Canadian actress Ali Liebert is an international star, well known in both her home country of Canada, and the U.S. Liebert moved to Vancouver to pursue acting and quickly snagged minor roles on the show, "The L Word," "Intelligence," and "Kyle XY." In 2013, she was named a Rising Star at the Whistler Film Festival, followed by being named "Next Gen Canada: 15 Hottest Talents Under 35." And that's all before she became a well-known Hallmark star.
One of her most well-known and acclaimed roles was that of Betty McRae in the Canadian series, "Bomb Girls." The show was an instant hit in Canada, catapulting her into a breakout star. In the series, Liebert, who identifies as queer, played a lesbian who falls in love with her best friend. She's since taken on other LGBTQ+ roles and feels it's important that there is a space for these characters.
In an interview with GoMag, she shared, "I think having a specific space for conversation that promotes and celebrates work that uplifts queers is really important. It's more important to me now, being queer myself and also portraying queer people in TV and film and having a space where people can speak to how they feel in being represented."
Liebert credits her ability to play a variety of different characters due to her being a "character actor." She loves to stretch her acting abilities and play vastly different roles. In the past, she has worked on perfecting her impressions of Liza Manelli, Britney Spears, and Shakira.
Along with TV roles, Liebert has an extensive movie career. Some of her featured roles include "Year of the Carnivore," "Kalyna," "Foxfire: Confessions of a Girl Gang," and "The Devout."
But Liebert today is most likely best known for her many roles on the Hallmark Channel. She's appeared in a slew of Hallmark Christmas movies, series, and romantic comedies over the years and isn't slowing down any time soon as she's appearing in this year's Countdown to Christmas line-up. Here's everything to know about Ali Liebert, from her many Hallmark roles to how she's helping to pave the way for representation on the network.
Her Hallmark Journey
Hallmark Media/Photographer: Allister Foster
One of Liebert's most well-known breakout role on the network was as her portrayal of Darcy in "A Gift to Remember." The Christmas movie was such a hit that it's sequel "Cherished Memories: A Gift to Remember 2" was released two years later. She's been the leading lady in several wedding romances as well, including "I Do, I Do, I Do" and "A Ring by Spring."
In addition to her movies, Liebert has made appearances on Hallmark's most beloved series, "When Calls the Heart" and "Chesapeake Shores."
Her newest holiday film from this year's Countdown to Christmas, "Friends and Family Christmas," will premiere on Dec. 17, 2023. Liebert and her co-star, "Ginny & Georgia" star Humberly Gonzales will bring a queer couple to the screen. The two women are set up by their well-meaning parents and wind up building a connection that may lead to more than just a friendship.
This isn't the first time Liebert has brought her own experience as a queer woman to the Hallmark screen. In 2019, she tweeted, "I'm dying to be the first queer Hallmark darling," and in 2021 she brought that dream to life in the Hallmark original, "Every Time a Bell Rings."
Which makes "Friends and Family Christmas" even more special as the first time a Hallmark Christmas movie will be centered around a romance between two women. Not side characters. Not the best friend. The central love story of the movie.
"It was always a secret goal of mine to star in the first @hallmarkchannel Christmas movie featuring a female couple," Liebert shared leading up to the premiere.
She founded her own company
Ali Liebert is still going strong in the acting world, but after years of working for others, she decided to form her own production company. Liebert co-founded Sociable Films in 2011 with her partners Nicholas Carella and Michelle Ouellet. The company's goal is "making movies socially," where artists have more free reign to "say yes" to projects they are passionate about.
The company has released several films, including "Afterparty," "A Heart Unbroken," "Salvator" and "This Feels Nice." Liebert actually starred in "Afterparty" and the film was acquired by Mongrel Media. Liebert shared her thoughts on the movie, stating, "I have never worked so hard in my life, scrubbing down a location at 3 a.m. to get it ready for the next day, cooking for 30 people, doing makeup touch-ups...We all wore a thousand hats."
"Prodigals" was nominated for four Leo Awards, including Best Screenwriting, Best Cinematography, and Best Leading Male and Female performance.
Her on-screen kiss caused some backlash
Jerritt Clark/Getty Images
Ali Libert co-starred in the 2021 Hallmark Christmas movie, "Every Time a Bell Rings," playing Nora. The story focuses on the lives of three sisters who return home after their father has passed away. The sisters discover he left them a final scavenger hunt to complete as a family, which helps strengthen the sister's bonds.
It seemed like a classic Hallmark Christmas movie, but the film stirred up controversy and praise simultaneously when her character Nora shared an on-screen kiss with her love interest, Maizy. According to CBC, the main criticism was that Hallmark went "woke" and pushed forward a "politically correct" storyline that was not appropriate for family audiences.
Despite the backlash, there was also some positive feedback. In an interview, Liebert said, "I have been overwhelmed with the love and positive comments as well that I have been receiving from folks all over the world who have been watching the movie and feeling so excited that this storyline is in a Hallmark Christmas movie."
Even though Hallmark took some heat, the company stood by its decision to feature the same-sex kiss. The company tweeted in support of its decision, "Our priority is to develop a diverse mix of content, characters and narratives in order to create a Hallmark experience where everyone feels welcome."
For Liebert, the character's sexuality hit close to home. Liebert describes herself as queer and has played several lesbian characters over the years. She said, "I was very pleasantly surprised when I received the call to play this role of a lesbian in a Hallmark Christmas movie. For me, as a queer person, [I] felt very moved by that and I am proud of the steps that they are making."
