Gary Stevenson (born 30 November 1957), better known as Gary Lewis, is a Scottish actor. He has had roles in films such as ''

Billy Elliot ''Billy Elliot'' is a 2000 British coming-of-age Comedy film, comedy-drama film directed by Stephen Daldry and written by Lee Hall (playwright), Lee Hall. Set in County Durham in North East England during the 1984–1985 miners' strike, the fi ...

'' (2000), ''

Gangs of New York ''Gangs of New York'' is a 2002 American-Italian epic historical drama film directed by Martin Scorsese and written by Jay Cocks, Steven Zaillian, and Kenneth Lonergan, based on Herbert Asbury's 1928 book '' The Gangs of New York''. The fil ...

'' (2002), '' Joyeux Noël'' (2005) and ''

Eragon ''Eragon'' is the first book in ''The Inheritance Cycle'' by American fantasy writer Christopher Paolini. Paolini, born in 1983, began writing the novel after graduating from home school at the age of fifteen. After writing the first draft for ...

'' (2006), as well as major roles in the television

docudrama Docudrama (or documentary drama) is a genre of television show, television and feature film, film, which features Drama (film and television), dramatized Historical reenactment, re-enactments of actual events. It is described as a hybrid of docu ...

Supervolcano A supervolcano is a volcano that has had an eruption with a volcanic explosivity index (VEI) of 8, the largest recorded value on the index. This means the volume of deposits for such an eruption is greater than . Supervolcanoes occur whe ...

'', the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

series '' Outlander'', and the

BBC One BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...

thriller ''

Vigil A vigil, from the Latin meaning 'wakefulness' ( Greek: , or ), is a period of purposeful sleeplessness, an occasion for devotional watching, or an observance. The Italian word has become generalized in this sense and means 'eve' (as in "on t ...

''. For ''Billy Elliot'' he received a nomination for the

BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Best Actor in a Supporting Role is a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film Award presented annually by the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) to recognise an actor who has delivered an outstanding supporting performan ...

and for ''Mo'' (2010) he received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actor for playing Adam Ingram.

Early life

Stevenson was born on 30 November 1957 in

Easterhouse Easterhouse is a suburb of Glasgow, Scotland, east of the Glasgow city centre, city centre on land gained from the county of Lanarkshire as part of an expansion of Glasgow before the Second World War. The area is on high ground north of the Ri ...

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

, the middle of three children; his father was a

coppersmith A coppersmith, also known as a brazier, is a person who makes artifacts from copper and brass. Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. The term "redsmith" is used for a tinsmith that uses tinsmithing tools and techniques to make copper items. Hi ...

and his mother worked in a local biscuit factory. After leaving school, he had a series of jobs, including as a street sweeper and working in a library. He completed a social science degree at Glasgow College of Technology (now

Glasgow Caledonian University Glasgow Caledonian University, informally GCU, Caledonian or Caley (), is a public university in Glasgow, Scotland. It was formed in 1993 by the merger of The Queen's College, Glasgow (founded in 1875) and Glasgow Polytechnic (originally Glasg ...

), graduating with honours in 1983. Encouraged by his high school English teacher, he read voraciously and eventually decided to pursue an acting career.

Career

Theatre

In 1979, Lewis starred in writer Freddy Anderson's Fringe First Award-winning play ''Krassivy'', based on the life of

Socialist Socialism is an economic ideology, economic and political philosophy encompassing diverse Economic system, economic and social systems characterised by social ownership of the means of production, as opposed to private ownership. It describes ...

school teacher John Maclean. Although he had pursued amateur theatrics, Lewis was 32 when he committed to acting, joining

Robert Carlyle Robert Carlyle (born 14 April 1961) is a Scottish actor. His film work includes: '' Trainspotting'' (1996), '' The Full Monty'' (1997), '' Ravenous'' and ''The World Is Not Enough'' (both 1999), '' There's Only One Jimmy Grimble'' (2000), '' ...

's newly formed Raindog Theatre, where he performed in plays such as '' One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest'', '' Ecstasy'' and ''Wasted''. He also worked with the 7:84 Theatre Company on ''

The Grapes of Wrath ''The Grapes of Wrath'' is an American realist novel written by John Steinbeck and published in 1939. The book won the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize for fiction, and it was cited prominently when Steinbeck was awarded the Nobel Prize ...

, ''The Arches Theatre Company's production of

Harold Pinter Harold Pinter (; 10 October 1930 – 24 December 2008) was a British playwright, screenwriter, director and actor. A List of Nobel laureates in Literature, Nobel Prize winner, Pinter was one of the most influential modern British dramat ...

's '' The Birthday Party,'' and starred in ''One Two Hey'' by Glaswegian author

James Kelman James Kelman (born 9 June 1946) is a Scottish novelist, short story writer, playwright and essayist. His fiction and short stories feature accounts of internal mental processes of usually, but not exclusively, working class narrators and their ...

