- Born
- Height5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
- Gil Bellows is an actor, producer, screenwriter, and director. After graduating from the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, he began acting in film and television and earned critical acclaim for his stage performances. For his first starring role in Love and a .45 (1994), his acting received positive reviews. Bellows gained wide attention for his performance as Tommy a pivotal role in The Shawshank Redemption (1994). The film was nominated for seven Academy Awards including "Best Picture" and is considered by many to be one of the greatest films 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). 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 (2001), American Gods (2017), Chucky (2021), and more.
As a producer, Bellows has several notable accomplishments, including Mick Jackson's HBO biographical drama Temple Grandin (2010), which earned him both a Primetime Emmy Award and a Peabody Award. He produced, starred in, co-wrote, and co-directed the film 3 Days in Havana (2013), and also produced the Amazon Prime Video series Patriot (2015), where he received story credits as well.- IMDb Mini Biography By: Film actors bio
- SpouseRya Kihlstedt(October 3, 1994 - present) (filed for divorce, 2 children)
- ChildrenAva EmanuelleGiovanni
- Known as the hunky on- and off- lawyer and paramour to Ally McBeal in the late 1990s, he is probably best remembered in films for his smallish, breakthrough role as an ill-fated inmate in The Shawshank Redemption (1994). Bellows got the part after Brad Pitt passed on it to do the lead in Legends of the Fall (1994).
- First met his Ally McBeal (1997) co-star, Calista Flockhart, when they were both theater actors in New York. He used to sit across from her at play readings.
- Met his wife, actress Rya Kihlstedt in 1991 when they were working at the Williamstown Theatre Festival.
- He is a member of the Act One Repertory Company of the prestigious Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts.
- Gil and wife Rya had a 2nd child, a son named Giovanni, in December 2001.
- (2010) The great thing about acting is that, until you're dead, you can do it. There are aspects to it that as time goes on you hope you get better at, and there are a lot of things that I'm excited to explore.
- (2010) I'm really proud of a movie that not a lot of people have seen - Love and a .45 (1994) - that was one of the first things I did. I'd say that I'm super proud of only four or five things I've done, but mostly I'd like to be remembered as a really good actor who people enjoyed watching.
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