Benjamin Ayres: 11 of Our Favorite Movies Starring the Hallmark Hunk
Benjamin Ayres might be Hallmark royalty today, but the 47-year-old Canadian actor has an extensive resume that expands beyond the gripping mysteries and swoon-worthy romances of the network. Seen for the first time on screen in 2002's Summer, Ayres went on to make guest appearances in numerous series throughout the 2000s. Some you may have seen him in were Battlestar Galactica, Supernatural, Reunion, Killer Instinct and Smallville.
It wasn't until 2008 when he took on one of his most notable roles in the popular series JPod as Casper "Cowboy" Jesperson. Later, he went on to have a regular role in another series, Dan for Mayor, between 2010 and 2011, and in 2012, he took on a starring role as Dr. Zachary Miller in Saving Hope. During his time on the show, you could also see him make appearances in Seed, Rookie Blue, Schitt's Creek and Bitten, before he made his Hallmark debut in 2016's Love by Chance, followed by Falling for Vermont alongside Julie Gonzalo.
Related: Julie Gonzalo and Chris McNally: The Hallmark Couple’s Real-Life Love Story
Here, take a look at a ranking of some of our favorite Hallmark movies Benjamin Ayres has starred in over the years.
Benjamin Ayres best movies, ranked
11. Chronicle Mysteries Series (2019 - 2021)
In the first installment of the series, Chronicle Mysteries: Recovered, Alex McPherson (Alison Sweeney) hosts a true crime podcast, and the latest installment brings her back to the small town where she spent her summers in Pennsylvania growing up.
As she dives into the disappearance of her childhood friend 20 years earlier with the help of a local newspaper editor, Drew (Benjamin Ayres), the duo might just get to the bottom of a decades old murder and find out what happened to her missing friend.
The films that follow include Chronicle Mysteries: The Wrong Man (2019), Chronicle Mysteries: The Deep End (2019), Chronicle Mysteries: The Vines That Bind (2019) and Chronicle Mysteries: Helped to Death (2021). In each installment, the duo comes together and uses their individual skills to get to the bottom of a series of gripping murders and mysteries.
10. Miracle in Bethlehem, PA (2023)
Laura Vandervoort plays Mary Ann, a woman who wants nothing more than to be a mother. When the opportunity to adopt a child lands her in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to meet her new baby, bad weather prevents she and her new bundle of joy from traveling back home.
With the local inn filled to the brim, the innkeeper sets Mary Ann up in the spare room of her brother Joe's (Benjamin Ayres) home. As Mary and Joe get to know one another and spend time together during these transitional points in their lives, the attraction between them grows and their relationship develops.
9. Love by Chance (2016)
Claire's (Beau Garrett) mom is constantly trying to play matchmaker for her, and when she finally vows to put a stop to it, she meets Eric (Benjamin Ayres), a young, handsome doctor that is perfect for her daughter. When Helen secretly sets up a meeting between the two, Eric and Claire start to genuinely fall for one another — but what happens when Claire learns the truth behind their meeting?
8. Field Day (2023)
Jen (Rachel Boston), Marissa (Carmel Amit) and Kelly (Shannon Chan-Kent) are three moms who find themselves responsible for planning their children's field day at school. As the women navigate this journey together and grow closer in the process, Jen also finds herself growing closer to someone else: Dan (Benjamin Ayres), the school gym teacher.
7. A Blue Ridge Mountain Christmas (2019)
Rachael Leigh Cook stars as Willow, who returns to her hometown to help prepare for her sister's wedding. While there, she comes to learn that the local inn that her family sold in the wake of her dad's passing, is on sale. Willow manages to convince the inn's handsome owner (Benjamin Ayres) to let her turn the barn into a wedding venue, allowing her to reconnect to the inn that was once such a big part of her life, as well as open herself up to the possibility of romance.
6. Color My World With Love (2022)
Emma (Erica Durance) is the mother of Kendall (Lily D. Moore), who has Down Syndrome. When Kendall meets Brad (David DeSanctis) at a cooking class, sparks fly and they eventually become engaged. However, Emma fears that her daughter isn't ready to take this step. With the help of Nic (Benjamin Ayres), who is a family friend of Brad's, Emma slowly stars to see that Kendall deserves to live the life she wants to.
5. True Justice: Family Ties (2023)
Casey (Katherine McNamara) is a law students who teams up with her classmates to prove that her brother was wrongfully convicted of murder. With the help of their professor (Nikki DeLoach), they just might get close to the truth. Benjamin Ayres also stars as D.A. Quinn.
4. Cranberry Christmas (2020)
Dawn (Nikki DeLoach) and Gabe (Benjamin Ayres) are the husband and wife duo who run lifestyle brand Cranberry Lane, but the truth is that behind the scenes, they're separated and are questioning the future of their marriage. Their hopes of keeping distant over the holidays are squashed when they end up running their town's Christmas festival together and simultaneously, are sought out to be featured by a popular TV personality. As they spend more time together, they just might find their way back to the couple they used to be.
3. Long Lost Christmas (2022)
Hayley (Taylor Cole) wishes to give her mom the perfect Christmas present: her extended family, more specifically, her mom's long lost brother. As she sets out to find who she think might be her uncle, she finds herself in a charming town full of new people, one of them being property manager Jake (Benjamin Ayres).
2. You, Me & the Christmas Trees (2021)
Danica McKellar stars as Olivia, an evergreen tree expert. A few days before Christmas, Jack (Benjamin Ayres), who is a Christmas tree farmer, enlists her help to figure out the mysterious ailment that's causing his trees to die. While waiting for the results of her analysis, Olivia joins in on the holiday festivities of Jack's town and the two begin to fall for one another.
1. Falling for Vermont (2017)
Angela (Julie Gonzalo) is an author who needs a break from the craziness surrounding her latest book release. When she takes a trip to enjoy the fall leaves and autumn, she gets caught in a storm, driving into an embankment and hitting her head. When she wakes, she's being tended to by the town doctor (Benjamin Ayres). Caring for her while she recovers and gains back her memory, Angela gets to know him and his family, wondering if this accident wasn't such a bad thing in the end.
****BONUS****
Love and Jane (2024)
Alison Sweeney stars as Lilly, a Jane Austen fanatic and ad executive who finds herself face to face with Jane Austen herself, as she's entered her world to share with her wisdom and advice on how to navigate the trials and tribulations of her life.
Meanwhile, she's also dealing with Trevor (Benjamin Ayres), a tech billionaire who purchased her favorite bookstore that she's working on an ad campaign for, and sparks just might start to fly. Don't miss this new movie out February 10 at 8/7c on Hallmark!
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