1993–2004: Film work

In 1993, with the support of his friend actor-director Peter Mullan, Lewis was cast in the short film ''Close.'' After working together on the short, both actors appeared in

Danny Boyle Daniel Francis Boyle (born 20 October 1956) is an English director and producer. He is known for his work on the films ''Shallow Grave (1994 film), Shallow Grave'' (1994), ''Trainspotting (film), Trainspotting'' (1996) and its sequel ''T2 Tra ...

's 1994 thriller ''

Shallow Grave Shallow Grave may refer to: * ''Shallow Grave'' (1987 film), an American slasher film * ''Shallow Grave'' (1994 film), a British thriller film directed by Danny Boyle * ''Shallow Grave'' (album), a 2008 album by The Tallest Man on Earth {{disa ...

'', alongside

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award and a Primetime Emmy Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his services to drama and ...

and

Christopher Eccleston Christopher Eccleston (; born 16 February 1964) is an English actor whose work has encompassed Hollywood blockbusters and arthouse films, television dramas, Shakespearean stage performances and science fiction, most notably the Ninth Doctor, ni ...

. Lewis went on to feature in Mullan's subsequent shorts ''Good Day for the Bad Guys'' (1995) and the award-winning ''Fridge'' (1996). Lewis joined director Kenneth Loach's unofficial stock company lending support to his two mentors in separate films: with

, he co-starred in '' Carla's Song'' (1996), while he played a recovering alcoholic alongside Mullan in '' My Name Is Joe'' (1998). Between the two films, Lewis was featured in Sigma Films' short ''California Sunshine'' (1997) before again working with Mullan, who cast Lewis as over-righteous elder sibling Thomas in ''

Orphans An orphan is a child whose parents have died, are unknown, or have permanently abandoned them. It can also refer to a child who has lost only one parent, as the Hebrew translation, for example, is "fatherless". In some languages, such as Swedis ...

'' (1998), an examination of a

dysfunctional family In psychology, abnormality (also dysfunctional behavior, maladaptive behavior, or deviant behavior) is a behavioral characteristic assigned to those with conditions that are regarded as dysfunctional. Behavior is considered to be abnormal when i ...

. That same year he was featured in director

Albert Pyun Albert Pyun (May 19, 1953 – November 26, 2022) was an American film director who made low-budget B-movies and direct-to-video action films. The Independent Film Channel said that Pyun "has carved out a unique niche as a director of low-budge ...

's independent film '' Postmortem'', director Sean McGuire's short film ''The Good Son'', director Kenny Glenaan's short ''The Whirlpool'', short film ''The Lucky Suit'' opposite

, and screenwriter Barry Gornell's short film ''Sonny's Pride''. In 1999, Lewis starred in Ayub Khan Din's dramatic comedy '' East is East'', and

Bill Forsyth William David Forsyth (born 29 July 1946) is a Scottish film director and writer known for his films '' Gregory's Girl'' (1981), '' Local Hero'' (1983) and '' Comfort and Joy'' (1984) as well as his adaptation of the Marilynne Robinson novel ...

's comedy '' Gregory's Two Girls''. He went on to star with Max Beesley in '' The Match'' (1999) before landing his international breakthrough in ''

'' (2000). Lewis's portrayal of a grief-stricken father, coping with the 1984-85 miner's strike and raising a son who wants to become a ballet dancer earned him a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor in a Supporting Role. In 2000, Lewis starred in May Miles Thomas's drama ''One Life Stand'', which premiered at the

Edinburgh Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

, and featured

Michael Caine Sir Michael Caine (born Maurice Joseph Micklewhite, 14 March 1933) is a retired English actor. Known for his distinct Cockney accent, he has appeared in more than 160 films over Michael Caine filmography, a career that spanned eight decades an ...

as a boxing coach who was possibly involved in a murder in '' Shiner,'' which screened at the San Sebastian Film Festival. Lewis finished the year with several short films including '' What Where'', a 12-minute short with Sean McGinley based upon

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

's play of the same name, director David Mackenzie's ''Marcie's Dowry'', ''The Elevator'' alongside Ashley Walters, ''Long Haul'' alongside Simone Lahbib'','' ''Clean'' with actor Stephen McCole, and director David McKay's ''Caesar''. He appeared in an additional short film in 2001, ''Rob of the Rovers'', which followed a day in the life of gym teacher Rob Meadows. Lewis worked with director Giles MacKinnon twice in 2002. Revenge thriller '' The Escapist'', which featured Lewis in the role of Ron, was followed by a turn as Detective Inspector French in the crime drama ''Pure''. He went to Rome's

Cinecittà Studios Cinecittà Studios (; Italian for Cinema City) is a large film studio in Rome, Italy. With an area of 400,000 square metres (99 acres), it is the largest film studio in Europe, and is considered the hub of Italian cinema. The studios were constru ...

to join the ensemble cast of

Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese ( , ; born November17, 1942) is an American filmmaker. One of the major figures of the New Hollywood era, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Martin Scorsese, many accolades, including an Academ ...

