Barbara Niven is an actor, producer and speaker. She’s also a fierce advocate for human and animal rights. As a mother and grandmother, she knows there is nothing more important than saving this planet and all the beings that live on it.
During her acting career, she has appeared in more than 100 film and TV roles and 2500 TV and radio commercials. She also served three years on the National Board of Directors for the Screen Actors Guild.
For six seasons, Niven starred in the Hallmark Channel original primetime series Chesapeake Shores. She has starred in the Hallmark movie original USS Christmas, four installments of Hallmark Channel’s Christmas in Evergreen movie franchise in addition to Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ popular Crossword Mysteries, appearing in all installments. Niven starred with Alison Sweeney in the popular Murder She Baked franchise and reprised her role in Sweet Revenge: A Hannah Swensen Mystery in 2021 as well as Carrot Cake Murder: A Hannah Swensen Mystery, A Zest for Death: A Hannah Swensen Mystery and, most recently, One Bad Apple: A Hannah Swensen Mystery. She also was in Hallmark Channel’s first original primetime series, Cedar Cove. Niven starred the 2023 original movie Ms. Christmas Comes to Town, which was part of Hallmark Movies & Mysteries’ Miracles of Christmas programming event. Other credits including starring roles in Hallmark Channel’s Christmas at the Golden Dragon and The Christmas Contest as well as North to Home for Hallmark Movies & Mysteries. Her performance as Marilyn Monroe in HBO’s The Rat Pack continues to garner praise as “one of the top three portrayals of the blonde icon on Film & TV.”
Niven has also gained international acclaim as Hollywood’s Top Media Trainer and Video Marketing Coach. She created her Unleash Your Star Power!™ system so she could teach people how to hone their message, overcome fear and, use video and public speaking to dominate their niche.
Niven is also a celebrity speaker and best-selling author. Business and motivational topics include Unleash Your Star Power!, Be a Video Marketing Superstar, ACT As If, Live Your Dreams! And Eating Disorders and Pressures to be Perfect.
Niven is a huge animal welfare advocate, a National Ambassador for American Humane and was a regular presenter for Hallmark Channel’s televised American Humane American Hero Dog Awards each year. She currently has two rescued dogs named Norma Jean and Brando, and two rescued feral cats named George and Henry (named after her father, George Henry).
Her motto? “Live your passion, connect to your purpose, make a difference. And don’t give up five minutes before the miracle.”