most prominent actors on the network were around for some late 2000s flicks (here's looking at you, Lacey Chabert), but lots of the stars from the turn of the century have moved on to other projects. In fact, you might not recognize these early 2000s Hallmark stars today. Take a look.

Katherine Heigl starred in some great movies in the 2000s, including "Knocked Up," "27 Dresses," and "The Ugly Truth," and she had a long run as Dr. Izzie Stevens on "Grey's Anatomy," even earning an Emmy for her work in the medical drama. But Heigl was also a Hallmark star in the 2000s thanks to her role as Marty Claridge in 2003's "Love Comes Softly" and 2004's "Love's Enduring Promise." The beloved Hallmark series continued with a few other movies, but Heigl was only part of those two, her career outgrowing made-for-TV films before she was branded as difficult to work with.

During Heigl's career downturn, she moved out of Hollywood to Utah and worked on one or two projects per year before signing on for a recurring role in the last two seasons of "Suits." Her most recent offering was the Netflix series "Firefly Lane," the screen adaptation of the Kristen Hannah novel of the same name. The series lasted for two seasons and served as a resurgence in Heigl's career. Beyond that, however, the show reminded Heigl of what's important in life. "The takeaway for me from this was, it was such a beautiful reminder of what really matters in life and what really makes life feel purposeful and important, and it's not necessarily your ambition or your career," she said in a 2023 interview with The Nerds of Color.

The stunning Tori Spelling has been in the limelight since the '80s, but her acting output isn't quite what it used to be. After an epic nearly 300-episode run on "Beverly Hills, 90210," Spelling cemented herself as a Hallmark star in the early 2000s with hits "A Carol Christmas" and "Family Plan." Since then, Spelling has routinely appeared in made-for-TV movies, including "Mind Over Murder," "The House Sitter," "The Mistle-Tones," and "The Last Sharknado: It's About Time." More recently, Spelling has appeared on reality competition series like "The Masked Singer" and "Celebrity Show-Off," guest-hosted talk shows, and gotten into the podcast game, but she can still be found on the occasional re-run of one of her TV movies.

Spelling's most recent TV movie was the Lifetime original "Lost in the Everglades." The actor didn't agree to do the movie when she first received the offer as she had already committed to competing on "Dancing with the Stars." However, her time on that show didn't go as planned, and after she was cut from the dance competition show, Spelling signed on to act again. 

"The silver lining, the 'Everglade' lining, was this movie was still there, and they were like, 'Oh, we really wanted Tori to star in it,' and I was available. So I went right after being eliminated [from 'DWTS'] and dove right into the movie," Spelling told People in 2025. "I believe there [are] no coincidences in life, and everything happens when it's supposed to happen, and it's your journey," she said.

Jordan Bridges has been working in Hollywood since the '80s, and his resume reflects it. The son of Beau Bridges and nephew of Jeff Bridges, Jordan has starred in movies and TV series, had guest appearances on hit cable series, and has popped up in all sorts of hit network procedurals. He also became a Hallmark star relatively early in his career thanks to his work on the 2005 movie "Family Plan" alongside Tori Spelling. Since then, Jordan has been involved in several Hallmark projects, including "Love Takes Wing," "Love Finds a Home," "Holiday Engagement," and "Christmas at Holly Lodge."

Jordan hasn't appeared on any Hallmark offerings in the 2020s, but he's still been busy working. Among his recent credits have been "Law & Order: Organized Crime," "The Blacklist," and "Den of Thieves: Pantera." Jordan also had a role in both seasons of the Apple TV+ series "Palm Royale" alongside Kristen Wiig, Carol Burnett, Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, and Laura Dern. The actor was especially excited about working with Burnett. On a 2025 episode of the "Story & Craft" podcast, Jordan shared about his experience with the legendary comedian. "Just in the little bit of screen time where I'm actually playing with her, she's so giving, so generous, such a wonderful spirit, and gives everybody time ... I feel such a sense of respect and love for her just as a fan. Getting to work with her, it's huge," he said.

