HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Gil Bellows (born June 28, 1967) is a Canadian actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. Upon graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began acting in films and television. Bellows also earned critical acclaim for his stage performances in ''The Snake and the Vein'' (1990–1992), ''Flaubert's Latest'' (1992), and his first starring role in '' Love and a .45'' (1994). Bellows gained widespread recognition for his pivotal role as Tommy in '' The Shawshank Redemption'' (1994). The film, nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, is often regarded as one of the greatest ever made. On television, Bellows is best known for playing Billy Thomas, the romantic lead in the popular Fox’s legal dramedy series '' Ally McBeal'' (1997–2002). His performance earned him a Screen Actors Guild Award, and when his character finally united with the title character, the show reached a record-breaking audience of nearly 17 million viewers. Throughout his career Bellows has continued to work in both film and television. His film credits include '' The Weather Man'' (2005), '' House at the End of the Street'' (2012), and ''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark'' (2019).  On television, he has had recurring roles in ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'' (2010), '' American Gods'' (2021), '' Chucky'' (2023–2024), and more. As a producer, Bellows has several notable accomplishments, including Mick Jackson’s
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
biographical drama '' Temple Grandin'' (2010), which earned him both a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
and a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
. He produced, starred in, co-wrote, and co-directed the film '' 3 Days in Havana'' (2013), and also produced the
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
series '' Patriot'' (2015–2017), where he received story credits as well.


Early life

Bellows was born 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 ...
,
British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
, and attended Magee Secondary School with fellow future actor Carrie-Anne Moss. After graduation, he pursued a career in acting, studying at the
American Academy of Dramatic Arts The American Academy of Dramatic Arts (AADA) is a Private college, private drama school with two locations, one in New York City and one in Los Angeles. The academy offers an associate degree in occupational studies and teaches drama and related ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
.


Career


1990–1994: Rise to prominence

Bellows moved to New York after graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Los Angeles. Six months later, after many rejections, he was considering returning to Vancouver, British Columbia, when things picked up. In 1990, he earned notice for his performance in a one-act play by Alan Bowne, ''A Snake in the Vein'', with ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'' writing: "Mr. Bellows is physically magnetic as the boy who believes he is tougher than he is and whose sense of bravado is so pathetically susceptible to manipulation." In 1989, Bellows acted in the film '' The First Season''. Film critic Elizabeth Aird of ''
The Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, and is the larg ...
'' mentioned Bellows as one who stood out in the supporting cast. In 1991, Bellows made his television debut in the '' Law & Order'' episode "The Violence of Summer". In 1992, Bellows played a young gardener in the play ''Flaubert's Latest''. Critic William A. Raily of '' The Jersey Journal'' applauded his performance. Also that year Bellows continued to receive good reviews for a ''A Snake in the Vein'', ''The Daily News'' published "over-the-top performances (Charles Cragin and Gil Bellows), make for riveting albeit shocking drama." Also in that year he acted in an episode of ''Flying Blind''. In 1993, he acted in two episodes of ''Going to Extremes''. In 1994, Bellows played the pivotal role of Tommy in Frank Darabont's '' The Shawshank Redemption'' starring
Tim Robbins Timothy Francis Robbins (born October 16, 1958) is an American actor. He is best known for portraying Andy Dufresne in the film '' The Shawshank Redemption ''(1994), and Jacob Singer in '' Jacob's Ladder'' (1990), as well as winning an Academy ...
and Morgan Freeman. After a long cross-country search, casting director Deborah Aquino chose Bellows, then 27, to play the role of Tommy, after Brad Pitt, who had been initially cast, withdrew because of a scheduling conflict. Aquino explained "We must have seen every young man in that age range in Chicago, New York and L.A. -- name actors and no-name actors." When he was cast, Bellows was working as a doorman at The Royalton Hotel in Manhattan. Director Frank Darabont said "Gil brought this quality of ingenuousness to Tommy that I find quite believable. Even though Tommy's kind of a hardened kid, there's a naïveté to him, and Gil's got a sweetness that comes through." Freeman was surprised that Bellows was a fairly new actor, and said he "relaxed right into it." Bellows said "I really wanted to play Tommy, and I was really hoping the audition wouldn't come down to a name criterion, or l wouldn't have had a hope." The film was nominated for seven
Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...
including "Best Picture". It is often considered as one of greatest films of all times. Also that year, he played his first lead role as Watty Watt, a holdup artist on the run in the indie
crime drama Crime film is a film belonging to the crime fiction genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and fiction. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine with many other genres, such as Drama (film and television), dr ...
'' Love and a .45'' with Renée Zellweger. Of his character, Bellows said "I loved him from the moment I read the first page of the script, in spite of his profession, he is really a noble character. "I think he does know the difference between good and bad, right and wrong. By and large his justifications are those I would embrace in my own life - other than armed robbery." While the film received mixed to positive reviews, the quality of Bellows's acting was universally praised, Neil Davidson in the ''
Red Deer Advocate The ''Red Deer Advocate'' is a twice-weekly newspaper in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada. It publishes Wednesday and Saturday and is owned by Black Press. History The newspaper was first established in 1901 as the ''Red Deer Echo'', changing its n ...
'' wrote that Bellows played his role "to perfection."


