The Long-Running Soap Where Hallmark Star Dylan Neal Got His Hollywood Start

The Hallmark Channel's dedicated fanbase has a long list of favorite actors. However, many of the stars who have become synonymous with the network didn't get their start in made-for-tv movies. As the quality of the channel's content has improved, more stars with previous experience have made the move to Hallmark, helping it become must-watch tv. 

Actor Dylan Neal has made The Hallmark Channel his home in recent years. He has worked successfully for the network in front of and behind the camera. He first made a name for himself on the network while starring alongside Andie MacDowell in the series "Cedar Cove." He's since taken on a bigger role with the company alongside his wife, Becky Southwell, writing and producing the popular movie series he also stars in, "Gourmet Detective." The series has released five films thus far.

While he's become a major star through Hallmark, many fans may not know that it was on a popular soap opera that Neal got his start in the entertainment business.

Before Dylan Neal shared the screen with some of the most popular names on The Hallmark Channel, he worked in the soap opera world. It was his role as Dylan Shaw in the long-running series, "The Bold and the Beautiful” in 1994 that gave him his big break. His character started out as an intern at the infamous fashion house Forrester Creations, but things went south when the 20-year-old fell in love with Jessica Forrester (Maitland Ward), who was only 17. Jessica's uncle and Forrester CEO Eric Forrester (John McCook) disapproved and had Dylan arrested for statutory rape, though he was eventually acquitted.

But his time on the show didn't end there. Neal would appear in over 100 episodes of "The Bold and the Beautiful," working on the show until 1997. He was written off the show following the end of his romance with Jessica after she chose to leave town. Though his time on the soap was cut short, Neal would evolve into one of Hallmark's leading men later in his career.

Though Dylan Neal got his start on daytime television, he was unsure if he could continue his acting career after working on a soap. In an interview at RingCon, Neal shared, "I did my very first pilot after 'The Bold and the Beautiful' when I was very worried about never working again because I'd just done a soap opera." He added, "There are certain expectations, or lack of expectations, for soap opera actors." However, he couldn't have been more off-base. After his run on "B&B," Neal landed several successful gigs.

He has made appearances on shows like "Dawson's Creek," "Sabrina the Teenage Witch," "Bones," "CSI," "Blood Ties," and "Arrow," just to name a few of his impressive credits. Neal's roles did not end on television, either. He played Bob Adams in the "Fifty Shades of Grey" trilogy before making his move to Hallmark, where he has become a key player.