James Denton is quite possibly one of the most likable guys on TV. He's been a Hallmark Channel regular since 2014, having starred in the network's wildly popular "Good Witch" series from 2015 to 2021. The 60-year-old actor even reunited with his "Good Witch" co-star Catherine Bell in the 2023 Countdown to Christmas movie "Christmas on Cherry Lane," which follows three couples as they navigate the joys and challenges of the holidays.
Denton has appeared in countless TV series through the years, including "The West Wing" and "Ally McBeal." He's perhaps best known for playing Mike Delfino on ABC's "Desperate Housewives," which ran from 2004 to 2012. Mike was a good-guy plumber and love interest for Teri Hatcher's Susan Mayer. Fans of the series quickly fell in love with Mike's polite charm, which Denton has in spades in real life. He's a Nashville boy, after all.
Through all of his success, Denton has built a happy family life for himself, with a wife and two kids, even deciding that Hollywood wasn't the right place for their brood of four to call home. Here's everything to know about James Denton, from his early career to his outlook on the entertainment industry.
Who Is James Denton?
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James Denton is Tennessee through-and-through. He was born in Nashville and attended the University of Tennessee, graduating with a degree in Advertising and Journalism. He initially went into ad sales, but after performing in Nashville theaters, Denton decided to move to Los Angeles and pursue a career in showbiz.
Denton has appeared in numerous popular series over the years, including "JAG," "Ally McBeal," "The West Wing," "Dark Skies," "Reba," "NCIS: New Orleans" and "Devious Maids." While he's best known as a TV actor, he's also appeared in a few films, like "Face/Off," "That Old Feeling" and "Grace Unplugged."
Once upon a time, Denton was also an active member of The Band From TV, a celebrity cover band that donated performance proceeds to charity. Notable TV stars like Hugh Laurie, Greg Grunberg and Denton's "Desperate Housewives" co-star Teri Hatcher were also bandmates. The group was most active between 2008 and 2012.
James Denton's Hallmark Movies
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In recent years, Denton has gained an all-new fanbase with his starring role as Dr. Sam Radford on "Good Witch." The Hallmark TV series co-starring Catherine Bell (pictured above) is a spinoff of their popular "Good Witch" films. Denton led the series for seven seasons, until it ended in 2021.
"It's just great being at Hallmark," the actor explained in a 2021 interview with Jenna Bush Hager on "Jenna & Hoda." He gushed about Hallmark's embrace of positive messaging and astounding ability to reach a wide cable audience:
"We have the best time on ["Good Witch"], and it's just fun to be part of this whole Hallmark thing. The network is just exploding, something like 80 million unduplicated viewers watching the Christmas movies. In this day and age, it's crazy."
Outside of "Good Witch," Denton has starred in a variety of other Hallmark projects, including "Perfect Harmony," "Stranded in Paradise," "For Love & Honor" and "A Kiss Before Christmas," which reunited the actor with Teri Hatcher.
James Denton's Family Life
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Denton has been married to his wife Erin O'Brien since 2002, and they share two children: a son, Sheppard, 20, and a daughter, Malin, 18. In 2016, "Shep" appeared opposite his father in the Hallmark film "For Love and Honor." After deciding that they didn't want to raise their children in Hollywood, Denton and his wife packed their bags for Montana.
When Denton's sister-in-law was diagnosed with breast cancer, the family began splitting their time between Chanhassen, Minnesota, where O'Brien grew up, and Montana:
"Our main house is in Minneapolis because my wife's family is there, and whenever we can, we head to the middle of nowhere in Montana," the actor explained to Amo Mama in 2020.
Denton added that spending time with his family is the most important thing to him. Since so many Hallmark movies film in Canada, the actor found the commute much quicker from Minnesota than from California.
"It means so much to [my children] when I'm around. It makes them more relaxed and confident to have their parents as active participants in their lives. It's a real luxury for me to be with them."
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