A Little Bit Of The Past, Present and Future on Gale
In 1997, friend Susan Landau, daughter of actor Martin Landau, suggested Gale attempt stage acting. He re-located to Los Angeles and began a 3 year period of intensive drama study and exploration. At 28, he was accepted into the Actors Conservatory Program with the classical theater company, A Noise Within.
In his theatrical debut, Gale was cast as "Bunny" in Me and My Friend by Gillian Plowman. He was also cast in quite a few other stage plays as well. He has quite a few Movie and Television credits that you will find if you go here. Immortalized Forever!
Much later, in 2000, Gale finally landed the role that would thrust him into the national spotlight. He played Brian Kinney, a central character on Showtime's popular gay drama Queer as Folk. The Showtime series revolved around the lives of twenty-something gay friends in working-class Pittsburgh and their day to day struggles to which the show received much critical acclaim.
Gale was cast as Brian Kinney, a heartless, very sexual, very self confident, no excuses, no regrets, gay man who wound his way through conquests faster than a McDonalds franchise sold burgers. At least that is how the story started; which was written and produced in large part by Daniel Lipman and Ron Cowen. To those who watched the show either during its' five year run on Showtime or like myself found it just a year ago on DVD; once you see Brian Kinney, you just can't stop watching. Gale defintely was the ONLY choice for this role. I have tried to picture other actors portraying this role and it just doesn't work. At least not for me.
On Queer as Folk, Brian also had a softer side shown only to a select few, in particular Justin Taylor a role played by Randy Harrison. Justin started out as a one time trick but by the shows end, he and Brian had formed a somewhat unconventional, but committed relationship with each other.
These two actors played off each other so well it was almost hypnotic to watch. From their first scene together,they seemed so tuned in to each that it was almost as if they had known each other all their lives. I guess that is why their characters seemed to mesh so well together.
I could go on and on about the other actors in this show because they were all exceptional in their own rite, but this site is all about Gale!
In the five years that this show was on the air, it covered a wide variety of topics that included AIDS, hate crimes, same sex adoption, drug addiction, and gay marriage to name just a few.
Gale was quoted during the first year of QAF as saying, "I mean, let's face it, it's 2000 and people are beginning to wake up on some level. I think that, as I was saying earlier, there's just no denying the impact that showing people the truth can have. It allows people to understand themselves, and when you understand yourself you can understand the people around you. And then you can begin to let go of all the bullshit that leads into things like world wars, racism, stereotypes, and bigotry."
Gale Harold took on this role with no qualms about repercussions to his new found career. He said as much in an interview on Larry King Live in April 2002. To paraphrase, asked by Larry King if he was worried that portraying a gay man on a television show could possibly hinder his future opportunities for acting jobs, Gale replied, "If that is the criteria on which they might base their hiring of me, then I wouldn't want the job anyway."
Sadly, all good things must come to an end and Queer As Folk came to a close in 2005 after five years on the Showtime Network. There are many, many fans, some as far away as Belgium, New Zealand, and Australia, truly QAF fans span across the globe. Many of those fans, myself included were not very happy with the way that the writers decided to end the show, however these characters live on through DVD; with all five seasons now in release.
But fear not fellow Gale Harold lovers, there are literally hundreds of bulletin boards, web sites, live journals, fan fiction sites and videos set to music, made by fans who want to keep this show and these characters in the main stream. There are some amazing writers out there and some great stories. Most of the stories are a continuation of where the series left off, but some authors have written stories based on what they, the fans wanted the characters to do, say, or be during or after the show. Some writers have novel length stories with extensive chapters and intricate storylines. There are also some very impressive music videos made by the people who I think know these characters best, the fans!
Gale has many other credits on his resume as well. He starred as Kyle Riven in Wake, produced by Susan Landau Finch, directed by her husband Henry Leroy Finch with a cameo by Martin Landau.
In this film, the fateful reunion of four brothers quickly dissolves into a night of drinking, deceit, perversions, and death. They don't realize until it is too late that the party they are having is, in fact, a wake.
Gale was involved in quite a few projects while filming five years of QAF and since leaving the series in 2005.
In 2005 he had a film role starring as Harold in the the movie The Unseen which also costars Michelle Clunie, who portrayed Melanie from QAF. Set in small-town rural Georgia, a man returns to his hometown to face the deep-rooted racial tensions of a deep southern town that ages, but never changes.
Gale's role in this movie as Morrison, a troubled writer with issues ranging from his distant parents to his being a germaphobe make this a compelling movie to see. Jennifer Elster who produced and also starred portrays Lilly, an artist preparing for her first gallery show. She grew up with two strung out parents who deal with overdosing friends, infidelity and steal to raise funds to support their unquenchable habit. Her glance crosses with Morrison Wiley (Gale Harold) who spends his days tucked inside his BMW SUV, chronicling the thoughts of strangers he spies from the safety of his automotive sanctuary. He's published a popular selling book appropriately named "Thoughts from a Car." He's shy, reserved and avoids people in general to avoid his contact with germs. It's defintely a huge departure from his role of confident, cocky Brian Kinney but I think that is what makes it all the more compelling. We get to see a totally different side of Gale.
For those of us that can't get enough of Gale or miss him on the small screen, beginning August 21, 2006, Gale will play the lead in a new series called Vanished for the Fox Network.
Through the eyes of Senior FBI Agent Graham Kelton (Gale Harold), ambitious reporter Judy Nash (Rebecca Gayheart) and the distraught members of the Collins family, viewers will journey inside a sensational, mysterious national soap opera.
But there is much more going on here than it seems on the surface.
Kelton, working with Agent LIN MEI (Ming-Na, 'ER'), uncovers enigmatic clues that suggest Sara's disappearance may be part of a large, sinister conspiracy. The search for Sara not only exposes one of the nation's most prominent families, but it also uncovers evidence that could rock the very foundation of American society. In Vanished, nothing is as it seems. Everyone is a suspect. Everyone has a secret. And no one is safe.
Created by Josh Berman (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) and directed by executive producer Mimi Leder (The Peacemaker, Deep Impact), VANISHED combines the investigative twists and turns of CSI, the nonstop pace and tension of FOX's '24' and the scope of The Da Vinci Code. This intriguing new series will reveal new clues each week. But as the characters get closer to the truth, they will become targets themselves. Paul Redford (The Unit, The West Wing) serves as executive producer. Vanished is produced by 20th Century Fox Television.You can also see Gale in August on the HBO show Deadwood. He will be guest starring in several episodes playing Wyatt Earp.
In addition, he is an Associate Producer, along with his own idol David Bowie, of the upcoming documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man.
Gale will be on the stage in New York City co-starring with Blythe Danner in Roundabout Theatre Company's Off-Broadway revival of Tennessee Williams' Suddenly Last Summer. The play will run with previews starting October 20th and open November 15th for a limited run through January 21, 2007, at the Laura Pels Theatre in the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre.
I have become quite an avid Gale Harold follower and look forward to any and all upcoming small and large screen productions that include Gale. I anticipate great things for Gale with this new series as well as his other endeavors. He is defintely a star on the rise. I hope that you will join me and become a Gale Harold fan too!
For those of you livng in outer Mongolia or Siberia who misssed the first showing of Queer as Folk on the Showtime Network, it has just been announced that the LOGO Network will be premiering the show from the beginning starting on September 21, 2006 at 10pm. Please come watch and fall in love with these great characters for the first time or relive all the drama, angst and fun that is Queer as Folk.Come Home
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