Many famous actors have been in Latter-day Saint-themed movies, but only a select few have been in videos or commercials created by the Church. Here are just a few actors you might recognize:
Alfonso Ribiero, Who Broke My Window
Image from IMDb
Did you know that Alfonso Ribiero, Carlton Banks on the NBC sitcom The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, was in a 1980s Church commercial? And, did you also know that Ribiero can sing?
Back before his days of TV sitcom stardom and hanging out with the likes of Will Smith, Alfonso Ribiero made his television debut starring in a Latter-day Saint mini-opera.
But Ribiero's Church connections don't stop there. In November 2014, Ribiero performed on ABC's Dancing with the Stars with Latter-day Saint dance partner Witney Carson. Ribiero and Carson blew away the judges and the competition, taking home the crown that season.
Check out where Ribiero's television career and his connection with members of the Church all began in the video below:
► You'll also like: 5 Epic Church Commercials That Are So '80s
Aaron Eckhart, Godly Sorrow
Image from The Hollywood Reporter
Aaron Eckhart (The Dark Knight, Battle Los Angeles, No Reservations, Love Happens) grew up a member of the Church andsays the influence of [the gospel] is still in his "blood and bones."Before he graduated from Brigham Young University, Eckhart appeared in a Latter-day Saint short film, Godly Sorrow, as an undergraduate, playing the love interest of a girl who learns the difference between worldly and godly sorrow.
► You'll also like: Katherine Heigl, Ryan Gosling + What 7 Other Famous People Have Said About Their Mormon Upbringing
James (Jimmy) Stewart, Mr. Krueger's Christmas
Image from IMDb
An Academy Award winner and one of the most loved Hollywood stars of all time, James (Jimmy) Stewart knows how to make a good Christmas movie. After returning home from serving as a pilot during WWII, Stewart filmed his iconic role as George Bailey from It's a Wonderful Life. Much later in his life, Stewart starred as the main character in the short film Mr. Krueger's Christmas, another heartwarming Christmas classic.
In an interview with Meridian Magazine, the director of Mr. Krueger's Christmas, Kieth Merrill, said of his interactions with Stewart:
"Following the rehearsal of the scene where Mr. Krueger visits the manager and pays homage to the Christ Child, Jimmy pulled me aside and said, “I need to do this in one take.”
"He had certainly proven his ability to nail a scene in one take, but on our low budget I only had one camera, and I needed coverage to make the scene work. . . . I tried to explain. Then, in that private moment, he shared his feelings for the Savior in a way that in our Mormon tradition was akin to bearing testimony:
"'For me this scene and these words are very personal and very real, and I will not be able to do it twice.'
"I am confident in telling you that Mr. Krueger’s emotions as he kneels and talks to the Babe in the manger reflect in reality the feelings of James Stewart toward the Lord, Jesus Christ. The reverence for the Savior of the World so beautifully manifested by Mr. Krueger was a genuine sentiment for this marvelous actor who brought the wondrous old man of Michael McLean’s imagination to life. Gratefully he agreed to one additional take that gave us what we needed to edit the scene together."
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Video Companion
Shawn Stevens, Our Heavenly Father's Plan
Shawn Stevens in Facts of Life. Image from IMBd.
Many of you might remember the Emmy-Award winning soap opera Days of Our Lives. It is, after all, one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world. Actor Shawn Steven appeared in 136 episodes of Days of Our Lives as character Oliver Martin from 1981 to 1983. Just a few years later, in 1986, Stevens also appeared in a Church production entitled Our Heavenly Father's Plan, a 27-minute film that focused on the plan of salvation.
