Crown Media Andrew Francis as Connor on Chesapeake Shores.
Andrew Francis, who is perhaps best known among Hallmark fans for playing Connor on “Chesapeake Shores,” is stepping in and taking over a new role. After fellow Hallmark star Kirby Morrow died unexpectedly in November 2020, Francis is preparing to take over Morrow’s voice role for Lego’s “Ninjago” series.
Francis Said Morrow Was an Inspiration & Mentor to Him
In an October 20 Instagram post, Francis revealed he will be taking over Morrow’s long-time role as Cole on Lego’s “Ninjago” series. He said Morrow was both a mentor and an inspiration to him. He said he and Morrow first worked together when he was only 9 years old, and he strived to be like Morrow in many ways.
“Kirby never missed an opportunity to share his knowledge, his insight, and his understanding – with absolutely no reservations,” Francis said. “And that is undeniably a direct reflection of his character as a man.”
“This morning, it was formally announced that I will be stepping in as the voice of the beloved character Cole, in the incredible show that you and I have both grown to love, Ninjago,” he wrote. “After a decade of such an amazing show, and more importantly, after a decade of brilliant performances by the incredibly talented, incredibly humble, incredibly generous and incredibly caring human being named Kirby Morrow – a torch has now been passed. One that will be held high and held proud, in honor of his beautiful soul, and as he undoubtably would have wanted it. … What I can do, is everything in my power to make him proud.”
Hallmark actor Danica McKellar wrote in response to Francis’ post: “You will do him proud! ❤️”
“Chesapeake Shores” star Meghan Ory replied, “Congratulations fake little brother. You are going to be amazing in this role. Will be so fun for the LEGO fans to hear what you can do!”
Morrow Played the Lead in Hallmark’s ‘A Ring by Spring’
Morrow was a prolific voice actor, playing the role of Cole in at least eight “Ninjago” titles between 2011 and his death in 2020, according to his IMDb profile. He voiced General Grievous in five “Lego Star Wars” mini-series and shorts, Tony Stark in the “Eternals” and “Ultimate Wolverine vs. Hulk” TV mini-series and Hot Shot in 52 episodes of “Transformers: Cybertron,” among his more than 100 voice acting credits since 1979, according to the website.
Among Morrow’s 199 acting credits total, he portrayed Captain Dave Kleinman on “Stargate: Atlantis” from 2005 to 2006. He also starred in a number of Hallmark productions. He played the lead opposite Rachel Boston in Hallmark’s 2014 movie “A Ring by Spring.” You can see the trailer for the movie above.
He was also in “Mystery 101” as Winston, “Garage Sale Mysteries” as Allan Demetry, “A Wish for Christmas” as Brant (which featured Lacey Chabert and Paul Greene in the leads), “The Irresistible Blueberry Farms” as Skip the bartender, “Murder She Baked” as Larry, “Cedar Cove” as Doug, and “A Family Thanksgiving” as Tim. Morrow also played Sean Murphy on season 7 episode 4 of “When Calls the Heart.” He was the character who was suing Henry and claiming that Henry had sold him sour oil.
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