Character Bio: Gilbert Blythe

The handsome boy next door, Gilbert Blythe, manages to make a lasting impression on Anne Shirley the moment she arrives at the Avonlea schoolhouse. Intelligent and athletic, Gilbert is the object of affection for many of the young Avonlea girls. He makes the mistake of teasing Anne about her red hair, famously giving her the nickname "Carrots".
Although Anne swears never to speak to Gilbert again, she can't help but find inspiration in the academic rivalry he engages her in, finding a lasting bond with her fierce competitor.

Actor Bio: Jonathan Crombie

Jonathan Crombie reprises his famous role as Gilbert Blythe in Kevin Sullivan’s Anne of Green Gables series in the third season of Road to Avonlea. His additional television credits include the TV movies The Waiting Game, The Killing Fields and the series Earth: Final Conflict, Power Play, Matrix, 21 Jump Street and Alfred Hitchock Presents, among others. His feature film credits include Café Romeo, with Catherine Mary Stewart, and The Jeweller's Shop, with Burt Lancaster.

On stage, Combie's numerous performances at The Stratford Festival Theatre in Stratford, Canada include the roles of "Romeo" in Romeo & Juliet, "Lucentio" in The Taming of the Shrew, "Orlando" in As You Like It, "Bud" in Sweet. Bird of Youth, "Antipholus of Ephesue" in Comedy of Errors, "Bertram" in All's Well That Ends Well, and "Guildenstern" in Hamlet. His performance in the role of "Valentine Coverly" at the Canadian Stage Theatre's Acadia earned Crombie a 1997 Dora Mavor Moore Award nomination for Outstanding Performance.

Character's Bio: Rachel Lynde

Rachel is the local gossip and the self-appointed moral guardian to the town of Avonlea. Her character originally appeared in the Anne of Green Gables trilogy, at the end of which she had moved in with her best friend, Marilla Cuthbert. She continues to live at Green Gables until Marilla’s death at the end of the third season of Road to Avonlea. Eventually, Rachel will suffer a stroke and is forced to move in with Hetty King, with whom she doesn’t always see eye to eye. Now that Rachel is at Rose Cottage, she and Hetty will raise the twins that Marilla had previously cared for with Rachel - Davy and Dora Keith.

Actor's Bio: Patricia Hamilton

A dynamo with limitless energy, Patricia Hamilton performed the role of the self-righteous Rachel Lynde in "Anne of Green Gables". She continued to delight audiences with this character in Road to Avonlea, and recently in Kevin Sullivan's animated film Anne: Journey to Green Gables and Anne: The Animated Series on PBS. Over the course of her career she has worked with the American Shakespeare Festival, the National Shakespeare Festival and the Stratford Festival. She was the recipient of a Dora Mavor Moore Award for her role in I Am Yours with the Tarragon Theatre. Her film and television credits include Night Heat, A Bridge to Silence, Echoes in Darkness, Fight for Life and The Last Detail. Her role in A Bird in the House garnered her a 1975 Canadian Film Award. Hamilton has served as the Head of Drama at the Banff School of Fine Arts. She is also the founder and producer of Masterclass Theatre, and was honoured with a Brenda Donohue Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Toronto Theatre in 1987.

Character's Bio: Eulalie Bugle

Eulalie Bugle is perhaps the most overbearing mother in Avonlea. Her busy-body attitude comes head to head with Hetty’s own stubbornness as they simultaneously plan weddings – Mrs. Bugle for her daughter, and Hetty for Olivia and Jasper.

Actor's Bio: Barbara Hamilton

Barbara Hamilton brought her commanding presence and endearing style to her portrayal of 'busy-body' Eulalie Bugle in Road to Avonlea. A veteran of stage and screen, Ms. Hamilton performed in both the United States and in the United Kingdom, but always considered Toronto her home. She began her career in 1949 in the Broadway production Razzle Dazzle, and went on to become a regular performer on many programs for CBC-TV. Some of Ms. Hamilton's other stage credits include Crazy For You, Me and My Girl, The Hamilton Woman, Move Over Mrs. Markham and Steel Magnolias. Television credits include the TV movie Clarence, Archie Bunker's Place, Sanford and Gimme A Break. Sadly, the actress known as “the funniest woman in Canada” passed away on May 4, 1997.

