# Gale Harold
**Gale Harold** (Gale Morgan Harold III) is an American actor and producer, born in 1969 in [Decatur, Georgia](https://www.edgepedia.org/decatur-georgia), best known for playing Brian Kinney, the lead role in the Showtime series *Queer as Folk* (2000–2005).[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0363736/) After that five-season run he worked mainly in ensemble and recurring television parts, independent films, and stage and producing projects, and he has kept a low public profile with no social media presence.[2](https://www.queerty.com/robert-gant-wishes-fellow-queer-as-folk-actor-gale-harold-a-happy-55th-birthday-20240711/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, birth | Gale Morgan Harold III, born 1969 in Decatur, Georgia[3](https://gaymediadb.com/person/137426) |
| Signature role | Brian Kinney in *Queer as Folk* (US), Showtime, 2000–2005, 83 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0363736/) |
| Later series leads | Special Agent Graham Kelton in *Vanished* (2006); Charles Meade in *The Secret Circle* (2011–2012)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/16915/gale-harold) |
| Recurring TV roles | Jackson Braddock in *Desperate Housewives* (15 episodes); Julian Parrish in *Hellcats* (9 episodes); Connor Lang in *Defiance* (4 episodes)[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/16915/gale-harold) |
| Highest-rated film | *Passenger Side* (2009), 94% on Rotten Tomatoes, in which he played Karl[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gale_harold) |
| Producing | Associate producer of *Scott Walker: 30 Century Man* (2007); executive producer of *To the End* (2022) and *Fairyland*[3](https://gaymediadb.com/person/137426) |
| Public profile | No social media accounts; described by former castmate Robert Gant as keeping a low profile[2](https://www.queerty.com/robert-gant-wishes-fellow-queer-as-folk-actor-gale-harold-a-happy-55th-birthday-20240711/) |
## Early life and training
Harold was born and raised in Georgia and attended [American University](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-university) in Washington, DC, before moving west to San Francisco, where he studied photography and printmaking at the [San Francisco Art Institute](https://www.edgepedia.org/san-francisco-art-institute).[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/gale-harold/) He began studying acting at the suggestion of the writer and producer Susie Landau Finch, who was then working at [American Zoetrope](https://www.edgepedia.org/american-zoetrope), and after three years of training and theater work was cast in his first major television role.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0363736/)
His first stage association was with the Los Angeles Theatre Center, where he debuted in *Me and My Friend* and later appeared in a range of classic plays. While working as a manager of a motorcycle shop he was spotted by a producer who encouraged him to act.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gale_harold)
## Queer as Folk
Harold was a virtual unknown when he was cast as Brian Kinney, a successful advertising executive with a blatant disregard for social conventions, in the Showtime adaptation of the British drama *Queer as Folk*.[6](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/gale-harold/) The US version, created by Daniel Lipman and Ron Cowen, closely copied the British template: the UK character Stuart Jones, played by [Aidan Gillen](https://www.edgepedia.org/aidan-gillen), became Brian Kinney.[7](https://time.com/6188510/queer-as-folk-gay-television/) The series was set in [Pittsburgh](https://www.edgepedia.org/pittsburgh) and ran for five seasons on Showtime, ending in 2005.[7](https://time.com/6188510/queer-as-folk-gay-television/)
Reception of Harold's performance was divided at first, but over the run he was credited with adding layers of depth to the seemingly shallow hedonist. During a hiatus from the series in 2001 he made his New York stage debut in the [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) play *Uncle Bob*, playing a homophobe confronting his AIDS-stricken relative.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gale_harold)
## Television after Queer as Folk
After the series ended, Harold moved between short-lived leading roles and guest parts. He starred as Special Agent Graham Kelton in the 2006 series *Vanished* (8 episodes) and as [Charles Meade](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-meade) in the CW's *The Secret Circle* (16 episodes, 2011–2012), and played Julian Parrish in *Hellcats* (9 episodes, 2010–2011).[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/16915/gale-harold) His best-known recurring role was Jackson Braddock, a love interest on *Desperate Housewives*, across 15 episodes.[3](https://gaymediadb.com/person/137426)
Guest appearances followed across network television: Dr. Garrett Lang on *Law & Order: Special Victims Unit* (2003), Rory on *The Unit*, Kevin Scott on *CSI: NY*, Shane on *Grey's Anatomy* (both 2007), [Wyatt Earp](https://www.edgepedia.org/wyatt-earp) on *Deadwood* (2006), and, in 2018, Dr. Daryl Wright on *Criminal Minds*. He also guest-starred as Connor Lang in four episodes of *Defiance* (2013–2014) and as Howard Smith in the docuseries *Equal* (2020).[4](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/16915/gale-harold)
## Film work
Harold's film career has been concentrated in independent cinema. His credits include *Particles of Truth* and *Rhinoceros Eyes* (2003), *Wake* (2004), *Falling for Grace* (2006), *Passenger Side* (2009), *Fertile Ground* (2010), *Echo Park* (2014), *Field of Lost Shoes* (2014), *Kiss Me, Kill Me*, and *Andròn – The Black Labyrinth* (both 2015).[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gale_harold) On the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, *Passenger Side* is his highest-rated film at 94%, while *Andròn* is his lowest at 0%.[5](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gale_harold)
## Producing and later activity
Harold has worked behind the camera as well. He was associate producer of the Stephen Kijak documentary *Scott Walker: 30 Century Man* (2007), co-produced with executive producer [David Bowie](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-bowie), and later took executive producer credits on *To the End* (2022) and *Fairyland*.[3](https://gaymediadb.com/person/137426) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0363736/) He is also a co-founder of the Filmmakers First Fund, an organization that helps documentarians get their films through the production process.[8](https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/330829/title)
His most recent listed acting credit is *Good Girl Jane* (2022), in which he played Elliott Rosen.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0363736/) Unlike several *Queer as Folk* castmates, he maintains no social media accounts, and former castmate [Robert Gant](https://www.edgepedia.org/robert-gant), in a 2024 birthday tribute, noted that this low profile has kept him largely out of public view.[2](https://www.queerty.com/robert-gant-wishes-fellow-queer-as-folk-actor-gale-harold-a-happy-55th-birthday-20240711/)
## References
1. [Gale Harold, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0363736/)
2. [Robert Gant wishes fellow 'Queer As Folk' actor Gale Harold a happy 55th birthday, Queerty (2024)](https://www.queerty.com/robert-gant-wishes-fellow-queer-as-folk-actor-gale-harold-a-happy-55th-birthday-20240711/)
3. [GayMovieDB – Gale Harold](https://gaymediadb.com/person/137426)
4. [Gale Harold, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/16915/gale-harold)
5. [Gale Harold, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/gale_harold)
6. [Gale Harold, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/gale-harold/)
7. [How Queer as Folk Became the Defining Gay TV Show of a Generation—Twice, TIME (2022)](https://time.com/6188510/queer-as-folk-gay-television/)
8. [What is the Cast of 'Queer as Folk' Up to Today?, EDGE United States (2024)](https://www.edgemedianetwork.com/story/330829/title)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames H to Ha*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license