INSIDER CAMEO
Hometown “HEARTIE”
HALLMARK STAR ERIN KRAKOW CREDITS HER TRAINING AT THE ALEXANDER W. DREYFOOS SCHOOL OF THE ARTS FOR KICKSTARTING HER ACTING CAREER By Linda Marx
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Originally from Wellington, actress Erin Krakow is a fixture on the Hallmark Channel, starring in the hit television series When Calls the Heart and numerous holiday films.
©MELISSA COULIER
Erin Krakow has a soft spot for challenging period pieces. She loves scripts that travel through time, offering feel-good moments that bring happiness to the characters. This is one reason why her starring role as Elizabeth Thornton in Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart is perfect for the Wellington-bred actress. The Hallmark original series presents a powerful story of love, hardship, and family values that blends romance, adventure, and drama against the backdrop of a 1910 coal mining town called Hope Valley. Its ninth season will begin airing in early 2022. “We will have more romance and steamy scenes in season nine,” says Krakow, who lives in Los Angeles and visits her family in Wellington several times a year. “My role as Elizabeth keeps me challenged as she delves into fresh adventures.” Krakow grew up watching Saturday Night Live and competing with her younger brother for attention. She always wanted to be an actor and remembers taking breaks from classes at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos School of the Arts in West Palm Beach to visit nearby CityPlace (now Rosemary Square). She credits much of her success to wonderful teachers. “Dreyfoos set me on the path for professional acting,” she explains. “It was a great foundation with a wonderful staff. I learned dance steps, Shakespeare, costume design, lighting, and [how to] build sets. I loved every minute of it.” She earned a BFA from The Juilliard School in New York City, where she appeared in productions such as Twelfth Night, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and Black Russian. She later performed on stage as
Cecily in The Importance of Being Earnest and Shelby in Steel Magnolias. “I love and cherish theater, which I want to do more of, but I made the transition to TV, which has a different set of challenges and requires another skill set,” says Krakow. And while she’s appeared on other networks—including in Lifetime’s Army Wives, CBS’ The Guiding Light, and ABC’s Castle—she has found her bliss with Hallmark. “Hallmark is the longest professional relationship I have had and feels like home with a supportive family,” she says. “The feelgood TV and heartwarming stories are like eating my favorite ice cream and cake.” As a Hallmark fixture, Krakow’s starred in a few holiday films: A Cookie Cutter
Christmas; Sense, Sensibility, and Snowmen; Finding Father Christmas; Engaging Father Christmas; and Marrying Father Christmas, to name a few. “Hallmark knows how to harness the holiday spirit,” she notes. “We bring warmth and magic to life. People feel good when these movies are aired, and it extends the holiday mood.” When she is not filming, Krakow likes to bake, read, salsa dance, and photograph magical moments that inspire her. “I am not sporty, but I like to hike and enjoy the scenery,” says Krakow, who remembers going to the beach and having picnics at Okeeheelee Park as a young girl. “I love visiting my family in Wellington; [it] feels like I am on a tropical vacation.” «
PALM BEACH ILLUSTRATED
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11/1/21 11:20 AM