‘AN UNCOMMON GRACE’
Cast Bios
JES MACALLAN (Grace Conner) – A graduate of the University of Florida, Jes Macallan’s
interest in the arts began early. A classically trained dancer, she studied from the age of three
for 18 years and still practices today. She later modeled in Miami, New York and Milan before
studying acting in New York City. Macallan has starred for four seasons in ABC’s hit drama series
“Mistresses” and has guest-starred in numerous other series including “Red Band Society,”
“Relationship Status,” “NCIS: Los Angeles,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “Shameless” and “Justified.” She
has appeared in a number of independent feature films, including Hired Gun, Identity Crisis,
Behaving Badly and One, Two, Many. She recently starred in the films The Mentor, Thirst and
Married by Christmas. Macallan is an ambassador for the Best Friends Animal Society and makes
her home in Los Angeles.
###
SEAN FARIS (Levi Troyer) – Best known to movie audiences for his starring role in Never Back
Down, for which he received an MTV Movie Award, Sean Faris also appeared as Dennis Quaid’s
eldest son in Yours, Mine and Ours, and co-starred with Betty White and Jennifer Love Hewitt in
CBS’ Hallmark Hall of Fame presentation “The Lost Valentine.”
On the small screen, Faris has most recently been recurring on ABC Family’s hit series “Pretty
Little Liars” along with a multi-episode arc on The CW’s “Vampire Diaries.” He starred as the lead
in FOX’s acclaimed drama series “Reunion” and he previously led the cast of ABC’s “Life as We
Know It,” for which he was heralded as a breakout talent by Daily Variety, The Hollywood Reporter
and USA Today. Other television work includes guest-starring roles on “Supernatural,”
“Smallville,” “One Tree Hill” and “Boston Public.” Faris made his feature film debut alongside Ben
Affleck and Josh Hartnet in Michael Bay’s epic film Pearl Harbor.
###
KELLY MCGILLIS (Elizabeth Conner) – California native Kelly McGillis was accepted into the
acting program at the Pacific Conservatory of the Performing Arts following high school, where
she began to study acting in earnest. McGillis was so taken with her studies that she applied to,
(more)
HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES – ‘AN UNCOMMON GRACE’ – CAST BIOS/Page 2
and was accepted by, the drama department of the Juilliard School in New York. It was while
she was a student there that she was discovered by Robert Ellis Miller, who cast her in his film
Reuben, Reuben as Tom Courtney’s love interest. Shortly thereafter, she appeared on stage in
the world premiere of Garson Kanin’s play “Peccadillo,” starring opposite Christopher Plummer
and Glynnis Johns.
McGillis’ big break came when she was cast to star opposite Harrison Ford in Peter Weir’s Witness,
playing the unforgettable role of Amish widow Rachel Lapp. This was soon followed by other
films, including Tony Scott’s Top Gun opposite Tom Cruise, Alan Rudolph’s Made In Heaven with
Timothy Hutton and Deborah Winger, and Jonathan Kaplan’s The Accused, opposite Jodie Foster,
among numerous others. Not restricting herself to the big screen, McGillis has continued to work
in television, starring in several miniseries and movies of the week, as well as a guest star arc on
Showtime’s “The L Word.” She also produced and starred in a film adaptation of Kate Chopin’s
novel, “Grand Isle.”
McGillis has always maintained her love of the stage, nurtured by her years at Juilliard. Since her
graduation, she has found time on a regular basis to perform live theatre – very often classics by
Chekov, Shaw, Ibsen, Shakespeare and O’Neill. She has regularly appeared in starring roles with
the prestigious Shakespeare Theatre of Washington, DC and also performed in a national tour of
the stage play “The Graduate,” as Mrs. Robinson. She received critical acclaim for her starring
performance as Regina in the California revival of Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” and for her
UK tour of Terrence McNally’s “Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune.” She appeared in the
independent films Stake Land, The Innkeepers, We Are What We Are, Tio Papi and the just
completed Blue.
McGillis has spent most of the past decade undertaking one of her most demanding roles – being
a mother and raising her two daughters, Kelsey and Sonora.
-- HALLMARK MOVIES & MYSTERIES --