NEW YORK (CP) - Don't expect to see Victor Garber crack a smile. He's too busy executing covert operations, battling enemies of the state and mending fences with his estranged daughter. Toss in some major conflicts in the workplace and a dead wife resurrected, and you'd find it tough to smile, too. This, of course, is the Garber we see onscreen in Alias, this season's action-packed spy drama in which he stars as uber-spy Jack Bristow, aloof father to superagent Sydney Bristow (Golden Globe winner Jennifer Garner), who's joined Dad in the family business of kicking butt. Garber's onscreen world may be all about tension, drama and danger, but offscreen, he has a lot to smile about: two Emmy nominations, four Tony nominations, a leading role in last summer's smash hit Legally Blonde and a high-octane role in one of the year's most celebrated new series. "It's been a great year," Garber says on the telephone from Los Angeles. "Every once in a while I stop to catch my breath." Not surprising considering the pace of a typical Alias episode - breakneck, usually, with a healthy dose of edge-of-your-seat suspense. His spy-fathers-spy character gets plenty of action. "Alias has turned out to be such a high and just so much fun to work on," he says. The fun reaches its climax this Sunday for the season finale, which is rumoured to be as explosive a cliffhanger as any in recent memory. Garber gets to exercise his acting chops in addition to his karate chops with the role of Jack, whose tenuous relationship with daughter Sydney provides much of the dramatic force. "He's a complicated guy, and the whole relationship with Sydney is so tortured," he says. For example, a major breakthrough occurred months into the season when Jack briefly touched Sydney's hand. Fortunately, their onscreen tension is the result of an easygoing offscreen relationship. "It's such a joy to work with her," says Garber. (Garner has affectionately referred to him as a "big bear.") Garber, who is square-jawed and strapping, could well have the strength of a large brawny animal but, as a few renegade Cubans found out, his reflexes are quite a bit quicker. Indeed, while watching Alias it is no stretch to believe that he and the lissome Garner could be related, in ways both athletic and esthetic. Though the 53-year-old thespian is no stranger to critical acclaim, this is the first time he's been acclaimed for hitting bad guys instead of high notes. A regular on the Broadway stage, Garber earned praise for his roles in shows like Sweeney Todd, Noises Off, Art and Damn Yankees, for which he earned one of his four Tony nominations. Although he'd had a number of strong supporting roles in films like Sleepless In Seattle and The First Wives Club, his most significant movie moment came when he was cast as the genteel Master Shipbuilder Thomas Andrews in the box-office blockbuster Titanic. "I think everything sort of changed for me with Titanic," he says, recalling how he was suddenly recognized in public following the film's release. "That broadened the audience for me considerably." With his role as the lecherous Prof. Callahan in Legally Blonde and now with Alias, that audience has expanded into a completely new demographic. He reaches Felicity-aged fans who hang on to Jack Bristow's every terse word and testify to his appeal on Internet message boards (from the chat rooms of fan site www.Alias-Online.com: "He is the ultimate spy!" "I want to see Jack in action more often!" "I think he's rather cute for an older guy.") Series creator J.J. Abrams isn't at all surprised at Garber's appeal. He still recalls seeing Garber 20 years ago in Noises Off. "I've been aware of his work onstage for years," says Abrams. "What I love about Victor is he's done such incredible, varied material and he's got a real facility for adapting to different genres - perfect for a show about a spy." Abrams invited Garber to read for the role of Jack Bristow, which was done via a closed-circuit television between New York (still Garber's home) and Los Angeles, where Abrams was in pre-production for the show. After two decades and across three time zones, Garber still made an impression. "He's truly the consummate performer," enthuses Abrams. "He brings such depth and thought and complexity to his role - he's the dream pro." Abrams, who wrote the Alias theme music, knows he's sitting on a triple threat in Garber and admits that he's considered how Jack Bristow might work a little song and dance into the world of international espionage. "It would require a mission with a tight squeeze, the only way out of which would be to have him perform," muses Abrams. "We have to find some way to do it - it would be so wonderful and fun." Garber is a bit more skeptical: "I doubt that it will happen but it's a funny idea - you never know." You never know, indeed. Forty-three years ago in London, Ont., Garber was a 10-year-old performing in children's shows at the Grand Theatre. At 15, he enrolled in a summer acting workshop at the University of Toronto's Hart House and moved to Toronto shortly thereafter, joining teen singing group The Sugar Shoppe, with whom he performed on the Ed Sullivan Show. His real break came a few years later when was cast as Jesus in the Toronto production of Godspell along with fledgling talents Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, and Paul Shaffer. He later moved to New York to star in the 1973 film version. As the saying goes, he never looked back. Though New York remains his home, Garber often returns to Canada to visit with family or, quite often, for work. "I love coming to work up there," says Garber, who most recently filmed Torso: The Evelyn Dick Story and the Judy Garland biopic Me and My Shadows in Toronto, and will be returning later this month to film an adaptation of Broadway's The Music Man with Matthew Broderick and Molly Shannon. Though season two of Alias won't start until September, Garber aficionados can catch him in the upcoming Tuck Everlasting with Sissy Spacek, William Hurt, Alexis Bleidel and Alias guest star Amy Irving. In the meantime, theatre fans will have to wait a little longer to see Garber back in the floodlights, as his current shooting schedule precludes a return to the stage. "Doing a musical on Broadway is a year of your life," he explains. For the pistol-packing, punch-throwing, drop-kicking Garber, right now it's as simple as the fun he's having. "Frankly, I'm just happy we've been picked up for another season and I get to come back and do it again for 22 episodes," he says. "It's a great job, and I'm having a great time."