's ''

'', an epic tale of gang warfare among the lower classes in 1860s

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

. Lewis portrayed McGloin, an

Irish-American Irish Americans () are Irish ethnics who live within in the United States, whether immigrants from Ireland or Americans with full or partial Irish ancestry. Irish immigration to the United States From the 17th century to the mid-19th c ...

meant to embody the shift in mid-nineteenth century attitudes towards other immigrants. 2003 was another strong year with Lewis playing different roles. The first was Posh Pictures' ''The Fall of Shug McCracken'', which tackled the subject of employee theft and labour unions. Next was Danish director Soren Kragh-Jacobsen's film ''

Skagerrak The Skagerrak (; , , ) is a strait running between the North Jutlandic Island of Denmark, the east coast of Norway and the west coast of Sweden, connecting the North Sea and the Kattegat sea. The Skagerrak contains some of the busiest shipping ...

'', a romantic drama set in

Scotland Scotland is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It contains nearly one-third of the United Kingdom's land area, consisting of the northern part of the island of Great Britain and more than 790 adjac ...

, which saw Lewis in a supporting role as a local Glaswegian. The last, a

film noir Film noir (; ) is a style of Cinema of the United States, Hollywood Crime film, crime dramas that emphasizes cynicism (contemporary), cynical attitudes and motivations. The 1940s and 1950s are generally regarded as the "classic period" of Ameri ...

drama from director and writer May Miles Thomas titled ''Solid Air'', which is about the relationship between a sickly father ( Maurice Roeves) and his compulsive gambler son ( Brian McCardie).

2004–2013

Working with director Kenneth Loach again, Lewis starred in the 2004 love story '' Ae Fond Kiss...,'' which takes its name from a

Robert Burns Robert Burns (25 January 1759 – 21 July 1796), also known familiarly as Rabbie Burns, was a Scottish poet and lyricist. He is widely regarded as the List of national poets, national poet of Scotland and is celebrated worldwide. He is the be ...

poem. That same year, he had a role in director Friðrik Þór Friðriksson's drama '' Niceland (Population 1.000.002)'' alongside

Peter Capaldi Peter Dougan Capaldi (; born 14 April 1958) is a Scottish actor, director, singer and guitarist. He portrayed the Twelfth Doctor, twelfth incarnation of the Doctor in the science fiction series ''Doctor Who'' (2013–2017) and Malcolm Tucker i ...

and Kerry Fox. His next project was Stephen Whittaker's '' The Rocket Post''. Filmed on the island of

Taransay Taransay (, ) is an island in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It was the host of the British television series ''Castaway 2000''. Uninhabited since 1974, except for holidaymakers, Taransay is the largest List of islands of Scotland, Scottish is ...

, Scotland, the film explores a German scientist's idea to deliver mail via rockets in the late 1930s. Director Peter Timm's film '' My Brother Is a Dog'', features Lewis as the Antiquitätenhändler in a film about a young girl wishing for a dog. Lewis ended the year with two films about the post

9/11 The September 11 attacks, also known as 9/11, were four coordinated Islamist terrorist suicide attacks by al-Qaeda against the United States in 2001. Nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercial airliners, crashing the first two into ...

tension between the Western and Arab worlds. First was a supporting role in writer

Simon Beaufoy Simon Beaufoy (; born 26 December 1966) is a British screenwriter. Born in Keighley, West Riding of Yorkshire, he was educated at Malsis School in Glusburn, Ermysted's Grammar School and Sedbergh School, he read English at St Peter's College ...

's ''Yasmin'', set in Northern England before and after the 9/11 attacks. Second was Sally Potter's fourth feature film ''

Yes Yes or YES may refer to: * An affirmative particle in the English language; see yes and no Education * YES Prep Public Schools, Houston, Texas, US * Young Eisner Scholars, in Los Angeles, New York City, Chicago, and Appalachia, US * Young Ep ...

'', which views the post-traumatic rift through the lens of two lovers caught in the divide. In 2005, Lewis starred in

Christian Carion Christian Carion (born 4 January 1963) is a French film director, dialogue writer and screenwriter, gaining international attention for '' Joyeux Noël (Merry Christmas)'', which was nominated for several awards, including the 2005 Academy Awar ...

