Get to Know Ian Harding: Read All About the 'Pretty Little Liars'-Turned-Hallmark Hunk
He stole hearts back in his Pretty Little Liars days as Ezra Fitz, the hunky English teacher caught up in a scandalous romance with one of his students, and once that role came to an end, TV star Ian Harding has stayed busy — most recently, on none other than the Hallmark Channel in The Magic of Lemon Drops (2024). Here, read about the early life and career of Ian Harding, as well as his rise to Hallmark hunk status!
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Ian Harding’s early life and career
Born in Heidelberg, Germany to a military family, Harding wouldn’t make his way to the United States until he was about three years old, where his family would settle in Virginia. Growing up, a young Harding had many dreams and aspirations for himself as most young people do (including Navy SEAL), and it wasn’t until high school that he joined the drama club and dipped his toes into acting in school plays.
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“I only began playing because I wasn’t as athletic as the other guys that played soccer, which was my sport, and because I went to an all-boys school and the young women from surrounding schools would come to our plays,” he told ABILITY Magazine in 2020. “I felt like that’s a great way to meet ladies. At some point, this became my afterthought, and I just wanted to do plays.”
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He went on to graduate from Carnegie Mellon University drama school, and it wasn’t long before he would be auditioning for his first lead in a TV show: Pretty Little Liars. Though he had a few minor roles before the teen mystery series, it was this particular show that launched him to stardom.
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Ian Harding on Pretty Little Liars
Harding brought to life Ezra Fitz. He’s a teacher at Rosewood High who spends a heated moment with a girl at a bar, only to learn she’s one of his students — and that’s all within the first episode. The series is full of mystery, intrigue and romance and is a fan favorite to this day.
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“This show was a part of my life for a near-decade, and it feels almost like my second stint in college,” he told Glamour in 2017. “My real college experience was really lovely, and I have those friends until this day, but to the same comparison, I had days where I was in college and could not wait to leave. The same is true for Pretty Little Liars,” he said of the show’s end, after bringing the story to life for several years. “At the end of the day, I would not change it. I love these people, I am so grateful for them, I’m so grateful for the opportunity.”
Ian Harding on Hallmark
Harding first stepped onto the network in 2022, where he starred in Ghosts of Christmas Always and most recently, he took on a leading man role in The Magic of Lemon Drops (2024). The film follows a woman named Lolly who received three magic lemon drops. When you eat one and say an unfulfilled dream out loud, you get to experience a day as if your life had followed that course. Harding played the role of Rory, Lolly’s ex.
?2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Holly Dunphy
In addition to acting, Harding is a strong advocate for lupus research, working closely with the Lupus Foundation of America, as his mom was diagnosed with the disease at only 40 years old.
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