1995–2010: Subsequent success

In 1995, Bellows played one of the leads in J. S. Cardone's
crime thriller Crime fiction, detective story, murder mystery, crime novel, mystery novel, and police novel are terms used to describe narratives or fiction that centre on criminal acts and especially on the investigation, either by an amateur or a professiona ...
'' Black Day Blue Night'', alongside Michelle Forbes and Mia Sara. The reviews the film highlighted its strengths as a well-executed, low-budget noir with engaging performances. Greg Evans of ''Variety'' liked the film and of Bellows performance he said that it "outdistance the material." Also that year, he co-starred opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic comedy '' Miami Rhapsody'' directed by David Frankel. In his review of the film, Owen Gleiberman of ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American online magazine, digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, ...
'' gave it an A- and wrote that "the cast is uniformly fetching." Finally in 1995, he played one of the leads in the television film '' The Silver Strand''. In 1996, Bellows acted in Daniel Sullivan's film adaptation of the stage play of '' The Substance of Fire''. The film had an ensemble cast which included Ron Rifkin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Timothy Hutton, Tony Goldwyn, and more. Ella Taylor in her review for '' LA Weekly'' said of the cast that they were "so comfortable around one another that they breathe rich life into the often glib one-liners that are the hazard of theatrical dialogue." Also in 1996, Bellows appeared in Al Pacino's '' Looking for Richard''. Of his appearance Bellows said "I have probably the smallest part, I was cast before ''Shawshank'' and I was a spearholder. But I got to sit in the loft and watch Al Pacino." Another role that year was in the television film ''Radiant City''. In 1997, Bellows played Billy Thomas, the former flame of the title character in '' Ally McBeal'', opposite Calista Flockhart. Caryn James of ''The New York Times'' wrote of "the simmering heat” that he and Flockhart were able to generate. Of his character Bellows said "he's probably the most stable-acting of all the characters, but underneath I think he's the most tormented." The series was success for Fox Network. After two years, for the episode when the character of McBeal and Thomas finally unite the show reached a record number of viewership according to the Nielsen rating system of nearly 17 million viewers. On the success of the episode Bellows said "the relationship between Billy and Ally is a major component in the show. There are a lot of other characters on the show who can be considered flashier or more funny but I don't think there's a story line that's more compelling than Billy and Ally. I think their relationship anchors Ally as a human being as opposed to her character as a wacky figment of (producer David E.) Kelley's imagination. Billy allows her to explore human emotions that she probably wouldn't be exploring otherwise and I think everybody responds to romance in one way or another.” With the rest of the cast, he won and was nominated twice for " Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. During his tenure on the show he reprised his role in the spin-off series ''Ally'' (1999), and "Axe Murderer" a crossover episode with''
The Practice ''The Practice'' is an American legal drama television series created by David E. Kelley centering on partners and associates at a Boston law firm. The show ran for eight seasons on ABC, from March 4, 1997, to May 16, 2004. It won an Emmy i ...
'' (1998). Bellows announced that he would be leaving the show in season 3, but would make guest appearances moving forward. Bellows explained that he felt "the show was starting to fall apart early in the third season" and that his character "started getting kooky. There were a lot of us -- and I loved working with that crew -- that found the script no longer made any sense." He spoke with the producer and the agreed that he "could leave in a way that suited the original spirit of the show, which was grounded with heart." Also in 1997 Bellows acted in several movies these are '' Snow White: A Tale of Terror, Witch Way Love, The Assistant,'' ''White Lies,'' and ''Dinner at Fred's.'' In 1998, Bellows acted in the films '' Judas Kiss'', and ''Say You'll Be Mine''. In 2000, Bellows also appeared in the
psychological thriller Psychological thriller is a Film genre, genre combining the thriller (genre), thriller and psychological fiction genres. It is commonly used to describe literature or films that deal with psychological narratives in a thriller or thrilling setting ...
'' Chasing Sleep.'' Patrick Z. McGavin of the ''
Chicago Tribune The ''Chicago Tribune'' is an American daily newspaper based in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded in 1847, it was formerly self-styled as the "World's Greatest Newspaper", a slogan from which its once integrated WGN (AM), WGN radio and ...
