Dan Payne is one busy actor. In 2015 he starred in the features “Stanger in The House,” “Lover’s Leap” and “Cradle of Lies,” and began filming his recurring role on Hallmark Channel’s popular series “The Good Witch.” This year, upon the completion of Dan’s season of TGW, Dan was proud to stay in the Hallmark family and work alongside Nicolette Sheridan in “Love Springs.” Dan is also currently shooting “Karen Kingsbury’s A Time To Dance” with Jennie Garth and Corbin Bernsen airing in May on Hallmark Movies & Mysteries.
Dan was born in Victoria, BC, Canada and subsequently lived a nomadic lifestyle as his family moved a great deal. At 6’4 and 225 pounds Payne was a natural to become an athlete, but he also had a thirst for higher education. Upon graduating from high school, he had earned several university scholarships and chose the University of Calgary for his post-secondary education. There he played volleyball for the U of C Dinosaurs, traveling throughout Canada. His successful professional volleyball career ended in Holland and Dan includes having had the privilege of coaching volleyball camps for special needs as a highlight.
A subsequent move to Australia for four years to join his brother Josh led to a stint as a professional photographer and a renewed love of the arts. He started in stand-up comedy, performing in shows that were co-written and co-directed by him and his brother. Moving to London, England, Dan continued to study acting and to perform on stage, eventually returning to Canada once he had honed his craft and his confidence.
Dan has become a familiar face on television, most notably for his series lead role on the CTV sitcom “Alice I Think.” He has also guest starred on such successful series as “Supernatural,” “Once Upon A Time in Wonderland,” “Fairly Legal,” “Tower Prep,” “Human Target,” “Battlestar Galactica,” “Sanctuary,” “Dead Like Me,” “Whistler,” “The L Word,” “Saved,” “Stargate SG1,” “Stargate: Atlantis,” “Smallville,” and “The Chris Isaac Show.” Dan also starred in the title role for two seasons on the web series “Divine.”
His feature credits include, leading roles in Lifetime’s “The Secret Lives of Second Wives” and Hallmark Channel’s “A Christmas Miracle.” He was thrilled to play alongside film legend Faye Dunaway in Hallmark Channel’s “A Family Thanksgiving.” Dan’s big screen credits include starring as the villain in the comedy feature “No Clue,” “John Tucker Must Die,” directed by Betty Thomas, the Warner Brothers feature “Watchmen,” directed by Zack Snyder, the indie film “Mulligans” plus two Muppet movies: “A Very Muppet Christmas” and “The Muppets Wizard of Oz.”
Dan continues his efforts to constantly expand on his experiences in both comedy and drama, which only strengthens his lifelong passion for acting. His career has enjoyed growing success, and the future looks promising for Dan with his leading-man good looks and sense of humor.