January Jones' breakout role happened on a prestige drama series, but before that, she was a Hallmark star. Jones had a role in the 2004 Hallmark film "Love's Enduring Promise" alongside Katherine Heigl, but Jones' time on the network didn't last too long as she went on to play Betty Draper on "Mad Men" just a couple of years later. That show, of course, was a massive hit and ran for seven seasons, and after it wrapped, Jones then starred in another hit series, "The Last Man on Earth." Since then, Jones has been in three other projects — "The Politician," "Spinning Out," and "God is a Bullet."

After "Mad Men" was over, Jones struggled to find roles that were different from what she had just played in Betty Draper. In a 2018 BUILD Series interview, Jones shared that she worried she would only be remembered for playing that one role, and it wasn't until she spoke with her "Anger Management" co-star Jack Nicholson at a dinner party that she reframed her outlook on what her legacy will likely be. "Being remembered as [Betty], which will probably be the most special career opportunity I have ever been given, just because of how many places she was taken, if I'm always remembered as her, that's not a bad thing," she said, noting that the quest to find acting work will never be as difficult for her as it was before "Mad Men."

'80s movie star Andrew McCarthy is still best known for his time as a member of the Brat Pack and his enduring films "St. Elmo's Fire" and "Pretty in Pink." But McCarthy's career has spanned decades, and in addition to becoming a writer, director, and producer since his time in the Brat Pack, McCarthy has also become a Hallmark star. McCarthy first started working with Hallmark in the early 2000s with the 2003 film "Straight from the Heart," and he appeared again on Hallmark years later in the film "Christmas Dance." Since then, McCarthy has appeared in projects like "13 Reasons Why," "Wednesday," and "The Resident." He also appeared in the documentary "Brats" about the Brat Pack, which he also directed and wrote.

McCarthy's most recent project, however, was off the screen. The multi-hyphenate has written a number of books, and in 2026, his newest offering was published, "Who Needs Friends: An Unscientific Examination of Male Friendship Across America." What started as a quick visit with friends turned into a road trip across the country and then a book that digs into the male loneliness epidemic. "It was an amazing experience and I encountered a lot of people. I rediscovered an America in a way I'd never had before," McCarthy said in an interview for USA Today. "I felt like there was this sort of emotional safety net spreading under me as I drove west. I found myself laughing more, being more relaxed, having more internal space, my mind looping less," he noted of his road trip.

Cheryl Ladd's career has outlived most. An icon of the '70s, Ladd shot to fame thanks to her starring role in the hit series "Charlie's Angels." Since then, Ladd has steadily appeared in movies and TV shows across about every network imaginable, including Hallmark. Ladd's Hallmark run in the 2000s includes films like "Eve's Christmas" and "Though None Go with Me." And her time on Hallmark didn't end there. She's also been in "Love's Everlasting Courage," "Garage Sale Mystery: The Wedding Dress," and "Royal New Year's Eve." Ladd has also recently appeared on TV movies on other platforms, including "Christmas Unwrapped" and "A Christmas for the Ages."

While Ladd has been quite successful in the made-for-TV movie space, nothing will ever outshine the legacy that is "Charlie's Angels." After Farrah Fawcett left the series ahead of its second season, Ladd took her place. In 2026, Ladd and her "Charlie's Angels" co-stars, Kate Jackson and Jaclyn Smith, celebrated the 50th anniversary of the series that started what's since become a franchise. And although on the outside the show was about crime-fighting women and female empowerment, Ladd and her co-stars felt the show truly showcased the power of female friendship. "I thought that showing women who were for each other, not competing with each other, that we were all for each other," Ladd said on an episode of "Today."

John Larroquette has been on television since the '70s. His career as a television actor ballooned when he starred in the '80s sitcom "Night Court," and in 2004, he joined the Hallmark family with the movie "Wedding Daze." Larroquette's tenure on the network continued with the "McBride" series, the actor serving as the titular character in each of the films. Since then, Larroquette has appeared on series of all kinds, including "Boston Legal," "Parks and Recreation," and "CSI: NY." Larroquette has also been involved in a number of significant reboots, including "Murphy Brown," "The Twilight Zone," and, of course, "Night Court."

