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PREVIOUSLY RELEASED                      CONTACT:            Pam Slay, 818.755.2480

October 16, 2002                                                      David Johnson, 818.755.2675

WILLIAM DEVANE AND MEREDITH BAXTER STAR IN

‘A CHRISTMAS VISITOR,’

ORIGINAL CHRISTMAS MOVIE EXCLUSIVELY FOR HALLMARK CHANNEL

          William Devane and Meredith Baxter are set to star in “A Christmas Visitor,” a two-hour Original Movie produced exclusively for Hallmark Channel, which will air Friday, November 24 (5/4c).  Encore presentations on Friday, December 8 (9/8c) and Sunday, December 10 (3/2c).

“A Christmas Visitor” is the story of a son killed in the Persian Gulf War, and of a family so grief stricken that they have forgotten the joys of the holidays until a mysterious visitor enters their lives.

The family – George, the father (William Devane), Carol, the mother (Meredith Baxter) and Jean, the daughter (Reagan Pasternak), is in crisis when Matthew (Dean McDermott), a visitor for Christmas, appears in their lives just hours before Christmas Eve and rekindles the spirit of the season.

“A Christmas Visitor” is executive produced by Gerald W. Abrams.  Directing from a screenplay by George Samerjan and David Saperstein is Christopher Leitch.  “A Christmas Visitor” is based on the novella of the same name by writers Samerjan and Saperstein.  Paul Goldman and Frank Siracusa are producers. 

Mr. Devane, one of Hollywood’s most respected actors, has a long list of theatrical and television credits, which include “McCabe and Mrs. Miller,” “The Missiles of October,” “Rolling Thunder,” “From Here to Eternity,” “The Other Victim,” “The Man Who Used to Be Me,” “A Woman Named Jackie,” “Virus,” “Night Watch,” “Poor White Trash,” “Race to Space,” “The Badge” and “Monte Walsh,” to name a very few.  Mr. Devane also starred in TV’s popular primetime soap “Knot’s Landing.”

Ms. Baxter, equally respected among actors, began her career with “Bridget Loves Bernie,” then followed with “The Stranger Who Looks Like Me,” “Little Women,” “Beulah Land,” “Vanities,” “Burning Bridges,” “Her Final Fury:  The Betty Broderick Story,” “Betrayed:  A Story of Three Women, “Miracle in the Woods,” “Dog’s Best Friend,” “Let Me Call You Sweetheart,” “Down Will Come Baby,” “Murder on the Orient Express,” “Aftermath” and “Heaven’s Pond.”  Ms. Baxter’s best-known role is America’s mom Elyse Keaton in “Family Ties.”

Hallmark Channel, owned and operated by Crown Media Holdings, Inc., is a 24-hour basic cable network that provides a diverse slate of high-quality entertainment programming to a national audience of 75 million subscribers.  The top tier program service is distributed through more than 5,300 cable systems and communities as well as direct-to-home satellite services across the country.  Hallmark Channel consistently ranks among the top 10 ad-supported cable networks in Total Day and Prime Time household ratings and is the nation’s leading network in providing family-friendly programming.  Crown Media also operates a second 24-hour linear channel, Hallmark Movie Channel.

Photo images from this project are available from Hallmark Channel Network Program Publicity.  Please contact Andrea Cimini at (818) 755-2682.  E-mail address: andreacimini@hallmarkchannel.com

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