You May Recognize Hallmark Hunk Robert Buckley From A Classic Millennial TV Show

These days, Robert Buckley can be found melting hearts on the Hallmark Channel, where he found a place to express not only his acting abilities but also his chops as a creator, producer, and screenwriter with TV movies such as "Merry Christmas, Ted Cooper!" Millennials, though, may best remember him from the late aughts, when Buckley joined "One Tree Hill" ahead of Season 7. That's right, years before he was helping Hallmark bring "The Christmas House" and its sequel to life, the hunky actor starred as Clay Evans in the final seasons of the popular WB teen drama.

Buckley had big shoes to fill. After all, he joined the cast in 2009 because producers needed to replace their two main stars after Hilarie Burton and Chad Murray shockingly walked away from "One Tree Hill" at the end of Season 6. That's how fans were introduced to Clay Evans, the sports agent of James Lafferty's character, Nathan Scott. Many years have passed since then, but Buckley still considers his character on "One Tree Hill" to be the most challenging role he has ever taken on. "When I signed on, I had no idea the layered cake that that guy was going to become," he told Soap Hub in December 2025.

Buckley had never played a dramatic role that included so many tragedies and twists and turns, which pushed him way out of his comfort zone. "That guy had a lot of emotional baggage. Yeah, like we're paying for extra suitcases kind of baggage," he joked. Newer fans may not remember Buckley from his "One Tree Hill" days, but the hunk will never forget how much Clay helped shape him and his career. 

Clay Evans and Nathan Scott's story may have ended when "One Tree Hill" did in 2012, but Robert Buckley and James Lafferty's friendship never did. Not only do the "One Tree Hill" stars still look great today, but they have maintained their bond. In fact, Buckley implied that they have become even closer over the years in a "How it started, how it's going" Instagram post. The before picture showed the two with their arms casually around each other and looking pretty poised. In the after picture (seen above), they were full-on hugging with silly smiles for the camera.

In July 2026, Lafferty noted how Buckley's sense of humor impacted the day-to-day on the "One Tree Hill" set. "He's hilarious, and he loved to prank," he told Cameo. He shared how his co-star pasted an incredibly unflattering picture of Lafferty onto the face of a cutout depicting a sculpted underwear model and taped it on the mirror inside the makeup trailer. "It stayed up there for a good couple of seasons," he laughed. Even though the "One Tree Hill" stars are doing something entirely different today, they still try to find ways to come together.

Lafferty, in particular, has been trying to convince Buckley to join "Everyone Is Doing Great," the comedy drama he developed with Stephen Colletti. "It would be great if Rob Buckley would quit turning us down," he joked to OK! Magazine in May 2026. Regardless of his reasons for not joining the show, Buckley is proud of his friend. "Congrats to @StephenColletti & James Lafferty on making a fantastic, hilarious series with nothing but their bare hands (and cameras and wigs and stuff, obvs)," he wrote on X in 2020.