Why Grady From Rebel Looks So Familiar
ABC's Rebel is one of the more interesting new TV shows that 2021 has had to offer so far. The drama series, which stars the inimitable Katey Sagal as Annie "Rebel" Bello, draws inspiration from the story of activist (and subject of an esteemed Julia Roberts movie) Erin Brockovich, and focuses on her attempts to fight the good fight in the courtroom, as well as other aspects of her life.
In the court, Sagal works with a legal pro called Julian Cruz, but the show doesn't even try to keep its focus on her professional life. On the contrary, a large chunk of the show takes place outside her legal advocacy, and her husband, Grady Bello, has a major role on the show. Seeing as Cruz is played by the megastar Andy Garcia, it only makes sense that Grady's actor, John Corbett, is a similarly major force who can balance out things and match Sagal's prowess. But who is this powerhouse of an actor? Let's take a look at why Grady from Rebel looks so familiar.
John Corbett played Chris Stevens on Northern Exposure
From 1990 to 1995, the world couldn't get enough of the small town of Cicely, Alaska, and its exotic residents. Northern Exposure is ostensibly a fish-out-of-water dramedy about a nervous New York doctor (Rob Morrow) who ends up opening a practice there; it soon becomes evident that the town's full of curious personalities who could fill several David Lynch movies. John Corbett played one of the very strangest of the pack: Chris Stevens, a former convict who turned over a new leaf as a DJ for the local radio station.
As the area's resident on-air voice, Stevens often serves as a narrator of sorts. His philosophical musings and commentary provide drama, mystery, and levity if needed, and his eccentric personality often sends him to collision course with his boss, millionaire Maurice Minnifield (Barry Corbin). Even when he's off duty, he's no less peculiar — for one, he spends so long stoically believing that he dies at age 40 that he's actually bummed when he finds out his health is mostly fine. Corbett made the best of this juicy role in an esteemed series, and in 1992, the role even earned him an Emmy nomination.
Corbett is Aidan Shaw on Sex and the City
After a number of made-for-TV movies and shorter TV series stints, John Corbett once again struck gold in 2000, when he joined HBO's hit show Sex and the City as one of the series' most prominent male characters. From 2000 to 2003, Corbett portrayed Aidan Shaw, the furniture maker who dates lead character Carrie Bradshaw (Sarah Jessica Parker) for a long time and eventually nearly marries her. Though the relationship eventually withers, Aidan is pretty easily the second most important man in Carrie's life — with the gold, of course, going to Chris Noth's nigh-perpetually unnamed business guy, Mr. Big.
Though Aidan ultimately finds love elsewhere, the character never quite leaves the franchise's orbit, and Corbett even reprised the role in the Sex and the City 2 movie to briefly rekindle his old connection with Carrie. What's more, Corbett recently told Page Six that he will be a part of the upcoming Sex and the City reboot. "I'm going to do the show," the actor revealed, while also stating that he "might be in quite a few" episodes. Looks like Aidan's story is far from over!
John Corbett played Ian in My Big Fat Greek Wedding
In 2002, John Corbett took his romantic comedy chops in a truly majestic direction in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, Joel Zwick's hit indie film about Toula Portokalos (Nia Vardalos, who also wrote the movie), whose romance and impending marriage with Corbett's Ian Miller is constantly undermined by the meddling of Toula's incredibly large, traditional, and loud family of Greek heritage. The concept works like a dream. The cheerful, peculiar and funny movie is well-liked by audiences and critics alike — with both sets rating the movie in the 70s on Rotten Tomatoes — and its name is very much in the talks whenever people discuss the best romantic comedies of all time.
Per Box Office Mojo, though, the movie took its time to establish its status. Its opening weekend was lackluster, bringing in just under $600,000. However, My Big Fat Greek Wedding soon proved to be an extremely potent sleeper hit, and its estimated world wide earnings are currently over $368 million against a $5 million budget. Vardalos and Corbett, of course, reprised their roles in the inevitable sequel, which came out in 2010 and gave the audiences a look at Toula and Ian's family life.