Character's Bio: Robert Rutherford

Robert Rutherford is a dangerous criminal, whose partner, Amanda Stone, is successful in making Gus Pike believe that Robert is her evil pursuer. The two criminals, however, really plan to steal precious gems together. But before they are able to commit the crime and double-cross each other, their plans are thwarted by Felicity, Gus and the children.

Actor's Bio: Christopher Reeve

Born in New York in 1952, Christopher Reeve graduated from Cornell University and attended Julliard Drama Division. He made his Broadway debut in A Matter of Gravity starring opposite Katherine Hepburn and preformed in Deathtrap, with Michael Caine. Film credits include Superman and its sequels, Somewhere in Time, The Bostonians, Above Suspicion and the Oscar-nominated The Remains of the Day. His stage credits include The Marriage of Figaro, Fifth of July, Summer and Smoke, Love Letters and The Aspern Papers. Reeve made his directorial debut with In the Gloaming in 1997. The film was met with rave reviews, was nominated for five Emmys and won six Cable Ace Awards, including Best Dramatic Special and Best Director. Reeve’s autobiography, Still Me, was published in 1998 and spent 11 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List. His audio recording of Still Me earned Reeve a Grammy for Best Spoken Word Album in 1999. After becoming paralyzed in 1995, Reeve not only put a human face on spinal cord injury, but motivated neuroscientists around the world to conquer the most complex diseases of the brain and central nervous system. In 1999, Reeve became the Chairman of the Board of the Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation (CRPF). Sadly, Reeve passed away at the age of 52 in 2004.

Character's Bio: Aunt Abigail

As the prim spinster sister of Janet King, Abigail is very set in her ways. But when her old suitor, Malcolm MacEwan, returns to Avonlea from the Yukon and tries to woo her once more, her world is turned upside down. Abigail refuses his proposal at first, but the King children make her realize how foolish she is being and the two eventually marry. Abigail and Malcolm inherit an instant family when an orphaned baby is found in a basket by Felicity and Sara.

Actor's Bio: Rosemary Dunsmore

Rosemary Dunsmore is a Canadian award-winning actress who has appeared in countless film, television and stage productions. Named by Maclean’s Magazine as a “Canadian who makes a difference” in 1990, Dunsmore has also received awards for her acting. She won an ACTRA Toronto Award for Best Female Performance in The Baby Formula in 2009 and has been nominated twice for Gemini awards – once in 1988 for Best Performance by a Supporting Actress for Blades of Courage and then again in 2001 for Best Performance by an Actress in a Guest Role in a Dramatic Series for Blue Murder.

Dunsmore has directed and starred in several stage productions, including The Glass Menagerie, Wuthering Heights, The Attic, and the Montreal production of Wit, which earned her a Masque Award. She also teaches acting and has taught at the University of Toronto, the National Theatre School, the Canadian Film Centre, Equity Showcase and Shortworks Halifax.

Before playing Abigail Ward, Janet King’s sister, on Road to Avonlea, Dunsmore first appeared as the uptight headmistress, Katherine Brooke, in Kevin Sullivan’s Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel.

Character's Bio: Sydney Carver

Sydney Carver is a female scientist from Toronto who visits the island in order to study bats. She strikes up a friendship with Jasper, who has also been studying bats in order to figure out how they can fly blind, and Olivia becomes jealous. Meanwhile, influenced by their recent reading of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, Sara and Felix become convinced that Sydney is a vampire.

Actor's Bio: Kate Nelligan

Born in London, Ontario, Kate Nelligan is the daughter of a factory worker and “a brilliant, eccentric” mother who encouraged her daughter’s thespian pursuits with dance classes at a young age. Following in the footsteps of many Canadian actors, the young Ms. Nelligan headed for London for formal stage training and soon became the toast of the town for her brilliant performances with the National Theatre of Great Britain and the Royal Shakespeare Company. Ms. Nelligan’s staggering list of film credits include Prince of Tides, Frankie and Johnny, The Cider House Rules, Dracula, U.S. Marshals, Up Close and Personal and Eye of the Needle.

Character's Bio: Maude Craig

Maude Craig is the mother of the King family’s handy boy, Peter. In the episode “Conversions”, Maude rushes to the King home to care for Peter when he becomes ill with influenza. The boy’s health scare reminds the King family of how important he is to them. Later, when Janet becomes a spokeswoman for women’s rights, Maude’s inability to care for Peter, due to her poor economic and social status, only makes the importance of the cause more clear.

