Academy Award Nominee and Tony Award Nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio

("The Color of Money," "Man of La Mancha"),

Two-Time Tony Award Winner Jennifer Ehle ("The Real Thing," "The Coast of Utopia"),

Tim DeKay ("Tell Me You Love Me," "Carnivàle")

And Henry Czerny ("The Tudors," "Mission Impossible") Also Star

 

THE RUSSELL GIRL, a new "Hallmark Hall of Fame" presentation starring Emmy Award nominee and Golden Globe Award nominee Amber Tamblyn ("Joan of Arcadia," "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants"), will be broadcast Sunday, Jan. 27 (9:00-11:00 PM, ET/PT) on the CBS Television Network.  In the drama, Sarah Russell (Tamblyn), a 23-year-old aspiring medical school student, visits her loving family to share some important news, but instead finds herself attempting to finally confront a difficult period from her past.   

 

Academy Award nominee and Tony Award nominee Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio ("The Color of Money," "Man of La Mancha"), two-time Tony Award winner Jennifer Ehle ("The Real Thing," "The Coast of Utopia"), Tim DeKay ("Tell Me You Love Me," "Carnivàle") and Henry Czerny ("The Tudors," "Mission Impossible") also star.

 

Sarah Russell's rare visit from Chicago to her small hometown is a welcome surprise to her parents (Mastrantonio and DeKay), her 21-year-old brother, Daniel (Daniel Clark), and her former boyfriend, Evan (Paul Wesley).  Sarah decides to withhold the true reason for her homecoming after an old conflict resurfaces during an uncomfortable encounter with Lorraine Morrisey (Ehle), who lives across the street from the Russells with her husband, Howard (Henry Czerny), and two teen-aged boys (Ben Lewis, Max Morrow).  Sarah's sudden presence has a debilitating effect on Lorraine, who rebuffs Sarah's attempts to make amends.  However, Sarah musters the courage to keep trying, knowing that she must finally deal with her past as a means of being able to face her future.  It takes time for Lorraine to put the past behind her and to grasp that forgiving Sarah will not only ease Sarah's burden but also her own.

 

            Amber Tamblyn earned an Emmy Award nomination and a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Dramatic Actress in a Drama Series for her portrayal of the title character in CBS's "Joan of Arcadia."  Her additional television credits include originating the role of Emily Quartermaine in the daytime drama "General Hospital." Among Tamblyn's film credits are "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" and its sequel, "The Ring" and "The Grudge 2."   

 

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CBS Television...2      

 

            Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio garnered an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in "The Color of Money."  Her additional film credits include "Scarface," "The Abyss," "Class Action," "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves," "White Sands," "Limbo" and "The Perfect Storm."  Her television credits include a recurring role on "Without a Trace," on the Network.   Among her theater credits is "Man of La Mancha," for which she earned a Tony Award nomination for Best Actress.

 

            Jennifer Ehle won Best Actress and Featured Role Tony Awards for her roles in the "The Real Thing" and "The Coast of Utopia," respectively.  Her feature film credits include "Wilde," "Bedrooms & Hallways," "Possession" and "The River King."  Her television credits include the mini-series "Pride and Prejudice."

 

                        Tim DeKay's television series credits include lead roles in "Tell Me You Love Me" and "Carnivàle," recurring roles in "Everwood," "Party of Five," "My Name Is Earl" and "Seinfeld," and guest-starring roles on the CBS series "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation," "Cold Case" and "Numb3rs."

 

                        Henry Czerny's feature film credits include "Clear and Present Danger," "Mission Impossible," "The Ice Storm," and "The Exorcism of Emily Rose."  Among his television credits are lead roles in the series "The Tudors," the mini-series "Haven," on the Network, and "The Boys of St. Vincent."

 

THE RUSSELL GIRL is a Hallmark Hall of Fame production.  Brent Shields ("Candles on Bay Street," "The Magic of Ordinary Days") is the executive producer; Stefanie Epstein ("Searching for David's Heart") is co-executive producer.  Jeff Bleckner ("Boston Legal," "Serving in Silence: The Margarethe Cammermeyer Story") directed from an original script by Jill Blotevogel ("The Dead Zone," "The Twilight Zone").

 

RATING:  To Be Announced

 

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Press Contacts:            

Barbara Abseck                       212-975-4637                        

Susan J. Marks                         323-575-2118                         susan.marks@tvc.cbs.com