's international production of the film '' Joyeux Noël''. Set in WWI, the film explores the "Christmas Truce" of 1914 between the armies of three countries. In a departure from previous films, Lewis was next featured in director Danny Cannon's football film '' Goal! The Dream Begins'', which focuses on a Mexican football player trying out for the

Newcastle United Football Club Newcastle United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear, England. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. Since the formation of the club in 1881 ...

. Clive Gordon's 2006 film ''Cargo'', a psychological thriller, featured Lewis opposite Daniel Bruhl and Peter Mullan. As the skipper of a bankrupt Scottish fishing trawler in ''True North'', Lewis and actor Martin Compston tackle the subject of migrant smuggling and the effects it has on those making the journey. At the end of 2005, Lewis starred as Hrothgar in

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

's live action adaptation of

Christopher Paolini Christopher James Paolini (born November 17, 1983) is an American and Italian author. He is best known for ''The Inheritance Cycle'', which consists of the books '' Eragon'' (2002), '' Eldest'' (2005), '' Brisingr'' (2008), ''Inheritance'' (2011 ...

's hit fantasy trilogy ''

''. The 2008 British black comedy '' Three and Out'' (released as ''A Deal Is A Deal'' in Australia), from director Johnathan Gershfield, saw Lewis in the supporting role of Callaghan. The film focuses on a train conductor who tries to use a little known three strikes rule of the London train service to force an early retirement and payout for himself. Screened at the

, Lewis's next film was director Robert Rae's debut film ''Trouble Sleeping,'' which tells the story of a Palestinian refugee's struggles in the UK. Psychological thriller '' Dorothy Mills'', directed by Agnes Merlet, featured Lewis as the brainwashing pastor of a small community on a bleak Irish island. His last film of 2008 was Mark Aldridge's drama '' Blessed'', alongside James Nesbitt and Lil Woods. Reprising the role of Mal Braithwaite, Lewis began 2009 with the third instalment of Andrew Morahan's football series entitled '' Goal! III: Taking On the World''. ''Wasted'', his next film from filmmakers Caroline Paterson and Stuart Davids, treated the subject of homelessness in Glasgow, Scotland. From there he was cast in the Danish film '' Valhalla Rising'', alongside

Mads Mikkelsen Mads Dittmann Mikkelsen (; born 22 November 1965) is a Danish actor. He rose to fame in Denmark as an actor for his roles such as Tonny in the first two films of the Pusher (film series), ''Pusher'' film trilogy (1996, 2004), Detective Sergea ...

, and director Christian Carion's Cold War thriller ''Farewell'' (''L'Affaire Farewell''). Lewis returned to short films in 2010 with director Tom Shrapnel's ''Eat Me'',

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

Judge's Award nominee ''The Terms'', Robert James Armstrong's ''Little Green Bag'', and ''Vocation'' opposite James Chalmers''.'' He was also featured in Peter Mullan's gang drama ''

Neds Ned directly translates to “Non Educated Delinquent” but can mean “Hooligan”.David Elliot. The second was filmmaker Gregor Johnstone's comedy ''Rule of Thumb'', which saw Lewis as the school janitor during a disastrous standoff. In 2012, Lewis appeared in two feature films. '' The Strange Case of Wilhelm Reich'', which explored psychiatrist

Wilhelm Reich Wilhelm Reich ( ; ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author of several in ...

's career and subsequent investigation by the

FDA The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA or US FDA) is a federal agency of the Department of Health and Human Services. The FDA is responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the control and supervision of food ...

and other government agencies. He played Dr. Donald Cameron, who was President of the American, Canadian and

World Psychiatric Association The World Psychiatric Association (WPA) is an international Umbrella organization, umbrella organisation of psychiatric societies. Objectives and goals Originally created to produce world psychiatric congresses, it has evolved to hold regional ...

s. '' When the Lights Went Out'' starred Lewis as Father Clifford, a local priest who performs an exorcism on a house plagued by a

poltergeist In German folklore and ghostlore, a poltergeist ( or ; ; or ) is a type of ghost or spirit that is responsible for physical disturbances, such as loud noises and objects being moved or destroyed. Most claims or fictional descriptions of polter ...

. The film is based on the real-life experiences of director Pat Holden's mother and aunt in 1970s

West Yorkshire West Yorkshire is a Metropolitan counties of England, metropolitan and Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in the Yorkshire and the Humber region of England. It borders North Yorkshire to the north and east, South Yorkshire and De ...