Fans were thrilled to learn of the "Night Court" reboot, and while Marsha Warfield, Brent Spiner, and Annie O'Donnell all made appearances in a few episodes, Larroquette was the only original cast member who returned as a main cast member in the 2023 version. In a 2024 interview with People, Larroquette noted the range of emotions he felt while filming the reboot. "There's elation because there's this new crop of people, and then there's the sadness of remembering all those people that are no longer here ... We were just this family together, all of us. And we spent time off stage together a lot. So it was that — it was a family," he said, noting that many of the original cast members have died. "Every time I sit on [original set pieces] ... I get a little nostalgic heart zing," he said.

Matt Frewer is a character actor through and through. He's been in over 140 screen projects since the early '80s, making it nearly impossible for fans of television and movies to not have seen him in at least something. Longtime fans of the Hallmark Channel will remember Frewer from his turn as Sherlock Holmes in four made-for-TV movies in the early 2000s, including "The Hound of Baskervilles" and "The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire." Frewer returned to Hallmark in 2010 for the Christmas movie "Battle of the Bulbs," and since then, he's been in series like "Orphan Black," "Fear the Walking Dead," "Perry Mason," and "The Hunting Party."

Frewer has played many, many characters throughout his career, but he's still arguably best known for playing Max Headroom. What started as a character on a TV show in the U.K. turned into an enduring character with a cult following. Frewer didn't expect the character to become so iconic. In a 2017 interview with Sidewalks Entertainment, Frewer said, "I always thought it was weird enough to do well, that it would make a certain impact, but I had no idea ... that I'd end up on the cover of 'Newsweek,' for instance. It did seem to have this global repercussions, and it was very odd because we were working so hard on it, but you never had a sense of how well it was doing ... As quick as it came on the air it was pulled off the air, so you never really had a sense to really enjoy it."

Teri Polo began working as a professional actor in the late '80s, and since then, she's had over 100 roles on movies and TV shows. She entered the Hallmark world in the early 2000s with the movie "Straight from the Heart," which she starred in alongside Andrew McCarthy, and she's since appeared on the network a handful of times in movies like "Love Is a Four Letter Word," "A Taste of Romance," and "The Christmas Shepherd." Polo is also known for starring as Stef Foster in "The Fosters," and recently she starred in movies "Relative Control" and "The Man in the Windows."

To date, Polo's biggest claim to fame has been the "Meet the Parents" franchise. The first film in the series premiered in 2000 and continued with 2004's "Meet the Fockers" and 2011's "Little Fockers." Polo has starred in each film alongside Ben Stiller and Robert De Niro, as well as Blythe Danner and Owen Wilson. The forthcoming fourth installment, 2026's "Focker-in-Law," also includes Ariana Grande and Skyer Gisondo on the roster. 

Polo was floored to learn the cast was reunited for a fourth film. On a 2025 episode of the podcast "Hey Dude... The 90s Called!" (co-hosted by Stiller's wife, Christine Taylor), Polo said, "It was the very, very last thing in this world that I thought would ever happen ... When they called me, I absolutely, literally did not speak for a good 30 seconds."

Kimberly J. Brown was also part of the Hallmark family in the early 2000s as she was in "My Sister's Keeper" alongside Kathy Bates and Elizabeth Perkins. Millennials certainly know her for her work on the Disney Channel. In the late '90s and 2000s, she was in multiple Disney Channel Original Movies, including "Quints," and she played Marnie Piper in the first three "Halloweentown" movies, which also starred the legendary Debbie Reynolds. Since then, Brown has been in various movies and TV shows, and she's returned to Hallmark for multiple features, such as "Crossword Mysteries: Proposing Murder."

Brown was also in the 2025 Hallmark film "Haul Out the Halloween," the third in the "Haul out the Holly" series. She got to act alongside her husband again, whom she met while filming the second "Halloweentown" film, as well as Hallmark star Lacey Chabert, whom she's been friends with since childhood. "We really enjoyed getting to play a different side of the Halloween excitement. We've been on the magical, witchy and warlock side before, and it was fun to play some characters that are Shakespeare buffs and into the history and the spookiness of Halloween," Brown told Today in 2025 of her and her husband's time on set of the holiday film. "Getting to be a part of that world was truly just very exciting for us because we had been fans since the beginning," she added.