Gale Harold Movies
Some actors and actresses establish their reputations in a single fell swoop with one career-defining role; certainly this was true for actor Gale Harold, whose multifaceted portrayal of the masculine and sexually driven yet openly gay Brian on Showtime's Queer as Folk helped shatter homosexual stereotypes on television and put Harold on the fast track to stardom. An Atlanta native raised by Pentecostal parents in an extremely devout suburban home, Harold rejected the belief system of his mother and father in his teens. During adolescence, Harold recognized his own heterosexuality, but projected a counterculture attitude and thus never quite fit in, in either the social cliques in his high school or the surrounding community. He attended Southwest DeKalb High School, then enrolled in Washington, D.C.'s American University on a soccer scholarship, but -- feeling dissatisfied -- dropped out after a year. As an alternative, Harold moved to San Francisco and enrolled in the San Francisco Art Institute, while sustaining a motley series of low-paying jobs on the side. Then, in 1997, Harold responded to a friend's offer to appear in a movie by relocating to Los Angeles and enrolling in an acting workshop. That experience introduced him to a lifelong love of drama.The Queer as Folk turn marked Harold's breakthrough and put him on the Hollywood map. He subsequently appeared in a number of independently produced features, including Particles of Truth (2002), Rhinoceros Eyes (2003), and Wake (2004), before essaying a lead in director Fay Ann Lee's limited-run theatrical feature Falling for Grace (2007), as an attorney who falls into a romance with a Chinese-American immigrant, little realizing that she's hiding key information from him regarding her background. In 2007, Harold stepped behind the camera for the first time and entered the sphere of production, associate producing the music documentary Scott Walker: 30 Century Man (2007). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide
- 2007
Explore the life and career of a musical artist who penned some of the biggest hits of the 1960s before turning his back on fame and completely reinventing himself as a reclusive outsider artist. In the mid-'60s, few bands rose higher up the British pop charts than the Walker Brothers, and as the front man of the group, Scott Walker was constantly in the spotlight. In the years that followed, the American-born Walker would split from the group to establish himself as a successful solo artist while inspiring such popular musicians as David Bowie and Bono. Now, as the release of Walker's 2006 solo album, The Drift, draws near, the existential crooner notorious for not granting interviews allows filmmaker Stephen Kijak to follow along for tantalizing glimpse at one of the world's most enigmatic musicians. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Scott Walker, Sara Kestelman, (more)
- 2006
Debuting August 21, 2006, the hour-long Fox network series Vanished was a serialized drama in the tradition of 24 and Prison Break, this time with a bit of the "procedural" genre (à la Without a Trace) thrown in. Things got under way when Sara Collins (Joanne Kelly), the wife of prominent Georgia senator Jeffrey Collins (John Allen Nelson), abruptly disappeared during a fundraising dinner, the apparent victim of a kidnapping. Assigned to locate -- and, possibly rescue -- Mrs. Collins were FBI agents Graham Kelton (Gale Harold) and Lin Mei (Ming-Na). While Lin approached her job with a cynical sense of humor and an abundance of energy, Kelton was morose and taciturn, still blaming himself for the horrible death of a youthful kidnap victim which occurred right before his eyes. As the plot thickened, it became obvious that the two agents had more than a common, everyday abduction on their hands: the number-one suspect was killed off at the very start of the series; the trail was strewn with bizarre, contradictory clues and DaVinci Code-like cryptic messages; and finally, not only had Sara Collins mysteriously vanished on previous occasions, there was every indication that she wasn't really Sara Collins at all. Clearly, the missing Mrs. Collins was but a cog in the wheel of a larger conspiracy, in which (naturally) no one could be completely trusted. Other characters included Rebecca Gayheart as an unusually ubiquitous investigative reporter and Eddie Cibrian as Kelton and Mei's enigmatic FBI superior. Vanished was created by Josh Berman of CSI fame. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gale Harold, John Allen Nelson, (more)
Fay Ann Lee's modern spin on the story of Cinderella, Falling For Grace, stars Fay Ann Lee as a Chinese-American who dreams of living among the social elites in New York City. One day she is mistaken for an heiress and is invited to a posh party where she falls in love with a lawyer. She hides her true identity from him, and he himself has a few secrets he keeps from the woman. Falling For Grace had its world premiere at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival (where it screened under the title East Broadway). ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Fay Ann Lee, Gale Harold, (more)
Upon returning to his rural Georgia hometown to attend his father's funeral, a man is disturbed to discover that his childhood friend has been kept locked in the basement by his abusive brother for nearly twenty years. Roy Clemens moved away from Haralson, Georgia many years ago, but when his father dies he must return to his hometown to make funeral arrangements and tend to the family store. Later, while attempting to deliver a package, Roy discovers that his childhood friend Sammy has suffered a most cruel fate over the previous two decades. Sammy's brother Harold is a bitter, drunken tyrant who has forced his blind younger brother into servitude, rarely allowing him any real contact with the outside world. Despite the fact that Harold's girlfriend Kathleen and best friend Earl don't particularly agree with the way that Harold treats Sammy, they continue to remain loyal to the abusive older sibling due in part to the fact that he has cornered the local microbrew market. As Roy does his best to ease Sammy's suffering and provide him with hope for a brighter future, old friend begin to reconnect over promising dreams of a brighter future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Steve Harris, Gale Harold, (more)