. Lewis's next role was Andrew Griffin's short film ''The Gift'' (2012), which was screened at the New York International Independent Film Festival in 2013. Thirteen years after first working with May Thomas Miles in ''One Life Stand'', Lewis reunited with the filmmaker in 2013 for the film version of her

BAFTA The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA, ) is an independent trade association and charity that supports, develops, and promotes the arts of film, television and video games in the United Kingdom. In addition to its annual awa ...

winning interactive website ''The Devil's Plantation''. Both the website and film are based on archaeologist Harry Bell's belief that

was laid out based upon a secret, hidden design he called the Secret Geometry. Lewis starred as Bell, opposite Kate Dickie’s psychiatric patient Mary Ross, as their lives intertwine. He then appeared in Scottish

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

'' Not Another Happy Ending'' as Benny Lockhart opposite Karen Gillan and fellow '' Outlander'' alumni Stanley Weber. Director Alberto Arvelo's '' The Liberator'', the story of Venezuelan freedom fighter

Simón Bolívar Simón José Antonio de la Santísima Trinidad Bolívar y Palacios (24July 178317December 1830) was a Venezuelan statesman and military officer who led what are currently the countries of Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bol ...

, featured Lewis as Colonel Rooke of the Irish Brigade while director John S. Baird's psychological police drama '' Filth,'' saw Lewis guest star as Gus. Later that year, Lewis featured in Luca Barbareschi's ''The Mercury Factor'', which takes on the issue of adulterated food. Returning to independent films at the end of 2013, Lewis starred alongside Teresina Moscatiello in the German production ''Waiting'' and in Marcus McPeake's short film ''For Gracie''.

2014–present

First time British director Daniel Wolfe's thriller '' Catch Me Daddy'' (2014), which screened at the Director's Fortnight strand and focused on a teenager and her boyfriend who flee from her overbearing father, portrays Lewis as hired thug Tony, who is sent to retrieve the runaways. In 2015, Lewis appeared in short films, working twice with director Gordon Napier. The first film was the drama ''La Chasse'', in which Lewis portrayed the protagonist's deceased father through a voice over. Second was the 25-minute short ''Tide'', which saw Lewis star as lobster fisherman Alasdaire as he watches the life he knew erode into modern practices. Also in 2015, Lewis was featured in Joshua J. Krull's German language short film ''The Heavy Load''. In 2018, Lewis returned to feature films with director Marcus H. Rosenmüller's football flick '' The Keeper''. The film is a story of German goalkeeper

Bert Trautmann Bernhard Carl "Bert" Trautmann (22 October 1923 – 19 July 2013) was a German professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. Born in Bremen in 1923, he joined the Jungvolk, the junior section of the Hitler Youth in August 1933. Trautmann ...

, who helped

Manchester City Manchester City Football Club is a professional association football, football club based in Manchester, England, that competes in the Premier League, the English football league system, top flight of Football in England, English footbal ...

win the

FA Cup final The FA Cup Final is the last match in the FA Cup, Football Association Challenge Cup. It has regularly been one of the List of sports attendance figures, most attended domestic football events in the world, with an official attendance of 89,472 ...

in 1956. He also featured opposite

Gerard Butler Gerard James Butler (born 13 November 1969) is a Scottish actor and film producer. After studying law, he turned to acting in the mid-1990s with small roles in productions such as '' Mrs Brown'' (1997), the James Bond film ''Tomorrow Never ...

and Peter Mullan in Kristoffer Nyholm's 1930s era thriller, '' The Vanishing''. In 2021, he worked on a third Carion title, a remake of the 2017 French language ', '' My Son'', set in Scotland. In 2023, he joined the

Marvel Cinematic Universe The Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on List of Marvel Cinematic Universe films, a series of superhero films produced by Marvel Studios. The films are based on characters that appe ...

as Emperor Dro'ge in '' The Marvels''.

Television

1993–2013

Lewis's first professional role, in 1993, was in BBC's anthology series ''

Screen One ''Screen One'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and distributed by BBC Worldwide, that was transmitted on BBC One from 1989 to 1998. A total of six series were broadcast, incorporating sixty individual films, s ...

,'' in a feature-length episode entitled ''Down Among the Big Boys.'' The standalone film, also starring

Douglas Henshall Douglas James "Dougie" Henshall (born 19 November 1965) is a Scottish television, film and stage actor. He is best known for his roles as Professor Nick Cutter in the science fiction series ''Primeval (TV series), Primeval'' (2007–2011) and D ...

and

Billy Connolly Sir William Connolly (born 24 November 1942) is a Scottish actor, musician, television presenter, artist and retired stand-up comedian. He is sometimes known by the Scots nickname the Big Yin ("the Big One"). Known for his idiosyncratic and of ...

, focuses on the marriage of a policeman's son to a criminal’s daughter. His next project was a 1995 made-for-TV movie from writer/director David Kane. ''Ruffian Hearts'' is a romantic comedy set in a Glasgow tenement where Lewis's character resided. Between 1995 and 1999, Lewis appeared in several episodes of series such as '' Doctor Finlay'', ''

Hamish MacBeth Hamish Macbeth is the police constable of the fictional Scottish Highlands, Scottish Highland town of Lochdubh, in a series of murder mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton (Marion Chesney). Considered by many to be a useless, lazy moocher, M ...

