Gil Bellows

Canadian actor Gil Bellows broke through with a starring role as a lovable low-life in the indie "Love and a .45" (1994) and a supporting turn as a young convict who dies for his friendship with Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) in "The Shawshank Redemption" (1994). After high-profile roles in "Miami Rhapsody" (1995) and "Snow White: A Tale of Terror" (Showtime, 1997), Bellow became a star as Billy Thomas, an old flame-turned-colleague of Calista Flockhart's "Ally McBeal" (Fox, 1997-2002) who still yearns for her despite his marriage to Georgia (Courtney Thorne-Smith). After leaving the David E. Kelley series in a memorably moving plot twist, Bellows starred in the first season of "The Agency" (CBS, 2001-03) and earned a Best Actor Gemini nomination for "Terminal City" (The Movie Network, 2005). He won an Emmy and a Peabody for producing the Claire Danes-starring biopic "Temple Grandin" (HBO, 2010), appeared in "House at the End of the Street" (2012) and continued to write, direct and produce as well as act. Although he never quite became a household name, Gil Bellows earned countless fans for his charismatic performances.