1995–2010: Subsequent success
In 1995, Bellows played one of the leads in J. S. Cardone's crime thriller Black Day Blue Night, alongside Michelle Forbes and Mia Sara. The reviews the film highlighted its strengths as a well-executed, low-budget noir with engaging performances. Greg Evans of Variety liked the film and of Bellows performance he said that it "outdistance the material." Also that year, he co-starred opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the romantic comedy Miami Rhapsody directed by David Frankel. In his review of the film, Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gave it an A− and wrote that "the cast is uniformly fetching." Finally in 1995, he played one of the leads in the television film The Silver Strand.
In 1996, Bellows acted in Daniel Sullivan's film adaptation of the stage play of The Substance of Fire. The film had an ensemble cast which included Ron Rifkin, Sarah Jessica Parker, Timothy Hutton, Tony Goldwyn, and more. Ella Taylor in her review for LA Weekly said of the cast that they were "so comfortable around one another that they breathe rich life into the often glib one-liners that are the hazard of theatrical dialogue." Also in 1996, Bellows appeared in Al Pacino's Looking for Richard. Of his appearance Bellows said "I have probably the smallest part, I was cast before Shawshank and I was a spearholder. But I got to sit in the loft and watch Al Pacino." Another role that year was in the television film Radiant City.
In 1997, Bellows played Billy Thomas, the former flame of the title character in Ally McBeal, opposite Calista Flockhart. Caryn James of The New York Times wrote of "the simmering heat” that he and Flockhart were able to generate. Of his character Bellows said "he's probably the most stable-acting of all the characters, but underneath I think he's the most tormented." The series was success for Fox Network. After two years, for the episode when the character of McBeal and Thomas finally unite the show reached a record number of viewership according to the Nielsen rating system of nearly 17 million viewers. On the success of the episode Bellows said "the relationship between Billy and Ally is a major component in the show. There are a lot of other characters on the show who can be considered flashier or more funny but I don't think there's a story line that's more compelling than Billy and Ally. I think their relationship anchors Ally as a human being as opposed to her character as a wacky figment of (producer David E.) Kelley's imagination. Billy allows her to explore human emotions that she probably wouldn't be exploring otherwise and I think everybody responds to romance in one way or another.” With the rest of the cast, he won and was nominated twice for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" at the Screen Actors Guild Awards. During his tenure on the show he reprised his role in the spin-off series Ally (1999), and "Axe Murderer" a crossover episode with The Practice (1998). Bellows announced that he would be leaving the show in season 3, but would make guest appearances moving forward. Bellows explained that he felt "the show was starting to fall apart early in the third season" and that his character "started getting kooky. There were a lot of us -- and I loved working with that crew -- that found the script no longer made any sense." He spoke with the producer and the agreed that he "could leave in a way that suited the original spirit of the show, which was grounded with heart."
Also in 1997 Bellows acted in several movies these are Snow White: A Tale of Terror, Witch Way Love, The Assistant, White Lies, and Dinner at Fred's.
In 1998, Bellows acted in the films Judas Kiss, and Say You'll Be Mine.
In 2000, Bellows also appeared in the psychological thriller Chasing Sleep. Patrick Z. McGavin of the Chicago Tribune said that "Bellows does standout work as an intrepid detective." That year he also played roles in Beautiful Joe, and in the television film The Courage to Love.
In 2001, he portrayed CIA agent Matt Callan in the CBS primetime television series The Agency. At the end of the first season, Bellows was dissatisfied with the direction of the story,* and chose to leave the show after a mutual agreement with the producers. Without Bellows, The Agency was re-cast, but it was canceled by the end of the second season. Also in 2001, Bellows acted in one episode of Night Visions, and the made-for-TV film She Creature.
In 2002, Bellows played lead roles in the television films Whitewash: The Clarence Bradley Story, and Second String. On stage that year he participated to the 24-Hour Play event in which actors had 24 hours to write a play and perform it. The proceeds went to victims of the September 11 attacks.
In 2003, Bellows acted in the films Blind Horizon, and Fast Food High. On television he appeared in one episode of The Twilight Zone, and he had the lead in the television film 1st to Die.
In 2004, he appeared in the films EMR, Childstar, and Pursued. On television, he played roles in A Bear Named Winnie, Cooking Lessons, Zeyda and the Hitman, and one episode of Karen Sisco. On stage that year, Bellows took part in the Great Writers Series where actors read literary works of the American West on stage. His assignment was Walter Van Tilburg Clark's The Ox-Bow Incident.
2005 in films, Bellows played the lead in Keep Your Distance, co-produced Ali Selim's Sweet Land, and acted in Gore Verbinski's The Weather Man. On television he played one of the leads in the mini-series Terminal City. In it he plays the husband of a woman, played by Maria del Mar, diagnosed with breast cancer. Bellows believes that the part was "as good and complex a role as I ever had", on the part he said "it really spoke to me, I have children, I'm the grandson of a Holocaust survivor. These shows will get people to talk about the stuff that usually sits in the back of your head spinning before you go to sleep: What's going to happen if I lose you, or what happens if I go." Bellows explained that as they were shooting tragic moments "they're heavy scenes, and you're shaking, you're fighting the tears. You go outside and you'll see crew members in the same place, feeling the same way. One of them will talk about a spouse or relative." Alison Cunninghan in her praise of the mini-series in The Ottawa Citizen wrote "Bellows is exceptional. He turns in a stunning performance as a man who manages to anchor his family while he's close to imploding. Watching Bellows play such conflicting emotions, often within the same scene, is transfixing. His scenes with del Mar are gilded with the nuances and gestures that flourish between longtime friends and lovers." At the Gemini Awards, Bellows received a nomination for "Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role".
In 2006, he acted in the television film Final Days of Planet Earth.
In 2008, he co-produced and played the lead in Kill Kill Faster Faster. Other films he acted in are The Promotion, Black Crescent Moon, Passchendaele, andToronto Stories. On television, Bellows also played a State Department Officer in 24: Redemption, a television film prequel to the seventh season of 24, he starred in the science-fiction film Infected, and one episode of The Cleaner.
In 2010, Bellows co-starred in the movie Unthinkable, A Night for Dying Tigers, and played the lead villain in Steve Austin's action film Hunt to Kill. On television that year, Bellows had a recurring role in FlashForward, True Justice, and appeared as Maxwell Lord on Smallville in the Season 9 episodes "Charade" and "Hostage". He also played roles in the television film Goblin, and one episode of Criminal Minds,
Also that year, as an executive producer, he released Mick Jackson’s HBO biographical drama Temple Grandin, which earned him both a Primetime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Made for Television Movie" and a Peabody Award. Bellows also received a nomination at the Producers Guild of America Awards for the "David L. Wolper Award for Outstanding Producer of Long-Form Television".
