'Queer as Folk': Where are the stars of original series now?
After a long wait of 17 years, ‘Queer as Folk’ is finally coming back to take viewers on an emotional journey by telling hard-hitting stories revolving around people from the LGBTQ+ community. In December 2000, Showtime came out with the first season of the show and stunned everyone with its bold content. However, it would go on to become a ground-breaking series as it taught a lot of things about the LGBTQ community to the American people.
For example, the show has the distinction of being the first American series to feature a sex scene between two men. It also had a lot of moments that made the show unique and inspirational. Apart from having a strong premise, the show featured a stellar cast that was praised for its impeccable acting. With the reboot coming out on Peacock in just a few days, let’s take a look at what the original cast members are doing these days.
RELATED ARTICLES
Peacock's 'Queer as Folk': Jesse James Keitel is the first non-binary actor to play series regular
'Queer as Folk': 5 things to know about Peacock series focusing on LGBTQ+ community
Gale Harold
Harold portrayed the role of Brian Kenney in the Showtime series and appeared in 83 episodes. Born on July 10, 1969, Brian never expected to be an actor and worked a variety of jobs including construction, bartender, waiter, and apprentice motorcycle mechanic. In 1997, one of his close friends told him to try acting and he shifted to Los Angeles, where he started studying drama.
As soon as he got out of the Drama school, he was cast as Brian Kenney in ‘Queer as Folk’. The show turned out to be a massive hit and his character became an instant favorite. Since the series ended, Harold has continued his acting career mainly in other TV shows. He appeared in several TV shows like ‘Deadwood’, ‘Desperate Housewives’, ‘The Secret Circle’, and ‘Criminal Minds’.
Although he played the role of a gay man in ‘Queer as Folk’, Harold identifies as a straight man.
Randy Harrison
Harrison played the role of Justin Taylor in the series, who begins a relationship with a much older Brian. ‘Queer as Folk’ was Harrison’s first gig on Television and played the role of a 17-year-old guy named Justin who is disowned by his parents for coming out as gay. Before starting his career in television, Harrison attended the University of Cincinnati and got featured in several of the school’s productions.
In 2015, he was cast as Harry in the critically-acclaimed series ‘Mr. Robot’ and his most recent TV appearance came in 2017 with the TV series ‘New York Is Dead’. Since then, he has been doing a lot of stage shows and was recently seen working on a theatre production in 2021. However, he is planning to step away from acting and go back to school to get his second bachelor’s degree, but this time it’s in psychology.
Harrison is an openly gay man and dated Advertising Age columnist Simon Durmenco for 6 years.
Hal Sparks
Sparks portrayed the character of Michael Novotny and was Brian’s best friend since adolescence. He was one of the characters whose life changed a lot when he became an adult. He started dating a college professor named Ben Bruckner, who was HIV-positive. They got married in Season 4 and adopted a child in the series finale.
Apart from acting, he was also the lead singer and guitarist for a rock band, ZERO 1. Over the years, he continued acting and has featured in several high-end ventures such as ‘Dr. Dolittle 2’, ‘Spider-Man 2’, ‘Extract’, ‘CSI’, ‘Fuller House’, and ‘Grey’s Anatomy’.
Sparks still does a lot of stand-up comedy and continues to perform with ZERO 1. As far as his relationship status is concerned, he has been in a relationship with Summer Soltis since 2012.
Peter Paige
The openly gay actor played Emmett Honeycutt and was one of the most intriguing characters on the show. He was the most flamboyant character on the show and went through several jobs such as shopkeeper, porn star, naked maid, party planner, and correspondent for a local news station. Prior to ‘Queer as Folk’, Paige had already made appearances in TV shows such as ‘Will and Grace’, ‘Caroline in the City’, and ‘Suddenly Susan’.
Apart from being an actor, Paige is also a successful writer and director. He directed his first feature film ‘Say Uncle’ in 2005 and achieved moderate success. Paige also served as a producer in the series titled ‘The Fosters’, which lasted five seasons.
Recently, he directed and produced some episodes for Shonda Rhimes’ ‘Station 19’.
Scott Lowell
Lowell played the role of an accountant named Ted Schmidt in the series, who had low self-esteem and envied Brian’s lavish lifestyle. He is consistently rejected by men at gay clubs and eventually struggles with an addiction to crystal meth. Before appearing on the show, Lowell was a part of shows like ‘Caroline in the City’ and ‘Frasier’.
He continued acting after the conclusion of ‘Queer as Folk’ and was seen in titles such as ‘American Dad’, ‘Criminal Minds’, ‘Heroes’, ‘Bones’, and ‘CSI’.
Scott Lowell identifies himself as a straight man and uses he/him/his pronouns.
Michelle Clunie
Clunie played the role of Melanie Marcus in the series and her character was married to Lindsay. They were the only lesbian couple on the show. Although they liked having a small circle, they get very close to the male characters and welcome them into their lives. Before appearing on ‘Queer as Folk’, Clunie had already established herself as an actor and appeared on several projects such as ‘The Usual Suspects’, ‘The Jeff Foxworthy Show’, ‘Lost & Found’, and ‘VIP’. She continued acting after ‘Queer as Folk’ came to a conclusion and was one of the most integral characters in the 2010 series ‘Make It or Break It’.
Between 2015 and 2017, she played Mrs. Finch on the hit series ‘Teen Wolf’.
Michelle Clunie was in a relationship with filmmaker Bryan Singer and the couple welcomed a baby boy in 2015. However, they are not together anymore.
Thea Gill
Gill played Lindsay Peterson on ‘Queer as Folk’. She was the wife of Melanie and went on to grow her family throughout the series. The actress received the National Leadership Award from the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force in 2003. Meanwhile, she was nominated for an ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance for her role in ‘Queer as Folk’.
In 2016, she played the role of Gail Porter in the Academy Award-nominated movie ‘20th Century Women’.
Gill was previously married for 16 years to Brian Richmond, a Canadian director, from 1993–2009. However, she realized that she was bi-sexual. Since 2013, she is in a relationship with author Gina Glass.
Sharon Gless
Gless portrayed the role of Michael’s mother Debbie in the series and is considered to be the most enigmatic character on the show. She is fiercely proud of her son’s homosexuality. She treats the entire group as her family and they frequently come to her diner for taking advice.
Gless is one of the most prominent names in the entertainment industry and has won many laurels for her acting. For her role in the 1982 series ‘Cagney & Lacey’, she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.
She would go on to receive Emmy nominations for her roles in ‘The Trials of Rosie O’Neill’, ‘Burn Notice’, and ‘Nip/Tuck’.