After facing the prospect of losing his dad, Hallmark hunk and “Virgin River” star Benjamin Hollingsworth has a request. On March 19, 2025, the actor uploaded a powerful video to social media, sharing how his dad’s kidney transplant allowed him to witness the way organ donors can give someone the gift of life.
“I wanted to talk to you guys today about the importance of giving,” the “Christmas With the Singhs” star began his video. “Giving can mean a lot of different things to a lot of different people, and I believe that it’s an essential part of living a well-rounded life. But giving doesn’t necessarily have to cost anything at all.”
In the caption of his post, Hollingsworth wrote, “Two years ago, my dad’s life was saved by a kidney transplant. It was an incredible gift. Planning for our mortality is hard, but what if your legacy was saving a life?”
Only 1% of Organ Donors Wind Up Being Matched With a Patient in Need
Hollingsworth, who’s appeared in more than 10 Hallmark movies over the last decade, used his video to ask fans to consider registering to become an organ donor, eager to tell them “why this cause is so near and dear to me.”
“My dad was the receiver of a kidney transplant two years ago,” he explained. “It ended up saving his life. He was on dialysis for two years before that, and I still remember getting the call that he had undergone successful transplant surgery. It was a gift. A gift that extended his time with his grandchildren, a gift that extended his time with myself.”
“It’s difficult planning around your own mortality,” the actor acknowledged. “I mean, no one wants to think about death, but it is something you all need to consider at some point. And recently, I started thinking about my legacy — my legacy as an actor, as a father, as a person, and what it might mean to have part of my legacy include saving a child, a mother, a father or grandparent.”
Registering to become an organ donor means that after a donor’s death, medical authorities have permission to remove and transport healthy organs to someone who desperately needs them to survive and thrive. People can also register separately to be a living donor for organs like a kidney, since humans need only one kidney to survive, per Mayo Clinic.
The need is great — every eight minutes, a new patient is added to the national wait list in the U.S., according to OrganDonor.gov. But so many details have to align perfectly for a match to be found, that only one percent of people who’ve signed up to be donors wind up qualifying, according to LifeSource, which manages organ donations in the Midwest. The wider the pool of possible donors, however, the greater the chances doctors will find a match for a desperate patient.
Hollingworth, who is currently filming the seventh season of Netflix’s “Virgin River,” concluded his video by sharing, “I know how extremely grateful I am that my dad received the transplant, and part of the donor’s legacy will always be saving my dad and my children’s grandfather from an early death. Every memory we create will be part of her legacy. What will your legacy be?”
Benjamin Hollingsworth’s Dad Calls Organ Donor His ‘Guardian Angel’
Among the many people who commented on Hollingsworth’s video was his dad, Brian, who wrote, “Thank you son for posting this call for organ donors. It truly is a gift of life. I am grateful for my donor that wants to remain anonymous…. So I call her my guardian angel ❤️ I hope shooting Season 7 is going well .”
Hollingsworth replied, “love you Dad!”
In a post uploaded in April 2023, Hollingsworth’s dad shared a photo of himself in his hospital bed and wrote, “This was me one year ago today just after my kidney transplant ! Thanks to the generous donation of a kidney by my Guardian Angel my health has completely changed. I am forever grateful and hope others will consider organ donation.”
Hollingworth, who shares three kids with his wife Nila, was vocal about how much his dad meant to him even before his kidney transplant, sharing a Facebook tribute to him on Father’s Day in 2020.
“This man taught me all that I know about being a man, a gentleman and most importantly a Father,” he wrote at the time. “He taught me empathy, forgiveness and how to live with an open and curious mind. He encouraged me to follow my heart and dreams. He taught me that it’s okay to fail as long as you get back up and try again. He did it with 100% commitment to all four of us kids. He did it through endless sacrifice and hard work. He did it with a open loving heart and for that I am eternally grateful. Happy Father’s Day pops I’ll never stop loving you.”
People in the U.S. who are interested in registering to be a donor can sign up online via the Health Resources & Services Administration. People in Canada, where Hollingsworth was born and raised, can also register via a government website.
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Benjamin Hollingsworth Issues Touching Plea After Dad’s Health Crisis