Hunter King, the newest addition to Hallmark's stable of leading ladies, may look familiar. You've probably seen the actress in her Emmy-winning role as Summer Newman on "The Young and the Restless," or in the CBS comedy "Life In Pieces." Or maybe you're picking up on the 30-year-old's stunning resemblance to her famous little sister Joey King ("Bullet Train").
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Whatever you know her from, Hunter King is here to stay. Since making her Hallmark debut in 2022 with "Hidden Gems" and the holiday romance "A Royal Corgi Christmas," King has signed a multi-picture deal with the network. Next up on her list? A 2023 Countdown to Christmas flick called "The Santa Summit," co-starring "Virgin River" actor Benjamin Hollingsworth and premiering Sunday, Nov. 5 at 8/7c on Hallmark.
"I feel so incredibly grateful and lucky to be part of the Hallmark family! Growing up, I would drive past Hallmark's headquarters nearly every day and dream about getting the chance to be in one of their movies some day," King gushed in a statement following her 2022 deal with Hallmark. "Getting to make three Hallmark movies this year has already been so amazing and I'm so excited for what's to come. I get to be in Hallmark movies for a living! Are you kidding me? Is this real life?"
Below, we paint a portrait of Hunter King's quick rise to Hallmark fame. We also dig in to the star's mysterious love life since breaking off her engagement to camera operator Nico Svoboda in 2020.
Her Real Name Is Haley
Hunter King at the Film Independent Spirit Awards in 2020. (Taylor Hill/FilmMagic)
Hunter King was born Haley Ashley King on October 19, 1993 in Ventura County, California.
She Has a Famous Sister
Joey King and Hunter King at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party in 2020. (Chelsea Lauren/WWD/Penske Media via Getty Images)
Hunter King is the middle child of three, with an older sister named Kelli and a younger sister, the actress Joey King, pictured above, left.
Joey King was nominated for the Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Awards for Best Actress in a Limited Series for her role in Hulu's Dee Dee Blanchard biodrama "The Act" (2020). You might also recognize the 24-year-old star from Netflix's "The Kissing Booth" film series, "The Conjuring," "Fargo" Season 1 and the 2022 Brad Pitt starrer "Bullet Train."
The King sisters are extremely close, with Hunter regularly posting photos of the trio on Instagram. After her sister Joey's September 2023 wedding to writer-director Steven Piet ("The Act"), Hunter posted the following tribute:
"My lil sis is married," she wrote, adding: "I couldn't be happier that these two found each other and now get to spend forever together. Truly the most incredible wedding for the most incredible people."
Her Big Break Was "The Young and the Restless"
Michael Mealor and Hunter King in "The Young and the Restless." (Howard Wise/JPI Studios)
For ten years, Hunter King played Summer Newman on "The Young and the Restless" — a role which nabbed her two Daytime Emmy Awards for
Prior to her stint on the soap opera, King had guest roles in well-loved series like "Dexter," "Roswell," "Line of Fire," "Without a Trace," "ER" and "Hannah Montana." She also recurred in the CBS comedy "Life In Pieces," which ran from 2015 to 2019.
King's first professional film role was a small part in Steven Spielberg's "A.I. Artificial Intelligence" (2001).
What Hallmark Movies Has Hunter King Been In?
Hunter King in Hallmark's "A Royal Corgi Christmas," 2022. (Martin Maguire/Hallmark)
King began her Hallmark career with a string of movies for the network in 2022. She led the Hawaii-set rom-com "Hidden Gems," then starred opposite Rhiannon Fish in Hallmark Movies & Mysteries' "Nikki & Nora: Sister Sleuths," about fraternal twin sisters forced to reconcile when they inherit a detective agency. King capped off her inaugural year as a Hallmark leading lady alongside Jordan Renzo in "A Royal Corgi Christmas."
In April 2023, King played a bridesmaid-for-hire in "The Professional Bridesmaid." This Countdown to Christmas, she stars alongside Benjamin Hollingsworth in Hallmark's "The Santa Summit," premiering Nov. 5 on the network.
Does Hunter King Have a Boyfriend?
Hunter King and her then-fiancé Nico Svoboda. (Lesley Bohm via Soaps In Depth)
King's dating life remains a bit of a mystery. In August 2020, it was confirmed that King and her fiancé Nico Svoboda, a camera operator the actress met on the set of Y&R, had split nearly two years after getting engaged. A source told US Weekly at the time that the break was "amicable."
King then began dating Andy MacNeil, a producer, around July 2022. The couple remained an item as late as April 2023, but it is unclear whether they are still together. Both King and MacNeil appear to have removed photos of each other from their respective Instagram profiles.
