Everything We Know About Justin Bruening (Cal on Netflix's ‘Sweet Magnolias’)

Bruening was born in the small town of St. Helena, Nebraska, where he graduated in a high school class of only nine students.

Following graduation, the actor moved to California, where he was discovered by a talent scout in a McDonald's. This launched Bruening's modeling career, which would lead to a profession in acting as well.

He is currently married to All My Children actress Alexa Havins. They share three children together.

On Sweet Magnolias, Bruening portrays Cal Maddox, a former professional baseball player who is now coaching a high school baseball team.

He is the coach to Maddie's oldest son, Ty, which is how their romance first develops. And although Maddie is going through a divorce when she first meets Cal, their connection is undeniable. While talking about his character in an interview with TV Insider, Bruening said, “[Maddie]’s not looking for love. I’m not sure my character is either. [But] you can’t fight an attraction. There’s a spark there. Sometimes sparks lead to fires.”

Before nabbing his role on Sweet Magnolias, Bruening had quite the prolific TV career.

While he got his start as a model for companies like Abercrombie & Fitch, Bruening's breakthrough arrived when he won the role of James "Jamie" Martin on the daytime soap opera All My Children. Around this time, he also had a guest spot on Kelly Ripa's show Hope & Faith, as well as a cameo in Britney Spears's music video for “Boys.”

Later on, Bruening earned recurring roles on hit shows like Ringer, Switched at Birth and Grey's Anatomy.

We're not surprised this actor has played a number of high-profile parts throughout the years. We can't wait to see Cal and the rest of the Sweet Magnolias crew when they return on February 4.

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