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    Marita Grabiak headshot

    Marita Grabiak

    Director·Active 2014–2024
    View on IMDbView on TMDB

    Career at a glance

    14Hallmark films

    4 at Christmas

    Audience rating6.0 / 10

    across 12 rated films

    Weirdness4.4 / 10

    Mostly standard issue

    Best reviewed

    With Love, Christmas6.7

    Most recent

    Falling in Love in Niagara2024

    Marita Grabiak is the person behind the camera, not in front of it, and she has been shaping the Hallmark look from the director's chair across 14 films since 2014. Her steadiest beat is the holidays, with four Christmas titles in the run, and she has a soft spot for a getaway: several of her films are set at a resort or on vacation, swapping the usual small-town square for somewhere with a better view. The high point is With Love, Christmas from 2017, which at 6.7 edges out the rest, with Winter Castle and Nature of Love close behind. Nothing here is wildly high-concept; she works in the comfortable middle of the Hallmark register and directs it cleanly. If you have settled in for one of these and felt it just hang together, there is a decent chance she set it up.

    Follow & about Marita

    • Official sitemaritagrabiak.com
    From
    Ambridge
    Marita Jane Grabiak is an American television director. She began her career as a production assistant on the film The Men's Club (1986) along with fellow Joss Whedon collaborator Tim Minear. She has directed episodes of several television series including Dawson's Creek, Dollhouse, ER, Firefly, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Smallville, Cold Case, Gilmore Girls, Everwood, Battlestar Galactica, Lost, The Inside, Alias, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Point Pleasant, One Tree Hill, American Horror Story, V Wars, 9-1-1: Lone Star, 9-1-1, Siren and The Order.
    From Wikipedia

    Marita’s signature

    Across 14 films, Marita frequently leans into Christmas, frequently plays an event planner and is frequently set in resorts & getaways.

    • Christmas4 films
    • resorts & getaways4 films
    • an event planner3 films
    • royal romance3 films
    • a love triangle11 films
    • mistaken identity3 films

    6 hours

    6 hours of Hallmark Christmas movies, and counting.

    Adds up across 4 festive titles.

    Known for

    With Love, Christmas poster
    With Love, Christmas6.7

    Director · 2017

    Weirdness 6/10

    Winter Castle poster
    Winter Castle6.5

    Director · 2019

    Weirdness 3/10

    Sleigh Bells Ring poster
    Sleigh Bells Ring6.3

    Director · 2016

    Weirdness 3/10

    Christmas Scavenger Hunt poster
    Christmas Scavenger Hunt6.1

    Director · 2019

    Weirdness 4/10

    Nature of Love poster
    Nature of Love6.4

    Director · 2020

    Weirdness 3/10

    Feeling Butterflies poster
    Feeling Butterflies6.3

    Director · 2022

    Weirdness 5/10

    On-screen partners

    Kathryn Kohut headshot
    Frequent co-star

    Marita’s most frequent on-screen partner is Kathryn Kohut, with 5 films together.

    • A Royal Christmas Crush (2023)·
    • Feeling Butterflies (2022)·
    • Fly Away with Me (2022)·
    • Baby, It's Cold Inside (2021)·
    • Christmas Scavenger Hunt (2019)
    • Emilie Ullerup3
    • Ish Morris3
    • Kevin McGarry3
    • Melinda Michael3
    • Jocelyn Hudon2

    Where Marita fits in

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

    • 🧁Baking & cooking movies
    • ❄️Winter movies
    • 💢Enemies to lovers
    • 🎄Christmas movies
    • ⭐Best Christmas movies
    • 🏘️Small-town movies

    All 14 movies

    Newest first

    2020s

    7 films
    • 2024Falling in Love in NiagaraDirector · Wedding AnniversaryNot ratedWeird 4/10
    • 2023A Royal Christmas CrushDirector · ChristmasNot ratedWeird 6/10
    • 2022Feeling ButterfliesDirector · Small Town6.3Weird 5/10
    • 2022Fly Away with MeDirector · Big City6.1Weird 3/10
    • 2021Baby, It's Cold InsideDirector · Resort/Vacation6.1Weird 5/10
    • 2021Fit for a PrinceDirector · Royal/Estate5.9Weird 5/10
    • 2020Nature of LoveDirector · Resort/Vacation6.4Weird 3/10

