Marilu Henner made her mark on Hallmark

Since its debut as the Hallmark Channel in 2001, the network has become a beloved TV destination for millions of viewers, especially during the holiday season with its Christmas-themed features. While Hallmark has cultivated a recognizable roster of its own stars, their programs have also featured an impressive lineup of veteran film and television icons over the years, including Ed Asner, Christopher Lloyd, Shirley MacLaine, Roger Moore, Danny Glover, Burt Reynolds, and Carrie Fisher.

And Marilu Henner.

Best known to TV fans of the late'70s and early '80s hit the NBC comedy series "Taxi" where she played a part-time cabbie, Henner has continued to work in film and television including some 30 Hallmark productions such as their murder mystery movie series, "A Teagarden Mystery."

The channel does have its critics, given the often-repetitive nature of their movies and predictable happy boy-always-gets-girl outcome.

"Yeah, it's the same formula but it works," said Henner of the Christmas movies. "They're just kind of feel-good stories that the whole family can watch. There's always hot chocolate, cookies baking, cutting down their own Christmas tree, and of course a final kiss."

She especially remembers one film from 2020.

"Of all the Christmas movies I've done, 'Love, Lights, Hanukkah! is one of my favorites," she recalled. "The story is about a girl (played by Mia Kirshner) that I gave up for adoption when I was young. She finds out that she's not just all Italian but half Jewish after a DNA test and reconnects with me and my family. It's such a sweet holiday movie."

In 2022, she played Gramma Mia in "A Kismet Christmas" where she is the keeper of a famous family recipe for kismet cookies. If placed under one's pillow, the sweet treats allow the sleeper to dream of their true love kismet-a Turkish word synonymous with destiny.

"My character is very nurturing with a certain wisdom and she's always cooking, like me," said Henner. "We filmed in Victoria (Canada) and had some scenes in traditional Dickens-like costumes which was fun."

Henner has appeared in some 20 of the Hallmark Teagarden mysteries where she plays the mother of a librarian named Aurora Teagarden who belongs to a group of enthusiasts who study true historical crimes. Unlike other network or cable crime dramas, the on-screen violence is minimal.

"You're not going to see dead bodies or pools of blood everywhere, so I can watch it with my young niece," she explained.

"Taxi" was one of Henner's first on-screen appearances. Given the co-stars who would go on to become stars (including Danny DeVito, Judd Hirsch, and Tony Danza), there are plenty of stories to share from the show's four seasons.

"Want to hear a great Danny DeVito story?" asked Henner, referring to the actor who played Louie, the grumpy cab dispatcher. "Danny was down to his last unemployment check, his last clean shirt, and he had no money when he read the script for 'Taxi' and felt it was a great part. He goes to the audition and is in a room full of studio suits with the script in his hand. He throws it down and says, 'Who wrote this 'crap' (censored!)? and they said 'that's our Louie.' He was the only truly irreplaceable character in the show."

"Taxi" may have launched Marilu's career, but at 73 she has made her mark on Hallmark.

"First of all, they are really nice people to work with and I always have a great time with them," she said of her association with the network. "They pick interesting locations and there's always something in the characters that I relate to. People come up to me all the time and tell me how much they love Hallmark movies."

Nick Thomas has written features, columns, and interviews for numerous magazines and newspapers. See www.getnickt.org.