'' opposite

, BBC medical drama ''Cardiac Arrest'',

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

anthology ''

Screen Two ''Screen Two'' is a British television anthology drama series, produced by the BBC and transmitted on BBC2 from 1985 to 1998 (not to be confused with a run of films shown on BBC2 under the billing ''Screen 2'' between April 1977 and March 1978 ...

s feature length ''Flowers of the Forest'', school drama '' Hope and Glory,'' and

BBC Scotland BBC Scotland is a division of the BBC and the main public broadcaster in Scotland. Its headquarters are in Glasgow, employing approximately 1,250 staff as of 2017, to produce 15,000 hours of television and radio programming per year. BBC Scotla ...

medical drama A medical drama is a Television film, television movie or film in which events center upon a hospital, clinic, doctor's office, a paramedic, or any other medical topic or environment. Most recent medical drama (film and television), dramatic progra ...

Life Support Life support comprises the treatments and techniques performed in an emergency in order to support life after the failure of one or more vital organs. Healthcare providers and emergency medical technicians are generally certified to perform bas ...

''. During that time, he also appeared in director Mark Haber's made-for-TV film ''The Princess Stallion'' and

winning television film ''Coming Soon''. In 2002, Lewis starred in

CBC CBC may refer to: Media * Cadena Baja California or Grupo Cadena, a radio and television broadcaster in Mexico * Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Canada's radio and television public broadcaster ** CBC Television ** CBC Radio One ** CBC Music ** ...

's award-winning TV film ''The Many Trials of One Jane Doe'', which is based on a true story of a

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

woman who challenged the police and their investigation after being raped, through a lengthy court battle. 2003 saw Lewis return to the BBC for director Antonia Bird's compelling TV film ''Rehab'', a semi-improvised film about the rehabilitation of people addicted to drugs. That same year he featured in scriptwriter Andrew Davies's made for TV historical drama '' Warrior Queen'', which detailed the birth of

Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the north-west coast of continental Europe, consisting of the countries England, Scotland, and Wales. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the List of European ...

. His next project, '' Gunpowder, Treason and Plot'' (2004)'','' was a four part mini-series for the BBC on the lives of

Mary Queen of Scots Mary, Queen of Scots (8 December 1542 – 8 February 1587), also known as Mary Stuart or Mary I of Scotland, was List of Scottish monarchs, Queen of Scotland from 14 December 1542 until her forced abdication in 1567. The only surviving legit ...

and her son James VI of Scotland/James I of England. Lewis portrayed historical figure

John Knox John Knox ( – 24 November 1572) was a Scottish minister, Reformed theologian, and writer who was a leader of the country's Reformation. He was the founder of the Church of Scotland. Born in Giffordgate, a street in Haddington, East Lot ...

, a prominent leader of the

Scottish Reformation The Scottish Reformation was the process whereby Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland broke away from the Catholic Church, and established the Protestant Church of Scotland. It forms part of the wider European 16th-century Protestant Reformation. Fr ...

who supervised the preparation of the Reformed

Church of Scotland The Church of Scotland (CoS; ; ) is a Presbyterian denomination of Christianity that holds the status of the national church in Scotland. It is one of the country's largest, having 245,000 members in 2024 and 259,200 members in 2023. While mem ...

's constitution and liturgy. The BBC and

The Discovery Channel Discovery Channel, known as The Discovery Channel from 1985 to 1995, and often referred to as simply Discovery, is an American cable channel that is best known for its ongoing reality television shows and promotion of pseudoscience. It initi ...

partnered in 2005 to produce a made-for-TV film, ''

'', that proposed a scenario where the magma chamber beneath

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in the northwest corner of Wyoming, with small portions extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U ...

erupted. Filmed in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

and Yellowstone, it starred Lewis alongside Michael Riley and Shaun Johnston. Between 2006 and 2008, Lewis appeared in a wide range episodic television programs, including ITV's crime thriller ''

Rebus A rebus ( ) is a puzzle device that combines the use of illustrated pictures with individual letters to depict words or phrases. For example: the word "been" might be depicted by a rebus showing an illustrated bumblebee next to a plus sign (+ ...

'', ''Prime Suspect 7: The Final Act'' alongside

Helen Mirren Dame Helen Mirren (; born Ilyena Lydia Vasilievna Mironov; 26 July 1945) is an English actor. With a career spanning over six decades of Helen Mirren on screen and stage, screen and stage, List of awards and nominations received by Helen Mirre ...

, ITV's showcase series ''

Comedy Lab ''Comedy Lab'' is a British television series which showcases pilots of experimental comedy shows. Series have been aired irregularly on Channel 4 and E4 since 1998. Several pilots first shown on ''Comedy Lab'' have gone on to spawn full seri ...