    2010s

    7 films
    • 2019A Cheerful ChristmasDirector · Christmas5.0Weird 5/10
    • 2019Christmas Scavenger HuntDirector · Christmas6.1Weird 4/10
    • 2019Winter CastleDirector · Resort/Vacation6.5Weird 3/10
    • 2017With Love, ChristmasDirector · Christmas6.7Weird 6/10
    • 2016Hearts of SpringDirector · Small Town5.9Weird 6/10
    • 2016Sleigh Bells RingDirector · Holiday6.3Weird 3/10
    • 2014For Better or for WorseDirector · Small Town5.2Weird 4/10

    Marita’s standouts

    • With Love, Christmas poster
      Highest ratedWith Love, Christmas (2017)

      Best-reviewed of the 14, at 6.7/10

      6.7
    • A Cheerful Christmas poster
      Most divisiveA Cheerful Christmas (2019)

      Lowest-rated of the 14 — every filmography has one

      5.0
    • A Royal Christmas Crush poster
      WeirdestA Royal Christmas Crush (2023)

      The strangest of the bunch — 6/10 on our weirdness scale

    In pictures

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

    • Marita Grabiak headshotMarita Grabiak
    • Falling in Love in Niagara poster
    • A Royal Christmas Crush poster
    • Feeling Butterflies poster
    • Fly Away with Me poster
    • Baby, It's Cold Inside poster
    • Fit for a Prince poster
    • Nature of Love poster
    • A Cheerful Christmas poster
    • Christmas Scavenger Hunt poster
    • Winter Castle poster
    • With Love, Christmas poster
    • Hearts of Spring poster

    Beyond Hallmark

    Where else you might recognise Marita from — notable roles outside the Hallmark catalogue.

    • 9-1-1as Director
      2018 · TV
    • American Horror Storyas Director
      2011 · TV
    • Bonesas Director
      2005 · TV
    • Lostas Director
      2004 · TV
    • Fireflyas Director
      2002 · TV
    • Smallvilleas Director
      2001 · TV
    • Law & Order: Special Victims Unitas Director
      1999 · TV
    • Buffy the Vampire Slayeras Director
      1997 · TV

    Marita’s creative circle

    Go-to cast

    • Kathryn Kohut5 films
    • Emilie Ullerup3 films
    • Ish Morris3 films
    • Kevin McGarry3 films
    • Melinda Michael3 films

    Who Marita works with

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

    Marita Grabiak's most frequent co-stars, sized by shared filmsRuss Howard III: 12 films togetherRuss Howard III12 filmsBarbara Kymlicka: 8 films togetherBarbara Kymlicka8 filmsGregory Wilson: 5 films togetherGregory Wilson5 filmsHayden Baptiste: 5 films togetherHayden Baptiste5 filmsJudy Lee: 5 films togetherJudy Lee5 filmsKathryn Kohut: 5 films togetherKathryn Kohut5 filmsRon Leach: 5 films togetherRon Leach5 films

    Movies by year

    Marita Grabiak Hallmark movies by release year12014201522016120172018320191202022021220221202312024

    Ratings profile

    Average 6.0 across 12 rated movies — each dot is one film.

    Rating distribution for this filmography1510mean 6.0A Cheerful Christmas: 5.0For Better or for Worse: 5.2Fit for a Prince: 5.9Hearts of Spring: 5.9Fly Away with Me: 6.1Baby, It's Cold Inside: 6.1Christmas Scavenger Hunt: 6.1Feeling Butterflies: 6.3Sleigh Bells Ring: 6.3Nature of Love: 6.4Winter Castle: 6.5With Love, Christmas: 6.7

    People also ask

    How many Hallmark movies has Marita Grabiak been in?
    We have 14 Hallmark movies on file for Marita Grabiak, spanning 2014–2024.
    What kind of Hallmark movies is Marita Grabiak known for?
    Marita is best known for Christmas movies and romances set in resorts & getaways, often with royal romance.
    What is Marita Grabiak's most popular Hallmark movie?
    With Love, Christmas (2017) has more audience votes than any other Marita Grabiak Hallmark film, so it's the one most people have actually seen.
    Who does Marita Grabiak usually star with?
    Marita has shared 5 films with Kathryn Kohut, their most frequent Hallmark co-star.
    Is Marita Grabiak still making Hallmark movies?
    The newest Marita Hallmark credit we have is from 2024; nothing later has turned up yet.
    How many Hallmark Christmas movies has Marita Grabiak made?
    Marita Grabiak turns up in 4 Hallmark Christmas movies.
    What was Marita Grabiak's first Hallmark movie?
    The earliest Marita Hallmark title we have is For Better or for Worse (2014).
    Where is Marita Grabiak from?
    Marita is from Ambridge.
    What does Marita Grabiak do in Hallmark movies?
    Marita Grabiak works on Hallmark films as director.

    Data & sources

    Marita’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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