'' said that "Bellows does standout work as an intrepid detective." That year he also played roles in ''Beautiful Joe'', and in the television film '' The Courage to Love''. In 2001, he portrayed CIA agent Matt Callan in the CBS primetime television series '' The Agency''. At the end of the first season, Bellows was dissatisfied with the direction of the story,* and chose to leave the show after a mutual agreement with the producers. Without Bellows, ''The Agency'' was re-cast, but it was canceled by the end of the second season. Also in 2001, Bellows acted in one episode of '' Night Visions'', and the made-for-TV film '' She Creature.'' In 2002, Bellows played lead roles in the television films ''Whitewash: The Clarence Bradley Story'', and '' Second String''. On stage that year he participated to the ''24-Hour Play'' event in which actors had 24 hours to write a play and perform it. The proceeds went to victims of the
September 11 attacks 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 ...
. In 2003, Bellows acted in the films '' Blind Horizon'', and ''Fast Food High.'' On television he appeared in one episode of '' The Twilight Zone,'' and he had the lead in the television film ''1st to Die''. In 2004, he appeared in the films ''EMR'', '' Childstar,'' and ''Pursued.'' On television, he played roles in '' A Bear Named Winnie,'' ''Cooking Lessons, Zeyda and the Hitman'', and one episode of '' Karen Sisco''. On stage that year, Bellows took part in the ''Great Writers Series'' where actors read literary works of the American West on stage. His assignment was Walter Van Tilburg Clark's ''The Ox-Bow Incident''. 2005 in films, Bellows played the lead in ''Keep Your Distance'', co-produced Ali Selim's '' Sweet Land'', and acted in Gore Verbinski's '' The Weather Man.'' On television he played one of the leads in the mini-series ''Terminal City''. In it he plays the husband of a woman, played by Maria del Mar, diagnosed with
breast cancer Breast cancer is a cancer that develops from breast tissue. Signs of breast cancer may include a Breast lump, lump in the breast, a change in breast shape, dimpling of the skin, Milk-rejection sign, milk rejection, fluid coming from the nipp ...
. Bellows believes that the part was "as good and complex a role as I ever had", on the part he said "it really spoke to me, I have children, I'm the grandson of a Holocaust survivor. These shows will get people to talk about the stuff that usually sits in the back of your head spinning before you go to sleep: What's going to happen if I lose you, or what happens if I go." Bellows explained that as they were shooting tragic moments "they're heavy scenes, and you're shaking, you're fighting the tears. You go outside and you'll see crew members in the same place, feeling the same way. One of them will talk about a spouse or relative." Alison Cunninghan in her praise of the mini-series in '' The Ottawa Citizen'' wrote "Bellows is exceptional. He turns in a stunning performance as a man who manages to anchor his family while he's close to imploding. Watching Bellows play such conflicting emotions, often within the same scene, is transfixing. His scenes with del Mar are gilded with the nuances and gestures that flourish between longtime friends and lovers." At the Gemini Awards, Bellows received a nomination for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role". In 2006, he acted in the television film '' Final Days of Planet Earth.'' In 2008, he co-produced and played the lead in '' Kill Kill Faster Faster''. Other films he acted in are '' The Promotion,'' ''Black Crescent Moon'', '' Passchendaele'', and'' Toronto Stories.'' On television, Bellows also played a State Department Officer in '' 24: Redemption'', a television film prequel to the seventh season of ''24'', he starred in the science-fiction film '' Infected,'' and one episode of '' The Cleaner.'' In 2010, Bellows co-starred in the movie '' Unthinkable'', ''A Night for Dying Tigers,'' and played the lead villain in Steve Austin's action film '' Hunt to Kill.'' On television that year, Bellows had a recurring role in ''
FlashForward A flashforward (also spelled flash-forward, and more formally known as prolepsis) is a scene that temporarily takes the narrative forward in time from the current point of the story in literature, film, television and other media. Flashforwards a ...
'', '' True Justice'', and appeared as Maxwell Lord on ''
Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...
'' in the Season 9 episodes "Charade" and "Hostage". He also played roles in the television film ''
Goblin A goblin is a small, grotesque, monster, monstrous humanoid creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearan ...
,'' and one episode of '' Criminal Minds'', Also that year, as an executive producer, he released Mick Jackson’s
HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...
biographical drama '' Temple Grandin'', which earned him both a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
for "Outstanding Made for Television Movie" and a
Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Foster Peabody, George Peabody, honor what are described as the most powerful, enlightening, and in ...
. Bellows also received a nomination at the Producers Guild of America Awards for the " David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television".


