Erin Krakow

Erin Krakow was born on September 5, 1984, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She later lived in Wellington, Florida, and pursued her early education at the Alexander W. Dreyfoos Jr School of the Arts in West Palm Beach, Florida. Krakow continued to develop her acting skills by studying drama at the Juilliard School in New York City. Her early career involved stage performances in productions such as “The Importance of Being Earnest,” “George the Fourth,” and “Steel Magnolias.” This foundational training in theater provided a basis for her transition into television work.

Krakow’s television career began with a recurring role as Specialist Tanya Gabriel in the Lifetime series “Army Wives” from 2010 to 2012, where she played a medic in Afghanistan for 18 episodes. Following this, she made a guest appearance in the crime-comedy-drama series “Castle.” A significant turning point in her career occurred in 2014 when she was cast as the lead character, Elizabeth Thatcher, in the Hallmark Channel drama series “When Calls the Heart.” She has continued in this role, eventually becoming an executive producer for the series in 2018. Over the years, she has portrayed the character in 134 episodes of the TV series and numerous related TV movies.

Beyond her primary role in “When Calls the Heart,” Krakow has starred in several Hallmark Movies & Mysteries productions. These include the popular “Father Christmas” film series, where she played Miranda Chester in “Finding Father Christmas” (2016), “Engaging Father Christmas” (2017), and “Marrying Father Christmas” (2018). She also appeared in other Hallmark films such as “A Cookie Cutter Christmas” (2014), “A Summer Romance” (2019), “Sense, Sensibility & Snowmen” (2019), “It Was Always You” (2021), “The Wedding Cottage” (2023), “Blind Date Book Club” (2024), and “Santa Tell Me” (2024). Her work consistently appears on national television, with her commercials airing hundreds of times.