'', the second of two episodes he appeared in (the first was in 1999), Channel 4's mini series '' City of Vice'', ''Wired'' alongside

Jodie Whittaker Jodie Auckland Whittaker (born 17 June 1982) is an English actress. She is best known for her roles on television as Beth Latimer in ''Broadchurch'' (2013–2017) and the Thirteenth Doctor in ''Doctor Who'' (2017–2022, 2025). She came to pro ...

, crime drama ''

Taggart ''Taggart'' is a Scottish detective fiction television programme created by Glenn Chandler, who wrote many of the episodes, and made by STV Studios for the ITV network. It originally ran as the miniseries ''Killer'' from 6 until 20 Septe ...

'' the second of two episodes he appeared in (the first was in 1996), and BBC comedy '' Rab C. Nesbitt''. In 2010 Lewis portrayed Adam Ingram in the

Channel 4 Channel 4 is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by Channel Four Television Corporation. It is state-owned enterprise, publicly owned but, unlike the BBC, it receives no public funding and is funded en ...

drama '' Mo,'' a biopic of former

Secretary of State for Northern Ireland The secretary of state for Northern Ireland (; ), also referred to as Northern Ireland Secretary or SoSNI, is a secretary of state in the Government of the United Kingdom, with overall responsibility for the Northern Ireland Office. The offi ...

Mo Mowlam Marjorie "Mo" Mowlam (18 September 1949 – 19 August 2005) was a British Labour Party (UK), Labour Party politician. She was the Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Redcar (UK Parliament constituency), Redcar f ...

, a role that saw him nominated for a BAFTA Television Award in the category of Best Supporting Actor. He went on to appear alongside actor Kevin McKidd in BBC Scotland's drama ''One Night in Emergency'', which was based upon

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

's ''

The Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; ) is one of two major epics of ancient Greek literature attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest surviving works of literature and remains popular with modern audiences. Like the ''Iliad'', the ''Odyssey'' is divi ...

'' and written by Gregory Burke, as well as the BBC's adaptation of RAF fighter pilot Geoffrey Wellum's WWII autobiography '' First Light''. Lewis played Mac alongside the now star of Outlander, Sam Heughan, who played the 18 year old fighter pilot Wellum Lewis rounded out the year by featuring in series seven of the BBC's long-running crime drama ''

New Tricks ''New Tricks'' is a British television police procedural comedy drama, created by Nigel McCrery and Roy Mitchell, produced primarily by Wall to Wall (until its final year, when it was handled by Headstrong Pictures), and broadcast on BBC On ...

''. Lewis appeared in several

television miniseries In the United States, a miniseries or mini-series is a television show or series that tells a story in a predetermined, limited number of episodes. Many miniseries can also be referred to, and shown, as a television film. " Limited series" is ...

in 2011. The first was episode five of the BBC's '' Outcasts,'' which saw Lewis portraying Patrick Baxter. Next was an episode of the BBC drama '' The Body Farm'' where he portrayed Jimmy West, butler to an elderly man accused of murder. Finally, Lewis appeared in the BBC mini-series '' Young James Herriot'', which focused on the ''All Creatures Great and Small'' author's time as a student at Glasgow Veterinary College, in the role of Professor Quinton Gunnel. He also featured in several TV series including the enigmatic wizard Alator in two episodes of the BBC fantasy drama ''

Merlin The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network (MERLIN) is an interferometer array of radio telescopes spread across England. The array is run from Jodrell Bank Observatory in Cheshire by the University of Manchester on behalf of UK Re ...

,'' Robert Winter in ITV's crime drama ''

Vera Vera may refer to: Names *Vera (surname), a surname (including a list of people with the name) * Vera (given name), a given name (including a list of people and fictional characters with the name) **Vera (), archbishop of the archdiocese of Tarr ...

'', and Detective Novakowski in Canada's true crime drama ''Dual Suspects''. In 2012 Lewis starred in the two-part

''L'Olimpiade Nascosta'', on Italy's

Rai 1 Rai 1 () is an Italian free-to-air television channel owned and operated by state-owned public broadcaster RAI – Radiotelevisione italiana. It is the company's Flagship (broadcasting), flagship television channel and is known for broadcasting ...

, which tells the story of symbolic Olympic Games held by the prisoners and their captors while in Polish

Nazi Nazism (), formally named National Socialism (NS; , ), is the far-right politics, far-right Totalitarianism, totalitarian socio-political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in Germany. During H ...

concentration camps. He went on to feature in a season two episode of the BAFTA winning show '' Case Histories'', alongside Jason Isaacs.

2014–present

2014 saw Lewis appear as DS MacNeil in the ''

Silent Witness ''Silent Witness'' is a British crime drama television series produced by the BBC that focuses on a team of forensic pathology experts and their investigations into various crimes. The series was created by Nigel McCrery, a former murder squa ...

