When Brad Pitt bolted at the last minute from "The Shawshank Redemption" to do "Legends of the Fall" (both 1994), his key supporting role went to little-known Gil Bellows, prompting the Canadian-born actor to say, "One day I'd like to meet him and shake his hand." Playing that petty thief with a penchant for knowledge who is murdered because he can clear Tim Robbins of murder put the handsome, broad-shouldered Bellows on Hollywood casting lists. He began acting in his native Canada in his late teens and appeared in a National Film Board of Canada feature "First Seasons". After acting classes