Actor's Bio: Fiona Reid

Fiona Reid has appeared in countless film and television productions, including the two Road to Avonlea episodes “Aunt Janet Rebels” and “Conversions”. Reid was a recipient of the Order of Canada in 2006 in recognition of her contribution to the performing arts. The actress, born in England in 1951, lived in several different countries, including the United States, Africa and Germany, before she settled in Canada in 1964. She first became interested in acting while attending Lawrence Park Collegiate in Toronto and continued her studies at McGill University in Montreal and at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta. Her recent credits include the films, “One Week”, “The Time Traveler’s Wife” and the television series, “Men with Brooms”.

Character's Bio: Peg Bowen

Peg Bowen is Avonlea’s resident “witch”, who is feared at first by the King children. However, they soon learn that she is not to be feared and they often seek her counsel in times of uncertainty. Peg also helped save Avonlea’s woodlands from Archie Gillis’ strip cutting when she wins a hockey match, coached by Alec King, against Archie’s team.

Actor's Bio: Susan Cox

A native of Liverpool, England, Susan Cox trained at Manchester University and worked with such theatres as the Northcott Theatre and the Theatre Royal. Since coming to Canada in 1973, she has performed with numerous major theatres, as well as directed a variety of productions. Her more recent stage appearances include leading roles at the Shaw Festival, The Stratford Festival, The Royal Alexandra Theatre and in her one-woman show, Valentine Brown: Live. Ms. Cox was also the artistic director of the Vancouver Playhouse from 1993-98 and the National Arts Centre from 1982-83.

Character's Bio: Percy Methley

Percy Methley

Actor's Bio: John Neville

John Neville is one of the world’s most distinguished actors. A member of the Order of the British Empire, he graduated from England’s Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in 1948 and has worked with such UK companies as Lewestoft Repertory Company, the Birmingham Repertory Theatre and the London Old Vic Company. During the course of his professional career he has performed as Sherlock Holmes in New York, in Macbeth and Twelfth Night in West Africa, and in A Man for All Seasons in Malta. He has also worked under such distinguished names as Sir Lawrence Olivier in The Chances and The Broken Heart, and Sir Tyrone Guthrie in Coriolanus.

His credits encompass many of the great classical roles for actors, such as John Worthington in The Importance of Being Earnest, Henry Higgins in My Fair Lady, D’Artagnan in The Three Musketeers and Petruchio in The Taming of the Shrew. Neville also starred in Terry Gilliam’s The Adventures of Baron Munchausen along with Sarah Polley.

Character's Bio: Wally Higgins

Wally Higgins is a happy-go-lucky skate salesman who arrives in Avonlea to set up shop. As soon as he sees Hetty’s very small feet, he knows he’s found the one he’s always been looking for – a little lady to share his life. However, a distracted Hetty does not understand Wally’s romantic advances until it becomes embarrassingly clear in a public scandal that involves the whole town.

Actor's Bio: Ned Beatty

Great American character actor Ned Beatty originally planned on entering the clergy, but after appearing in one high school play he changed his mind and decided to become an actor. Beatty later went on to become one of the screen's more prolific supporting actors, frequently appearing in up to four films per year. His film credits include Deliverance, All the President's Men, Network (for which he earned an Oscar nomination), Cookie’s Fortune, Rudy, The Big Easy, Hear My Song, A Prelude to a Kiss, Radioland Murders, and He Got Game. Equally prolific on TV, he earned Emmy Award nominations for his performances in Friendly Fire and Last Train Home. His recent credits include Charlie Wilson’s War, with Tom Hanks, and the voice of Lotso in Toy Story 3.

Character's Bio: Alistair Dimple

The effervescent Alistair Dimple is hired by Alec King to be the teacher of Avonlea school after Hetty quits her position. Alistair quickly inspires the children with his keen ability to see the originality in people and the values he teaches the community. Although Alec soon discovers that Alistair is an imposter, he decides to keep his true identity a secret because of the positive effect he has had on the town.