Marking the writing and directorial debut of Henry LeRoy Finch, Wake revolves around four estranged brothers whose reunion, through no conscious effort of their own, takes place on the eve of their mother's death. Shot entirely on location in Bath, ME, Wake is told from the perspective of Sebastian (Martin Landau), a struggling writer who has been burdened with the care of his rapidly deteriorating mother. Through flashbacks, Sebastian recounts the odd night from beginning to end. There's also Raymond (Blake Gibbons), fresh out of prison and equipped with a mean streak from hell; Kyle (Gale Harold), whose alcoholism resurfaces within hours of being in contact with Raymond; and Jack (John Winthrop Philbrick), who, after being laid off from his job as a security guard is celebrating the best way he knows how: with lots of alcohol and sleazy women. While the party rages downstairs, Sebastian and Kyle sit upstairs fretting over the state of their mother. Ultimately, they reveal a series of secrets that perhaps oughtn't have been shared and the night ends with devastating results. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gale Harold, Blake Gibbons, (more)
Written and directed by Aaron Woodley, Rhinoceros Eyes follows Chep (Michael Pitt), a reclusive prop-factory employee who quite literally lives at his job. Considering that Chep only leaves the funhouse-like factory to watch romantic films at the local movie house and is able to locate even the most obscure of objects from the depths of the prop house, he is regarded among peers as a valuable, if eccentric, asset to the staff. Eventually, Chep develops an infatuation with Fran (Paige Turco), a movie production designer with an uncanny eye for detail and authenticity. As her visits become more frequent, her requests become more bizarre -- including a pair of rhinoceros eyes, an antique Irish wooden prosthetic arm, and a severed index finger -- Chep becomes increasingly determined to procure them for her, and resorts to drastic, oftentimes violent measures. Though the police become involved, Chep's grip on reality continues to deteriorate, and visions of an alter ego constructed of prop-house junk begin to take over his life. The film also features Matt Servitto, Jim Allodi, Victor Ertmanis, and Nadia Litz. ~ Tracie Cooper, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michael Pitt, Paige Turco, (more)
Three families residing on the same suburban street struggle to strengthen their father/son bonds in this tale from filmmakers Rodrigo García, Jared Rappaport, and Robert Spera. As old wounds remain sensitive and alienation keeps generations of fathers and sons from truly bonding, the struggle to make a meaningful connection offers hopes of understanding and a new beginning. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Kathy Baker, Ron Eldard, (more)
Lilli (Jennifer Elster, who also wrote and directed the film) is unhappy. She's a struggling artist, living in New York City and cynical about everything, including her own talent. Her father (Alan Samulski) is dying, and Lilli barely acknowledges his existence, while her mother (Susan Floyd), clearly divorced from reality, pretends that her husband left town years ago. The trauma of being raised by two junkies and of her parents' eventual breakup still affects all of Lilli's relationships and her view of herself. She's got a group show opening at a major gallery, but she doesn't even know if she wants to attend. One day she meets Morrison (Gale Harold of Showtime's Queer as Folk), an obsessive-compulsive poet who lives in relative luxury but is too afraid of germs to get out of his car when he first tries to talk to Lilli. While he's better off financially, Morrison has his own family problems, as his father (Larry Pine) and mother (Leslie Lyles) are keeping crucial secrets from each other. While they're attracted to each other almost instantly, Lilli and Morrison have a tremendous struggle ahead of them to forge any kind of moderately healthy relationship. Particles of Truth had its world premiere at the 2003 Tribeca Film Festival. ~ Josh Ralske, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jennifer Elster, Gale Harold, (more)
- 2000
The romantic misadventures of a handful of gay and lesbian friends living in a working-class section of Pittsburgh set the stage for this made-for-cable series, based on a popular (and controversial) British television serial. Brian (Gale Harold) is a professionally driven advertising executive whose take-charge attitude extends to his love life; he's looking for a good time and has little use for commitment. One of Brian's few close friends is Lindsay (Thea Gill), a photographer and art instructor he met in college; Lindsay and her longtime lover Melanie (Michelle Clunie), a lawyer, recently had a child using sperm donated by Brian. One of Brian's biggest admirers is Michael (Hal Sparks), a comic-book artist and bookstore manager who has known Brian since high school; Michael, however, has just entered into a relationship with David (Chris Potter), a sensible older doctor who has only been out of the closet for a few years (after divorcing his wife) and is looking for a stable, long-term relationship. Justin (Randy Harrison) is a 17-year-old high-school student who was picked up by Brian at a club; Justin is convinced he's in love, though Brian hardly feels the same way. Rounding out Brian's circle of acquaintances are Ted (Scott Lowell), a shy accountant who has had bad luck with relationships and spends too much time looking for lust on the Internet, and Emmet (Peter Paige), a flamboyant club maven and owner of a cutting-edge boutique. Queer As Folk kicked off with a two-hour movie on December 3, 2000, and subsequently aired as a series of one-hour episodes; the show's appearance on the premium cable network Showtime allowed the producers to approach the material in a much bolder fashion than any conventional network would allow. As a result, the series is recommended for adults only. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Gale Harold, Hal Sparks, (more)
