# Heather Hemmens
**Heather Hemmens** (born 1988) is an American actress, film director, and producer, best known for playing Alice Verdura on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw) cheerleading series *Hellcats* (2010–2011), Marcie Holmes on the OWN soap opera *[If Loving You Is Wrong](https://www.edgepedia.org/if-loving-you-is-wrong)* (2014–2019), and Maria DeLuca on The CW's *Roswell, New Mexico* (2019–2022), on which she also directed two episodes.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [2](https://www.hallmarkpedia.com/people/heather-hemmens)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1988, Waldo, Maine[3](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/heather-hemmens/) |
| Signature roles | Alice Verdura in *Hellcats* (22 episodes); Marcie Holmes in *If Loving You Is Wrong* (89 episodes); Maria DeLuca in *Roswell, New Mexico* (52 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) |
| Directing | Directed two episodes of *Roswell, New Mexico* (2021–2022) after directing the short films *Perils of an Active Mind* and *Designated* in 2010[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [4](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/09/06/noc-interview-heather-hemmens-on-directing-an-episode-of-roswell-new-mexico/) |
| Hallmark career | 8 Hallmark Channel original movies between 2019 and 2025, 7 of them lead roles[2](https://www.hallmarkpedia.com/people/heather-hemmens) |
| Other series work | Melody Prescott on *Yellowstone* (3 episodes, 2018); Stacy Collins on Netflix's *Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!* (6 episodes, 2021)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) |
| Business venture | Launched the period-underwear brand Galifornia Undies in 2025[5](https://www.justjared.com/2025/11/25/heather-hemmens-talks-new-hallmark-movie-the-snow-must-go-on-working-with-broadways-corey-cott-launching-galifornia-undies-brand-exclusive-interview/) |
## Early life and training
Hemmens grew up in the woods of Waldo, a small town near Belfast, Maine, in a house that was off the grid: her family had no electricity and no television. She has described the household as run by parents she called "hippies," and she credits the upbringing with a strong work ethic and an imagination fed by reading.[6](https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/11/28/actress-who-grew-up-in-waldo-without-tv-now-starring-in-a-hallmark-christmas-movie/) • [7](https://www.portlandmonthly.com/portmag/la-vida-local/) She was the youngest of four children, with two older brothers and an older sister; her father was a carpenter.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [6](https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/11/28/actress-who-grew-up-in-waldo-without-tv-now-starring-in-a-hallmark-christmas-movie/)
**Theater came early.** She played Dorothy in *The Wizard of Oz* as a fifth-grader at Morse Memorial School in Brooks, and a teacher encouraged her into community theater with the Belfast Maskers, where she acted and sang as a teenager.[6](https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/11/28/actress-who-grew-up-in-waldo-without-tv-now-starring-in-a-hallmark-christmas-movie/) After two years at Mount View High School in Thorndike, she was accepted at Walnut Hill School for the Arts, a performing arts boarding school near Boston, for her final two years of high school, then moved to Los Angeles at 18 to pursue acting.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [8](https://stankirschstudios.com/heather-hemmens-acting-career/)
## Television career
Her early credits were small film roles, including "girl #1" in *The Dukes of Hazzard* (2005) and a part in *Glory Road* (2006), plus guest spots on procedurals such as *CSI: Miami*, *Without a Trace*, and *CSI: NY*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [6](https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/11/28/actress-who-grew-up-in-waldo-without-tv-now-starring-in-a-hallmark-christmas-movie/)
**Hellcats.** In 2010 she was cast as Alice Verdura on The CW's *Hellcats*, a comedy-drama about competitive college cheerleading executive produced by [Tom Welling](https://www.edgepedia.org/tom-welling). Alice, the squad's top flyer sidelined by a wrist injury, was established as the show's antagonist, and reviewers credited Hemmens with giving the villain clear motivations and sympathetic bitterness; many critics called her the series' breakout performer. The show was canceled after one season in 2011.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [9](https://blogcritics.org/tv-review-hellcats-fall-2010-overview/) She has said the role came after a seven-audition process that included harsh feedback from a casting director.[8](https://stankirschstudios.com/heather-hemmens-acting-career/)
**If Loving You Is Wrong.** In 2014 she was cast as one of the leads, Marcie Holmes, in [Tyler Perry](https://www.edgepedia.org/tyler-perry)'s prime-time soap opera for the [Oprah Winfrey Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/oprah-winfrey-network), appearing in 89 episodes through 2019.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798)
**Roswell, New Mexico.** In 2018 she was cast as Maria DeLuca, Liz Ortecho's best friend and a bartender, in The CW's reboot of *Roswell*, which ran from 2019 to 2022 for 52 episodes. The reboot reimagined the character, originally played by [Majandra Delfino](https://www.edgepedia.org/majandra-delfino) in the 1999 series, as explicitly Afro-Latina, matching Hemmens's own background; her mother is a Black Costa Rican and her father is white.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [10](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/roswell-new-mexico-episode-2-review-so-much-for-the-afterglow/) Reviewers singled out a first-season episode that gave Maria her own storyline rather than leaving her as the protagonist's supporting friend.[11](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/roswell-new-mexico-episode-7-review-i-saw-the-sign/)
She also had a recurring role as Melody Prescott on *Yellowstone* in 2018, which she has said ended because of a scheduling conflict, and played Stacy Collins on [Jamie Foxx](https://www.edgepedia.org/jamie-foxx)'s Netflix comedy *[Dad Stop Embarrassing Me!](https://www.edgepedia.org/dad-stop-embarrassing-me)* in 2021.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [12](https://bellomag.com/project/heather-hemmens/)
