*Warning: Minor spoilers ahead*
Season five of Virgin River is coming to Netflix on September 7. Per usual, that means we need to do as much research on the cast as possible. Today’s focus? Annette O’Toole, who plays Hope on the drama series. We compiled a list of everything you need to know about O’Toole, including what else she’s starred in.
Annette O'Toole is an American actor, dancer and singer-songwriter. While we know her these days as the sassy Hope McCrea on Virgin River, she's been regularly appearing on screens since she was just a teenager.
Born in Texas, her family moved to Los Angeles when she was 13 years old. She eventually married Bill Geisslinger and they had two children before later divorcing. She went on to marry actor Michael McKean in 1999. The couple met while starring in the film Final Justice and have been together ever since.
The series centers around Melinda “Mel” Monroe (Alexandra Breckenridge), who moves to Virgin River to get a fresh start on life. She soon realizes that small town living isn’t quite as simple as she expected.
Plus, Mel learns that her love interest, Jack (Martin Henderson), is expecting a child with Charmaine (Lauren Hammersley), so she packs her bags. However, her little trip doesn’t last long after she realizes that she must come to terms with herself and her past.
O’Toole stars as Hope McCrea, a sociable mayor and town gossip of Virgin River. She’s married to local physician Vernon “Doc” Mullins and even helped him hire Mel. In season four, Hope is recovering from the car accident she endured in the season three finale. Not only is she struggling to adjust to her routine, but she’s also forgetful about many things. For example, she forgets that Lilly passed away and, as a result, has to relive the mourning process. She also lies to Doc about her doctors’ appointments, which only creates more tension in their marriage. Her recovery will be further explored in the upcoming fifth season.
As we mentioned above, her career kicked off at a young age. As a teen she appeared on The Danny Kaye Show which led to roles on My Three Sons, The Virginian, Gunsmoke, and The Partridge Family.
Since then, she’s appeared in a variety of projects including Bridge to Terabithia, Stephen King's It, The Kennedys of Massachusetts, Smallville and Stand by Your Man. She’s also starred in movies such as Cat People, Cross My Heart, Foolin' Around, Imaginary Crimes, A Futile and Stupid Gesture and Blow the Man Down. Most recently, she had small guest roles in The Good Doctor, Kidding and Search Party.
O’Toole also has a lot of crossover with Tim Matheson (who plays Doc in Virgin River). “I met him when he did a movie [Almost Summer] with my then boyfriend Bruno Kirby, and that’s when we first met,” she told PureWow. “And then I did a television show called What Really Happened to the Class of ’65?, which was based on this book. So, we played a young married couple.”
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