16 celebrities you forgot starred in holiday movies

Frank OlitoDec 10, 2020, 04:54 IST

Rachel McAdams, Diane Keaton, and Sarah Jessica Parker in "The Family Stone."20th Century Fox

A-list celebrities have been starring in holiday movies for decades.
Big names like Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker, and Gabrielle Union all starred in Christmas movies throughout their careers.
Dolly Parton starred in "Unlikely Angel" in 1996, and fellow musician Billy Ray Cyrus took the lead in Hallmarks' "Christmas in Canaan" in 2009.

Every December, dozens of holiday movies are released, sometimes with celebrities in leading roles.

Stars like Reese Witherspoon, Sarah Jessica Parker, Dolly Parton, and Billy Ray Cyrus all jumped on this trend, starring in holiday movies about love, family, and small towns. The results are often mixed: Some of these star-studded holiday movies flop and others are deemed a passable success.

Here are 16 movies with A-list celebrities in the lead that you might have forgotten about.

Back in 1996, Dolly Parton played an angel in a made-for-TV holiday movie called "Unlikely Angel."

Dolly Parton in "Unlikely Angel." CBS

In 2004, Ben Affleck starred in "Surviving Christmas" with Christina Applegate, and it was one of the biggest flops of his career.

Ben Affleck and Christina Applegate in "Surviving Christmas." DreamWorks Pictures

In 2007, Gabrielle Union starred as a single mother in "The Perfect Holiday."

Gabrielle Union in "The Perfect Holiday." Destination Films

Kristin Chenoweth starred in Lifetime's "12 Men of Christmas" in 2009.

Kristin Chenoweth in "12 men of Christmas." Lifetime

Neil Patrick Harris played a doctor in 2005's "The Christmas Blessing."

Neil Patrick Harris in "The Christmas Blessing." CBS

Reese Witherspoon starred in "Four Christmases" in 2008 with Vince Vaughn.

Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn in "Four Christmases." New Line Cinema

Ryan Reynolds played a record executive in 2005's "Just Friends" opposite Anna Faris.

Anna Faris and Ryan Reynolds in "Just Friends." New Line Cinema

Jennifer Hudson starred in "Black Nativity" in 2013 with Angela Bassett.

Jennifer Hudson in "Black Nativity." Fox Searchlight Pictures

Before her success in "American Horror Story," Sarah Paulson starred in Lifetime's "A Christmas Wedding" in 2006.

Sarah Paulson in "A Christmas Wedding." Lifetime

Debra Messing starred in "Nothing Like the Holidays" in 2008.

Debra Messing in "Nothing Like the Holidays." Overture Films

Before "This Is Us," Mandy Moore played a hospice nurse in Hallmark's "Christmas in Conway" in 2013.

Mandy Moore in "Christmas in Conway." Hallmark

Sarah Jessica Parker led an all-star cast in 2005's "The Family Stone," which included Diane Keaton, Rachel McAdams, and Claire Danes.

"The Family Stone." 20th Century Fox

Billy Ray Cyrus starred in a social justice-focused Hallmark movie in 2009 called "Christmas in Canaan."

Billy Ray Cyrus in "Christmas in Canaan." Hallmark

Shannen Doherty played a thief in ABC Family's "The Christmas Caper" in 2007.

Shannen Doherty in "The Christmas Caper." ABC Family

Anna Kendrick starred in 2014's "Happy Christmas," which got poor reviews.

Anna Kendrick in "Happy Christmas." Magnolia Pictures

In 2001, Kristin Davis took a break from "Sex and the City" to star in ABC Family's "Three Days."

Kristin Davis in "Three Days." ABC Family

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