'' two-part episode "In A Lonely Place". This was the second of two guest starring roles on the hit series, the first was as Edwin Stickley in a 2008 two-part episode entitled "Terror". He next appeared in episode six of

Sky One Sky One was a British pay television channel operated and owned by Sky Group (a division of Comcast). Originally launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, it was Europe's first satellite and non- terrestrial channel. From 31 July 1989, ...

's mini-series ''

The Smoke The Smoke were an English psychedelic pop group from York. They consisted of Mick Rowley (Lead vocalist, lead Singing, vocals), Mal Luker (lead instrument, lead guitar), John "Zeke" Lund (Bass guitar, bass) and Geoff Gill (Drum kit, drums a ...

'', which chronicled the lives of a group of London firefighters, and the BAFTA winning TV film '' Glasgow Girls'', which featured Lewis as a teacher supporting his pupils in their fight to save their classmate from deportation. From 2014 to 2016, Lewis appeared in the recurring role of Colum MacKenzie, Laird of the MacKenzie clan, on

's time travel drama '' Outlander,'' based upon best-selling author Diana Gabaldon's novels of the same name. '' Death in Paradise,'' BBC's lighthearted police drama set on an island in the Caribbean, featured Lewis in the guest starring role of Bill Williams early in 2015. Later that year he starred as Mike McAvett in

BBC Two BBC Two is a British free-to-air Public service broadcasting in the United Kingdom, public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's second flagship channel, and it covers a wide range of subject matte ...

's mini-series ''Stonemouth'', an adaptation of Scottish author

Iain Banks Iain Banks (16 February 1954 – 9 June 2013) was a Scottish author, writing mainstream fiction as Iain Banks and science fiction as Iain M. Banks, adding the initial of his adopted middle name Menzies (). After the success of '' The Wasp Fact ...

's thriller of the same name. In

's four-part drama '' One of Us'' (aka ''Retribution''), a triple homicide murder mystery, Lewis featured as farm manager Alistair. From there he starred in ITV's British crime drama ''

The Level The Level may refer to: * The Level, Brighton, a park in Brighton, England * The Level railway station, a seasonally operated request stop on the Isle of Man Railway * The Level (TV series), a British crime drama See also

* The Levels (disambi ...

'', as father of protagonist Nancy Devlin ( Karla Crome). Lewis ended 2016 by once again working with costar Douglas Henshall in ITV's three-part mini-series ''

In Plain Sight ''In Plain Sight'' is an American drama television series that premiered on the USA Network on June 1, 2008. The series revolves around Mary Shannon (Mary McCormack), a Deputy United States Marshal attached to the Albuquerque, New Mexico office ...

'', which was based on the true story of Lanarkshire Detective William Muncie's quest to bring serial rapist and murderer

Peter Manuel Peter Thomas Anthony Manuel (13 March 1927 – 11 July 1958) was an American-Scottish serial killer who was convicted of murdering seven people across Lanarkshire and southern Scotland between 1956 and his arrest in January 1958, and is believ ...

to justice in the 1950s. Lewis signed on to co-star opposite Catherine Walker and Søren Malling in MTG Studio's drama ''Rig 45'', set during the investigation of a fatal accident on a

North Sea The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Denmark, Norway, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and France. A sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian Se ...

oil rig, in early 2018. He next appeared in season three of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

's Canadian fur trade drama ''

Frontier A frontier is a political and geographical term referring to areas near or beyond a boundary. Australia The term "frontier" was frequently used in colonial Australia in the meaning of country that borders the unknown or uncivilised, th ...

'', alongside

Jason Momoa Joseph Jason Namakaeha Momoa (; born August 1, 1979) is an American actor. He made his acting debut as Jason Ioane on the syndicated action drama series '' Baywatch: Hawaii'' (1999–2001), which was followed by portrayals of Ronon Dex on the ...

and Zoe Boyle. During the first quarter of 2019, Lewis guest starred in series finale of

's hit comedy ''

Still Game ''Still Game'' is a Scotland, Scottish sitcom produced by Effingee Productions, The Comedy Unit and BBC Scotland. It was created by Ford Kiernan and Greg Hemphill, who played the lead characters, Jack Jarvis (Still Game character), Jack Jarvis, ...

'', which focused on two Glaswegians and their reactions to the world.

Filmography

Television

Film

Awards and nominations

References

External links

* * https://www.gcu.ac.uk/archives/catalogues/browsebycreator/lewis/ * https://www.gcu.ac.uk/alumni/alumniprofiles/featured/garylewis/ {{DEFAULTSORT:Lewis, Gary 1957 births Living people 20th-century Scottish male actors 21st-century Scottish male actors Male actors from Glasgow Scottish male film actors Scottish male television actors