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The finale episode of When Calls the Heart season 12 dropped on March 23, 2025, leaving fans with a compelling cliffhanger. The show follows the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a passionate lady from the city who arrives in Hope Valley as the new teacher and becomes an integral part of the community.
While the show comprises several lead characters such as Elizabeth, Rosemary, Faith, Lucas, and Nathan, it also features guest stars every now and then. One such guest star is the Canadian actress and singer Cindy Busby, who played the role of Marlise Bennett in When Calls The Heart season 4.
Everything to know about When Calls the Heart actress Cindy Busby
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Born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, Cindy Busby's lifelong dream was to become an actress. To fulfill her dreams, she began performing in elementary school productions and continued in high school. After graduating, she was admitted to the Professional Theater Program at Dawson College.
Although she began acting professionally in 1999, her first screen role was as a small character in the 2002 MTV TV series, Undressed. Her first lead role was in the Canadian medical TV series, Bethune. Since then, she has appeared in a variety of shows, including The Vampire Diaries. Throughout her career, she has also guest-starred in series such as Supernatural and The L.A. Complex.
Busby's movie appearances include Picture This, The Big Year, and The Circle. In 2017, she appeared in the last few episodes of When Calls the Heart season 4 as Marlise Bennett, Dr. Carson Shepherd's former sister-in-law.
Marlise was planning to sue Carson because he had operated on her sister, who died during the operation. She also tried to complain to the medical board about Carson's illegal work on Cody. However, she decided to give up eventually and forgave Carson.
According to an International Business Times article published in July 2018, Busby did not return for season 5 due to scheduling conflicts. At the time, she had expressed her interest in starring in a period pieces like this series. While Marlise did not return in When Calls the Heart, Busby was cast as Nora in the spinoff series, When Hope Calls.
Also read: Will there be When Calls the Heart season 13? Renewal status explored
Cindy Busby opened up about her role in When Hope Calls
When Hope Calls premiered in August 2019 and has aired two seasons yet. Season 2 premiered on PureFlix on April 3 and on Great American Family on April 6, 2025.
Busby can be seen as a recently retired lawyer named Nora, in the series. She is an aunt of the orphaned sisters, Grace and Lillian. When Nora learns that she has two nieces in Brookfield, she leaves behind her life in San Francisco so that she can be close to them. Nora's romantic interest is Mountie Fletcher.
While speaking to Soap Hub in an interview published on April 3, 2025, she opened up about some of the things she had to learn to portray a character from the 1920s.
"I had to learn how to ‘drive’ a horse and wagon for the show, which was surprisingly more challenging than you would think. I made sure to do my research about manners and etiquette. Simple things like how to sit, speak, and hold my hands," she said.
When Hope Calls is available to stream on PureFlix. When Calls the Heart is available to stream on Hallmark.
