The main cast of Queer As Folk are set to reunite for a fan convention later this year. The first Queer As Folk convention is set to take place in Cologne, Germany from June 8-10 and will see all nine major cast members participating. The US version of the series ran from 2000 to 2005. What have the cast members been up to since the final series wrapped?
Gale Harold is currently playing the father of a teenage witch in the US series The Secret Circle. Since Harold said good bye to his character Brian Kinney, the actor has had regular guest spots on television including appearances on Deadwood, Law and Order SVU, CSI NY and Grey’s Anatomy. In 2006 Harold was cast as the lead actor in the US series Vanished, but producers killed his character off by the eighth episode and replaced him with Third Watch star Eddie Cibrian. Harold also spent a season as a cast member of Desperate Housewives.
Randy Harrison who played Justin Taylor through all five series of the show has just begun playing the role of Ken in a production of John Logan’s Tony award winning play Red at The George Street Playhouse in New Jersey. Since the show finished Harrison has worked in the theatre extensively including a period on Broadway in Wicked. Harrison seems to be working his way through the great plays of the modern era, alongside Red he’s been in productions of Equus, Amadeus, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest and Waiting for Godot.
Since the series wrapped Hal Sparks has returned to the world of comedy and rock and roll. Prior to playing the role of Michael Novotny Sparks had done little acting work and was best known for being the host of the comedic show Talk Soup. Sparks continues to do stand up comedy gigs and is lead singer of the rock band Zero 1. Sparks has also participated in a few celebrity reality shows including one where the celebrities all had to become magicians.
In the ’80s Sharon Gless was known for her iconic role of Christine Cagney in the cop show Cagney and Lacey, but Queer as Folk fans know her as Michael’s loud and proud mother Debbie Novotny. Since the series ended Gless has joined the cast of Burn Notice. Gless has also had success on the stage with her one woman play A Well Heeled Woman. After a successful run in Miami in 2010 the show transferred to the West End in London.
Scott Lowell who played Ted Scmitt has had guest roles in Criminal Minds, Bones and most recently Castle. In 2010 he starred alongside Gary Cole, Philip Baker Hall and Mayam Balik in the independent film Chicago 8 about the trials of protestors at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.
Openly gay actor Robert Gant who played Michael’s HIV+ partner Ben Bruckner can be seen in the upcoming feature film The Joshua Tree 1951 that focuses on the life of actor James Dean. Gant also produced and stared in the movie Save Me alongside Judith Light and Chad Allen. The film focuses on an Ex-Gay Therapy.
Straight after her role as lesbian Lindsey Peterson in Queer As Folk actress Thea Gill joined the cast of the supernatural gay orientated series Dante’s Cove. Gill recently reunited with QAF cast mate Hal Sparks, both appear in the critically acclaimed short film Slipping Away. Written and staring gay actress Michelle C Bonilla, the cast also includes Wilson Cruz from My So Called Life.
Peter Paige who played the camp Emmet Honeycutt has had a string of guest appearances in TV shows including CSI Miami, Without a Trace, Grey’s Anatomy and Bones. He’s also the voice of Steve in the animated series Ricky and Steve the Happiest Gay Couple in the World. Perhaps Paige’s greatest achievement is writing, directing and acting in the feature film Say Uncle that starred Lisa Edelstein and Kathy Najimy.
Like many of her Queer as Folk cast mates Michelle Clunie who played lawyer Melanie Marcus has had guest spots on a range of US drama series including CSI, The Mentalist, The Closer, Lie to Me, House MD and Without a Trace. Today she has a recurring role in the series Make It or Break It as Ellen Beals head of the National Gymnastics Committee and arch enemy of the central characters.
Find out more about the convention here