Actor's Bio: Christopher Lloyd

An intense actor with a flair for the wildly eccentric, Christopher Lloyd achieved international stature for his portrayal of Doc Emmett Brown in the acclaimed Back to the Future trilogy. However, Lloyd is reserved and quiet when not performing. A private and rather shy man, he is far more comfortable engrossed in a thick book than he is talking to fellow cast members. He was drawn to Road to Avonlea because of the high caliber of the scripts, as well as the production values. Lloyd received an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series for his role as Alistair Dimple on the series.

Possessed with a rare gift for creating unforgettable originals, Mr. Lloyd’s other roles include the sixties throwback Reverend Jim Ignatowski on the long-running television series Taxi, for which he won two Emmy Awards, the congenial Uncle Fester in the movie version of the Addams Family, and the relentless pursuer of the hapless rabbit in Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Other credits include Star Trek II; One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest; The Postman Always Rings Twice, Angels in the Outfield and Mr. Mom.

Elva Mai Hoover: Mrs. Lawson

Maja Ardal: Mrs. Potts

Heather Brown: Izzy Pettibone

Barbara Hamilton: Mrs. Bugle

Ian D. Clark: Simon Tremayne

Roger Dunn: Bert Potts

John Friesen: Archie Gillis

David Fox: Clive Pettibone

Joel Blake: Andrew King

Kyle Labine: Davey Keith

Linsday Murrell: Dora Keith

Character's Bio: Sara Stanley

Eleven-year-old Sara Stanley is used to a luxurious lifestyle in her hometown of Montreal. Her mother, Ruth King, died of TB when Sara was only a baby. When Sara’s father runs into trouble, Sara is sent to live with her mother’s family - siblings Hetty, Alec, Roger and Olivia. When she arrives, Sara’s nanny is sent back to Montreal, and Sara must adjust to a simpler lifestyle in Avonlea while living at Rose Cottage with Hetty and Olivia. Throughout seasons 3, 4, and 5, Sara takes it upon herself to act as the Avonlea matchmaker. By season 6, her Aunt Hetty and her nanny, Louisa, begin planning her future without her. Sara, however, has other plans. She dreams of becoming a writer and attending a very prestigious school in Paris – alone. Hetty and Louisa agree to let her go, and Sara leaves Avonlea only to return in the final season for her cousin Felicity’s wedding to Gus Pike.

Actor's Bio: Sarah Polley

Sara Polley became a veteran of film and television while still in her teens, and grew up on Road to Avonlea - as did her character, Sara Stanley. Like her character, Sara is an intelligent, fiercely independent woman, and brought many talents and natural charm to the show. Sarah made her screen debut at age four, playing a street waif in the feature One Magic Christmas, starting Jan Rubes. She won North American critical acclaim at the age of nine for her performance in the PBS family series Ramona, and went on to win international recognition for her lead role in Terry Gilliam’s big screen fantasy adventure, The Adventures of Baron Manchausen. Polley’s portrayal of the only surviving child in a school bus crash in Atom Egoyan’s celebrated feature The Sweet Hereafter earned her a Genie nomination as best actress. Other credits include principal roles in feature films The Last Night, The Weight of Water, Exotica, Green Monkey, The Big Town and Pretty Kill. Most recently, Sara has demonstrated her abilities behind the camera as writer and director of the Canadian based feature Away From Her, which earned many nominations and won various awards. Her most recent film was the sci-fi thriller, Splice, starring Adrien Brody.

Character's Bio: Hetty King

The eldest of five siblings, Hetty is the head of the King family and respected schoolteacher of Avonlea. She is a humourless middle-aged woman, who finds change difficult to handle. Hetty lives at Rose Cottage with her sister, Olivia, and her niece, Sara. In later seasons, Hetty King gives up being a schoolteacher in order to pursue her dream of being a writer. Once Sara leaves for Paris, leaving Rose Cottage very much empty, Hetty decides to have Mrs. Lynde move in with her, along with the adopted twins Davey and Dora Keith.

