Dan Jeannotte has become a favorite of Hallmark viewers after having appeared in the first five seasons of the Hallmark Channel original television series, "Good Witch," which began airing in 2015, portraying Brandon Russell, stealing viewers hearts as a kind and protective police officer.
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He then made his Hallmark movie debut by appearing in "Paris, Wine & Romance" in 2019, portraying the film's leading man, Jacques, who meets his love interest competing in a renowned Paris wine competition. In 2022 he portrayed another Hallmark Channel leading man, Colin, in "The Royal Nanny," a movie where a British CIA agent goes undercover as a nanny to keep the family safe during the holiday season.
Most recently he starred in the Valentine's Day romance "Sweeter Than Chocolate" as Dean Chase, a reporter investigating a local baker who is said to have discovered the secret recipe to finding love on Valentine's Day.
This holiday season, the 42-year-old actor will once again star in a Hallmark film. "Our Christmas Mural," set to be released on November 26 as part of the Hallmark Channel's "Countdown to Christmas." He'll depict Will, a teacher who teams up with a single mom for a mural contest.
Before Hallmark
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However, before the Montreal, Canada born actor became one of the leading men of the Hallmark Channel, he had a unique career in entertainment that included improvisational comedy and voice-over work.
In fact, he was part of an improv comedy troupe, Uncalled For, for more than 15 years. He'd met his fellow troupe members in college, where they became close friends and formed the troupe. For more than a decade they performed around North America with most of their performances taking place in Montreal and Toronto.
He made his acting debut in 2006 voice acting as Yoshimoto Imagawa in the adventure fantasy game "Samurai Warriors 2." He continued to find success voice acting for video games and was the winner of the ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance in a Video Game in 2015 for his work on the "Assassin's Creed" video game series.
In addition to his work as a voice actor, Jeannotte has cultivated an impressive career by appearing in a number of movies and television series. His credits include appearances in TV shows such as "Sophie," "Being Human," "Dark Matter," "Beauty and the Beast," "Newborn Moms," "Fargo," and "Designated Survivor."
One of his best-known television roles is James Stuart the Earl of Moray in the historic TV drama, "Reign," which he appeared in during 2016 and 2017. In the show, he portrays the son of James V and Margaret Erskine as well as the cautious, protective older brother of Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots.
Jeannotte is also known for his role as a writer and one of main character Jane's love interests, Ryan Decker also known as "Pinstripe Guy," in "The Bold Type." It's one of his best known roles with him appearing throughout all five of the Teen Choice Award nominated show's seasons which aired from 2017 until 2021.
His most recent television role highlights his versatility, playing George Samuel Kirk, Jr. or "Sam" - brother of James Kirk - in "Star Trek: Strange New Worlds." The continuation of the iconic sci-franchise first aired in 2021 and is now set to head into its third season. It's been a hit with Star Trek fans, earning a 2022 Primetime Emmy Award nomination and several Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Saturn Awards.
Even outside of his work with the Hallmark network, Jeannotte has shown his talent for acting in festive and heartwarming romance movies having played a leading role in "Home for a Royal Heart" and "Lease on Love" which were released last year, "Ghosts of Christmas Past" which was released in 2021 and "Christmas in the Highlands" which was released in 2019.
Some of his talent for portraying heartfelt romances might come from his real-life romance with actress and costume designer Heidi Hawkins. The two met more than a decade ago while co-starring in a production of Shakespeare's "As You Like It." Their characters were married by the end of the play, but Jeannotte and Hawkins' road to the altar took a bit longer.
In fact, when they met, the two were in relationships with other people.
"There was instantly something between us," Jeannotte told TRNTO. "But we couldn't admit it because we were actually both in relationships at the time. Our characters get married at the end of the play, and we shared a kiss onstage. Somehow that kiss seemed to get longer during every performance."
However, things worked out and the two were able to form a relationship and were married in December of 2012. They then welcomed a son in September of 2015.
Outside of acting and his family life, Jeannotte is known as an avid reader and baker who takes to social media to share recaps of the books he's read as well as photos of his creations in the kitchen.
