DEANNA MILLIGAN as DONNA MCGONIGAL

Despite being a British Columbia native who started her acting career at age thirteen, award-winning actress Deanna Milligan never did work on the original Beachcombers series. She makes up for that however, appearing for a second time as "Donna McGonigal" in The New Beachcombers’ Christmas, now reunited with her old flame, Scott Rivers (Cam Bancroft), and co-owner of Molly’s Reach.

Milligan’s long list of film and television credits include Lynne Stopkewich’s controversial film Suspicious River; the CBC Christmas Television special, Must Be Santa, which garnered her a Gemini nomination; Justice, for which she also received a Gemini nomination; Once In A Blue Moon, for which she won a Leo Award; and guest starring roles on Outer Limits, Millennium, Cold Squad, Touching Evil, The Net, Dead Man’s Gun, X-Files, Avalanche, and the mini-series, Intensity. Milligan appeared in the independent feature film Barbeque …A Love Story, and also played the mystery woman in Mark Sawyer’s independent short film Shoes Off, which won the Critics’ Choice Award at the Cannes Film Festival.

Still a Vancouver-based actress, Milligan first worked with Producer Nick Orchard when she played "Jennifer" in his award-winning teen drama Northwood. Prior to that she had a recurring role on the long-running series Danger Bay. Milligan made her comedy breakout in the 2000 series Big Sound, playing the adorable, often baffling and always offbeat "Jessie Polt." Set in the back-stabbing milieu of the music business, the series featured several guest stars, including Dave Thomas, who plays Milligan’s father in both of the New Beachcombers MOWs. Other credits for this versatile actress include a dramatic recurring role in Da Vinci’s Inquest, the independent features The Rhino Brothers and Sea, the short film Riding the Bus, feature-film Stealing Sinatra, dramatic MOW Family Sins, and TV series Corner Gas.

Milligan, who has a two-year old daughter, sings, plays guitar and has published an album. She executive produced and starred in Blue Boy and Girl in Pink in 2002, a short film written and directed by her husband, Jason Gaffney, who also acted in the show. She designs her own clothing, and recently started a successful fashion line called Cherry Blossom with fellow actress, Stacy Grant.

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