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    Donald Martin headshot

    Donald Martin

    Writer·Active 2006–2021
    View on IMDbView on TMDB

    Career at a glance

    10Hallmark films

    5 at Christmas

    Audience rating6.5 / 10

    across 10 rated films

    Weirdness5.0 / 10

    Right on the Hallmark median

    Best reviewed

    Eight Gifts of Hanukkah6.9

    Everything Donald has done for Hallmark, from Wild Hearts (2006) right through to Eight Gifts of Hanukkah (2021).

    Follow & about Donald

    Donald Martin is a Canadian and American screenwriter. In Canada, he is most noted for the film Never Too Late, starring Olympia Dukakis, for which he was nominated for a Writers Guild of Canada Award and received a Genie Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay at the 17th Genie Awards in 1996, and as the recipient of the Margaret Collier Award, a Lifetime Achievement Award for his body of work in television, at Canada's 25th Gemini Awards in 2010.
    From Wikipedia

    Donald’s signature

    Across 10 films, Donald usually leans into Christmas, frequently plays a writer and is almost always set in small towns.

    • Christmas5 films
    • small towns7 films
    • a writer2 films
    • a scene-stealing pet6 films
    • a love triangle5 films
    • a return home3 films

    7 hours

    7 hours of Hallmark Christmas movies, and counting.

    Adds up across 5 festive titles.

    Known for

    Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery poster
    Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery6.7

    Writer · 2015

    Weirdness 3/10

    Christmas Town poster
    Christmas Town6.8

    Writer · 2019

    Weirdness 4/10

    Operation Christmas poster
    Operation Christmas6.8

    Writer · 2016

    Weirdness 5/10

    Christmas Homecoming poster
    Christmas Homecoming6.5

    Writer · 2017

    Weirdness 6/10

    Eight Gifts of Hanukkah poster
    Eight Gifts of Hanukkah6.9

    Writer · 2021

    Weirdness 4/10

    The Christmas Choir poster
    The Christmas Choir6.7

    Writer · 2008

    Weirdness 3/10

    On-screen partners

    Lisa Durupt headshot
    Frequent co-star

    Donald’s most frequent on-screen partner is Lisa Durupt, with 2 films together.

    • Operation Christmas (2016)·
    • Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015)
    • Toby Levins2

    Where Donald fits in

    The corners of the Hallmark universe Donald keeps turning up in. Each one is a full ranked guide.

    • 🏘️Small-town movies
    • ❄️Winter movies
    • 🐶Dog & pet movies
    • 🧁Baking & cooking movies
    • 🎄Christmas movies
    • ⭐Best Christmas movies

    All 10 movies

    Newest first

    2020s

    1 film
    • 2021Eight Gifts of HanukkahWriter · Hanukkah6.9Weird 4/10

    2010s

    5 films
    • 2019Christmas TownWriter · Christmas6.8Weird 4/10
    • 2017Christmas HomecomingWriter · Christmas6.5Weird 6/10
    • 2016Operation ChristmasWriter · Christmas6.8Weird 5/10
    • 2015Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie MysteryWriter · Small Town6.7Weird 3/10
    • 2010An Old Fashioned ChristmasWriter · Christmas5.9Weird 8/10

    2000s

    4 films
    • 2009Mending FencesWriter · Small Town6.4Weird 4/10
    • 2009The Three GiftsWriter · Christmas6.1Weird 8/10
    • 2008The Christmas ChoirWriter · Christmas6.7Weird 3/10
    • 2006Wild HeartsWriter · July 4th6.4Weird 5/10

    Donald’s standouts

    • Eight Gifts of Hanukkah poster
      Highest ratedEight Gifts of Hanukkah (2021)

      Best-reviewed of the 10, at 6.9/10

      6.9
    • An Old Fashioned Christmas poster
      Most divisiveAn Old Fashioned Christmas (2010)

      Lowest-rated of the 10 — every filmography has one

      5.9

    In pictures

    A quick look at Donald’s Hallmark run — headshot and the posters fans know best.

    • Donald Martin headshotDonald Martin
    • Eight Gifts of Hanukkah poster
    • Christmas Town poster
    • Christmas Homecoming poster
    • Operation Christmas poster
    • Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery poster
    • An Old Fashioned Christmas poster
    • Mending Fences poster
    • The Three Gifts poster
    • The Christmas Choir poster
    • Wild Hearts poster

    Donald’s creative circle

    Go-to cast

    • Lisa Durupt2 films
    • Toby Levins2 films

    Who Donald works with

    The cast and crew Donald keeps ending up on set with — the regular faces you’ll recognise from one film to the next. Bigger circle, more films together.

    Donald Martin's most frequent co-stars, sized by shared filmsAmy Beth Reece: 3 films togetherAmy Beth Reece3 filmsMitchell Gabourie: 3 films togetherMitchell Gabour…3 filmsPenny Perry: 3 films togetherPenny Perry3 filmsCandice Elzinga: 2 films togetherCandice Elzinga2 filmsColleen Bolton: 2 films togetherColleen Bolton2 filmsDavid Weaver: 2 films togetherDavid Weaver2 filmsJames W. Wrenn: 2 films togetherJames W. Wrenn2 films

    Movies by year

    Donald Martin Hallmark movies by release year12006121111112021

    Ratings profile

    Average 6.5 across 10 rated movies — each dot is one film.

    Rating distribution for this filmography1510mean 6.5An Old Fashioned Christmas: 5.9The Three Gifts: 6.1Mending Fences: 6.4Wild Hearts: 6.4Christmas Homecoming: 6.5Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery: 6.7The Christmas Choir: 6.7Christmas Town: 6.8Operation Christmas: 6.8Eight Gifts of Hanukkah: 6.9

    People also ask

    How many Hallmark movies has Donald Martin been in?
    We have 10 Hallmark movies on file for Donald Martin, spanning 2006–2021.
    What kind of Hallmark movies is Donald Martin known for?
    Donald is best known for Christmas movies and romances set in small towns, often with a scene-stealing pet.
    What is Donald Martin's highest-rated Hallmark movie?
    Eight Gifts of Hanukkah (2021) is Donald's best-reviewed Hallmark film, with a 6.9/10 audience rating.
    What is Donald Martin's most popular Hallmark movie?
    Murder, She Baked: A Chocolate Chip Cookie Mystery (2015) has more audience votes than any other Donald Martin Hallmark film, so it's the one most people have actually seen.
    Who does Donald Martin usually star with?
    Donald has shared 2 films with Lisa Durupt, their most frequent Hallmark co-star.
    Is Donald Martin still making Hallmark movies?
    The newest Donald Hallmark credit we have is from 2021; nothing later has turned up yet.
    How many Hallmark Christmas movies has Donald Martin made?
    Donald Martin turns up in 5 Hallmark Christmas movies.
    What was Donald Martin's first Hallmark movie?
    The earliest Donald Hallmark title we have is Wild Hearts (2006).
    What does Donald Martin do in Hallmark movies?
    Donald Martin works on Hallmark films as writer.

    Data & sources

    Donald’s filmography, credits and ratings are compiled from IMDb, TMDB and Wikipedia, then checked and tidied by the Talking Hallmark team. Last updated June 2026.

    Catalogue curated by Alanna of Talking Hallmark. About the project

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