2011–present: Current work

!n 2011, he co-starred in the films '' The Year Dolly Parton Was My Mom,'' '' Girl Walks into a Bar'', and '' The Maiden Danced to Death''. On television he acted in two episodes of ''
Sanctuary A sanctuary, in its original meaning, is a sacred space, sacred place, such as a shrine, protected by ecclesiastical immunity. By the use of such places as a haven, by extension the term has come to be used for any place of safety. This seconda ...
,'' and the television film '' Trading Christmas''. In 2012, he acted in Mark Tonderai's '' House at the End of the Street''. The film went on to gross over $44 million worldwide. He also appeared in '' The Samaritan''. On television, he had recurring roles in '' Boss'' and '' Vegas.'' In 2013, Bellows acted in two episodes of the series '' Delete.'' He appeared in several motion pictures these are '' Mad Ship,'' '' Louis Cyr,'' and '' Parkland.'' He also co-directed, co-wrote, produced, and starred in '' 3 Days in Havana''. Both the film and Bellows received a Leo Awards nomination for "Best Motion Picture". In 2014, in films, Bellows acted in '' Extraterrestrial, Leading Lady,'' '' The Calling,'' and '' Kill the Messenger''. On television, he acted in episodes of '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Falling Skies,'' and '' Bones.'' He was part of the main cast in the miniseries ''Ascension'', a retro
space opera Space opera is a subgenre of science fiction that emphasizes Space warfare in science fiction, space warfare, with use of melodramatic, risk-taking space adventures, relationships, and chivalric romance. Set mainly or entirely in outer space, i ...
/ murder mystery about the 600-person crew of the USS ''Ascension''. Bellows plays a character who oversees its progress from a secret facility on Earth. In 2015 he acted in the films '' Girl on the Edge,'' '' Weepah Way for Now,'' and '' Life on the Line.'' From 2015 to 2018, he had a recurring role as Lawrence Lacroix, on ''Patriot'', the
Amazon Prime Video Amazon Prime Video, known simply as Prime Video, is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming television service owned by Amazon. The service primarily distributes films and television series produced or co-produced by ...
series of which he was also the executive producer and received story credits. Critics praised the series as "dark, quirky, and often funny." Also filled with "moody pleasures will find themselves infiltrated by its scabrous humor and crackerjack dialogue." In 2016, in films, he played roles in ''Dead Draw'', and '' She Has a Name''. On television he acted in two episodes of '' 11.22.63''. Also that year, Bellows acted in the 10-episode mini-series police drama, '' Eyewitness''. He plays Gabe Caldwell, a veterinarian and the husband of Sheriff Helen Torrance played by series lead Julianne Nicholson. David Wiegand of '' SFGate'' described it as "a competent procedural with well-drawn characters", and that Bellows and Nicholson gave "solid performances." In 2017, Bellows acted in '' Blood Honey'', and ''ADDicted.'' In 2018, he acted in an episode of '' The Detectives.'' In 2019, on television, Bellows guest-starred in episodes ''The Handmaid's Tale'', '' Suits'', and a recurring role in '' Jett''. In films, he acted in '' Run This Town,'' ''Nation's Fire'', and '' Drowning''. He also had a major role in the André Øvredal's ''Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark''''.'' The film got many positive reviews. Clark Collis of Entertainment Weekly wrote that it was "blessed with some firm hands on the terror tiller and a winning cast, Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark is a handsome, and deliciously horrible, horror movie." It grossed $68.9 million in the United States and Canada, and $35.6 million in other territories, for a worldwide total of $104.5 million. For the film ''
Business Ethics Business ethics (also known as corporate ethics) is a form of applied ethics or professional ethics, that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical problems that can arise in a business environment. It applies to all aspects of business c ...
'' starring Larenz Tate, he played a role and served as an executive producer. The film won the Audience Choice Film Award at the 2019 Newark International Film Festival. In 2020, he acted in episodes of '' The Twilight Zone'', and '' Cherish the Day.'' He was in the main cast of the mini-series '' Love in the Time of Corona''. Bellows also played the title role in ''Two Deaths of Henry Baker''. At the 2020 Canadian Screen Awards he was nominated for "Best Lead Performer, TV Movie". In 2021, Bellows appeared in several episodes of the series ''American Gods'',, was part of the main cast of the mini-series ''V.C. Andrews' Landry Family'', and the film '' Awake.'' In 2022, Bellows played Gerald Chatham in the critically acclaimed mini-series '' Women of the Movement,'' based on the true story of
Emmett Till Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an African American youth, who was 14 years old when he was abducted and Lynching in the United States, lynched in Mississippi in 1955 after being accused of offending a white woman, ...
. In 2023, Bellows played a recurring character in season 3 of ''Chucky'', a role he maintained until the 2024 season finale. In 2024, Bellows started playing a recurring character in season 2 of '' Alert: Missing Persons Unit''.


Personal life

Bellows was married to American actress Rya Kihlstedt, whom he met in the early 1990s. The couple have two adult children, a son and a daughter. The couple separated in 2021.


Screen and stage credits


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Bellows, Gil 1967 births Canadian male film actors Canadian male television actors Living people Male actors from Vancouver American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors Primetime Emmy Award winners