Kristoffer Polaha has been solidifying his title as a Hallmark hunk for close to a decade, starring in everything on the network from mysteries to romance.
Born in Reno, Nevada, the 47-year-old leading man has been at it in the industry for quite some time, with early work including guest roles on shows like Angel, Roswell, That’s Life, House, and more, with more prominent roles throughout the early 2000s and 2010s being on series like North Shore, Miss Guided, Life Unexpected, and Ringer, to name a few.
By 2015, he was making his Hallmark debut (alongside none other than Meghan Markle) and has become a staple on the network ever since — but don’t miss his parts in major blockbusters either! The actor has also had roles in movies like Jurassic World: Dominion (2022) and Wonder Woman 1984 (2020).
“As an actor, I am leaning into Hallmark because it’s fun to sit with my seven-year-old and show him what I do for a living,” he wrote in the guest column of The Hollywood Reporter in 2018.
“These are family-friendly movies. I’m leaning in because my 91-year-old Nana finally thinks I’ve made it in Hollywood because I’m on Hallmark. People her age remember the stores and the tangible products of a major household name brand. I’m leaning into them because they are leaning into me and showing me the love.”
Here, take a look at the 10 best Kristoffer Polaha Hallmark movies!
10. A Winning Team (2023)
Nadia Hatta leads as Emily, a pro soccer player who, due to poor sportsmanship, gets let go from her team and returns to her hometown to regroup. It’s there where she meets Ian (Polaha), the coach of her niece’s soccer team. While their coaching and leadership styles differ, the two team up to lead the young team to victory — but what happens when Emily is offered a spot back on her old team?
9. We Wish You a Married Christmas (2022)
With the advice of their marriage coach, Becca (Marisol Nichols) and Robby (Polaha) make their way to a cozy inn in Vermont ahead of the holidays in an effort to try and connect more. However, a car-related issue extends their stay and forces them to partake in the holiday festivities that surround them — and it just might be the thing that brings them back together.
8. Double Holiday (2019)
Rebecca (Carly Pope) is forced to work alongside her intolerable colleague to plan their company Christmas party. Despite the two competing for the same promotion, Rebecca begins warming up to Chris as he learns about her family’s Hanukkah traditions and the two learn about each other outside of the office.
7. Rocky Mountain Christmas (2017)
Sarah (Lindy Booth) heads home to her family’s dude ranch in Colorado where she meets Graham (Polaha), a movie star looking to learn the ins and outs of ranching and wrangling ahead of his next film.
6. Pearl in Paradise (2018)
A magazine photographer (Jill Wagner) and author (Polaha) team up to find a rare blue pearl in Fiji that he wrote about in his novel, Pearl in Paradise. As they embark on this adventure, they just might discover something else they hadn’t expected: love.
5. A Dickens of a Holiday! (2021)
Brooke D’Orsay leads as Cassie, who reaches out to action star Jake (Polaha) to star in his hometown’s production of A Christmas Carol as part of their Victorian festival. Though initially at odds, the two warm up to each other in the spirit of Christmas.
4. Small Town Christmas (2018)
Nell (Ashley Newbrough) is less than excited about doing a reading at an old friend’s bookstore (Polaha). Having stood her up on their first date and left town with no explanation, she holds resentment toward Emmett, especially when he introduces her as a “former acquaintance.” However, when she meets his young niece, she learns there’s more to the story.
3. A Biltmore Christmas (2023)
A screenwriter named Lucy (Bethany Joy Lenz) visits the Biltmore Estate, the filming location of a 1947 film they’re doing a remake of, to find inspiration. When she finds herself transported to 1947, she’s soon falling for the film’s star (Polaha), complicating things quite a bit.
2. Hearts of Christmas (2016)
This film follows a group of selfless nurses apart of the NICU at a hospital, and when a beloved member of the team is forced to retire early as a means of cutting costs, they decide to give her a sendoff at their annual Christmas party. However, the hospital’s new CFO (Polaha) responsible for this has a change of heart when he sees how important these nurses really are to people.
1. Dater’s Handbook (2016)
Meghan Markle plays an unlucky-in-love woman who turns to the pros — Dr. Susie and her newest “Dater’s Handbook.” Before long, she finds herself torn between two different men.
Kristoffer Polaha can currently be seen in Harlen Coben’s new series, Shelter, streaming now on Amazon. Probably best-known for starring in the The CW’s critically acclaimed series Life Unexpected, more recently Polaha starred opposite Angie Harmon in the Lifetime movie, Buried in Barstow, recurred on the cable series Get Shorty opposite Ray Romano and Chris O’Dowd as well as the limited series Condor opposite William Hurt and Max Irons. He also co-starred with Rainn Wilson in the Fox series Backstrom, as well as a number of TV series over the past 10 years, including North Shore, Miss Guided, Made in Jersey, Ringer and Valentine, in addition to a multi-season recurring role on the acclaimed series Mad Men and numerous guest stars on both cable and network series. Polaha is also well known for his many lead roles for Hallmark and most recently starred in A Biltmore Christmas. On the feature side, Polaha stars as the lead in the film The Shift for director Brock Heasley, released in December 2023. He was featured as Handsome Man in Wonder Woman 1984 for Warner Brother Studios as well as the blockbuster Jurassic World Dominion for Universal Studios. Polaha has appeared in numerous independent features, including Where Hope Grows, Back in the Day, Devil’s Knot and Petty Crimes. Additionally, he wrote, directed and starred in the short film, A Work of Art, which premiered at The Cannes Film Festival.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter, Hallmark Channel, IMDb