## Directing
Hemmens has described directing as a goal she pursued for over a decade. She directed and produced the short films *Perils of an Active Mind* and *Designated*, both released in 2010, completed the DGA Episodic Director's Program, and shadowed for more than 200 hours on the *Roswell, New Mexico* set before her first episodic credit.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [4](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/09/06/noc-interview-heather-hemmens-on-directing-an-episode-of-roswell-new-mexico/) She directed the season 3 episode "Goodnight Elizabeth" (2021) and the season 4 episode "Follow You Down" (2022), the latter containing the long-awaited engagement of characters Michael and Alex.[13](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/roswell-season-4-episode-11-michael-alex-engaged-proposal-video-1234863809/) She has cited [Debbie Allen](https://www.edgepedia.org/debbie-allen), who directed episodes of *Hellcats*, as a formative example of an actress who moved into long-term directing work.[14](https://brieftake.com/roswell-new-mexico-heather-hemmens/)
## Hallmark movies and entrepreneurship
Since 2019 Hemmens has been a regular in [Hallmark Channel](https://www.edgepedia.org/hallmark-channel) original movies, with eight credits including *Love, Take Two* (2019), *Christmas in My Heart* (2021), *Caribbean Summer* (2022), *A Pinch of Portugal* (2023), *Come Fly with Me* (2023), the three-film *Groomsmen* trilogy (2024), *Christmas Under the Lights* (2024), and *The Snow Must Go On* (2025); seven were lead roles.[2](https://www.hallmarkpedia.com/people/heather-hemmens) In 2026 she led the Summer Nights movie *Texas Two-Step* opposite Brendan Penny, playing Olivia, who returns to Texas to save her aunt's country music bar.[15](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/hallmark-2026-movie-and-tv-lineup-every-project-revealed/)
**Galifornia Undies.** In November 2025 she launched Galifornia Undies, a line of period underwear she developed for about a year and a half after being diagnosed with fibroids and struggling with heavy periods during long shooting days; the brand advertises PFAS-free fabrics.[5](https://www.justjared.com/2025/11/25/heather-hemmens-talks-new-hallmark-movie-the-snow-must-go-on-working-with-broadways-corey-cott-launching-galifornia-undies-brand-exclusive-interview/)
## Personal life
Hemmens holds a black belt in martial arts and has weapons training, and she practices yoga and meditation.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798) • [14](https://brieftake.com/roswell-new-mexico-heather-hemmens/) She announced her engagement on May 11, 2026, and IMDb lists her marriage to Nick Wajda on August 8, 2026.[16](https://www.justjared.com/2026/06/13/is-heather-hemmens-single-or-married-all-about-the-hallmark-actress-relationship-status/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798)
## References
1. [Heather Hemmens, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1904798)
2. [Heather Hemmens, HallmarkPedia](https://www.hallmarkpedia.com/people/heather-hemmens)
3. [Heather Hemmens, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/heather-hemmens/)
4. [NOC Interview: Heather Hemmens on Directing an Episode of 'Roswell, New Mexico', The Nerds of Color](https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2021/09/06/noc-interview-heather-hemmens-on-directing-an-episode-of-roswell-new-mexico/)
5. [Heather Hemmens Talks New Hallmark Movie 'The Snow Must Go On' and Launching Galifornia Undies, Just Jared](https://www.justjared.com/2025/11/25/heather-hemmens-talks-new-hallmark-movie-the-snow-must-go-on-working-with-broadways-corey-cott-launching-galifornia-undies-brand-exclusive-interview/)
6. [Actress who grew up in Waldo – without TV – now starring in a Hallmark Christmas movie, Central Maine](https://www.centralmaine.com/2021/11/28/actress-who-grew-up-in-waldo-without-tv-now-starring-in-a-hallmark-christmas-movie/)
7. [La Vida Local, Portland Monthly](https://www.portlandmonthly.com/portmag/la-vida-local/)
8. [Heather Hemmens on Building a Long-Haul Acting Career, Stan Kirsch Studios Podcast](https://stankirschstudios.com/heather-hemmens-acting-career/)
9. [TV Review: Hellcats – Fall 2010 Overview, Blogcritics](https://blogcritics.org/tv-review-hellcats-fall-2010-overview/)
10. [Roswell, New Mexico Episode 2 Review, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/roswell-new-mexico-episode-2-review-so-much-for-the-afterglow/)
11. [Roswell, New Mexico Episode 7 Review: I Saw the Sign, Den of Geek](https://www.denofgeek.com/tv/roswell-new-mexico-episode-7-review-i-saw-the-sign/)
12. [Heather Hemmens, BELLO Mag](https://bellomag.com/project/heather-hemmens/)
13. ['Roswell' Season 4 Episode 11, TVLine](https://www.tvline.com/interviews/roswell-season-4-episode-11-michael-alex-engaged-proposal-video-1234863809/)
14. [Interview: Roswell, New Mexico's Heather Hemmens, Brief Take](https://brieftake.com/roswell-new-mexico-heather-hemmens/)
15. [Every Hallmark 2026 Movie and TV Project Revealed, Us Weekly](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/hallmark-2026-movie-and-tv-lineup-every-project-revealed/)
16. [Is Heather Hemmens Single or Married?, Just Jared](https://www.justjared.com/2026/06/13/is-heather-hemmens-single-or-married-all-about-the-hallmark-actress-relationship-status/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames He to Hs*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license