Actor's Bio: Jackie Burroughs

An actress of incomparable breadth and talent, Jackie Burroughs earned a well-deserved reputation as one of Canada’s premiere actresses both on stage and screen. She had won just about every conceivable show business award in Canada. Her performance as the well-intentioned, headstrong and domineering Hetty King has garnered her three Gemini Awards for Best Actress in 1990, 1992 and 1994. Jackie Burroughs had a reputation for being an encouraging and enthusiastic supporter of Canada’s young actors and playwrights. She was known to turn down leading roles at some of Canada’s most prestigious theatres to work for nothing on small ‘fringe’ productions introducing a new playwright’s work. Her participation in many so-called alternative productions has been responsible for drawing public attention to many an independent work. Indeed, like her character Hetty, Jackie Burroughs placed a premium on her independence, both creative and personal. Her body of work is extensive, but she is best known in recent years for the critically acclaimed A Winter Tan, which she both co-directed and co-wrote as well as starred in. Filmed on location in Mexico, A Winter Tan garnered her a 1988 Best Actress Genie Award, and gave her a new love. During the hiatus periods of Road to Avonlea, Ms. Burroughs spent her summers in Mexico, overseeing the construction of her home.

Sadly, the beloved actress died of cancer on September 22, 2010, at the age of 71.

Character's Bio: Olivia Dale

Olivia is the youngest of the King siblings, and Sara’s most affectionate aunt. Olivia eventually begins working as a reporter for the local newspaper. It is here that she meets the man who will eventually become her husband, Jasper Dale - a photographer for the newspaper. Once she and Jasper are married, Olivia leaves Rose Cottage and has a son named Montgomery. Olivia and Jasper later adopt a baby girl named Alicia.

Actor's Bio: Mag Ruffman

Mag Ruffman brings an enthusiastic innocence to her work on Road to Avonlea, lending vitality to the determined career woman, Olivia Dale. Her natural charms and professionalism help her give a loving push to her shy, inventor husband Jasper. In addition to be being an accomplished actress, musician, dancer and singer, Ms. Ruffman possesses the unique gift of being able to relate to children on their own level. She was sought out constantly by the entire junior Avonlea cast for advice on everything from how to tune a flute to how to smuggle newts into the girls’ trailer. Ms Ruffman’s television credits include Anything I Can Do, A Repair to Remember, Debbie Travis and Mag Ruffman Live. She also appeared in Kevin Sullivan’s Emmy Award-winning film Looking For Miracles, and played the part of Alice Lawson in the Anne of Green Gables series.

Character's Bio: Alec King

Alec King was the first born son of the King family. He owns and operates King farm, which is next door to Rose Cottage, where his sisters, Hetty and Olivia, live. He has four children (Felicity, Felix, Cecily and Daniel) and is married to Janet King.

Actor's Bio: Cedric Smith

Cedric Smith never thought he would have children – until he was cast as Alec King, the calm and insightful father of four. His portrayal of the easy-going PEI farmer earned him a 1993 Best Actor Gemini Award, and prepared him for his role as father in his private life. Cedric began his career as a folk-singer in Stratford and has been involved with film and television productions since his first role as Dr. Zvarich in the 1977 film adaptation of Who Has Seen the Wind? Since then his credits number more than one hundred various roles, including Kevin Sullivan’s Butterbox Babies and Sleeping Dogs Lie. He has also provided his voice for a number of documentaries and characters in animated features, such as "Tupper" in Sullivan’s film Anne: Journey to Green Gables.

Character's Bio: Janet King

Janet King is married to Alec and has four children. She is a very loving wife, but is also very independent-minded. In addition to her role as mother, Janet becomes a leader of the women’s suffrage movement in Avonlea. She has a sister named Abigail (played by Rosemary Dunsmore).

Actor's Bio: Lally Cadeau

Since winning the ACTRA Award for best newcomer in 1981, Lally Cadeau has received over a dozen nominations and awards for her work in television, film, radio, and stage, including the 1995 Gemini for Best Actress in a leading role for her work as Aunt Janet on Road to Avonlea. Other awards have included a Bijou and an ACTRA for her work in the critically acclaimed You’ve Come a Long Way, Katie. Ms. Cadeau also starred in the CBC series Hangin’ In for six years before performing on Road to Avonlea. Other television credits include guest-starring roles in Street Legal, Kane and Abel, Adderly, Twilight Zone and King of Kensington.

Character's Bio: Felix King

Felix is the eldest son of Alec and Janet. He is very mischievous and will often get into trouble. He eventually befriends Isolde Pettibone (Izzy) who is the daughter of Mr. Pettibone, the widowed schoolteacher who takes over the Avonlea schoolhouse when Hetty retires. In later seasons, a romance begins to develop between Felix and his good friend, Izzy.

Actor's Bio: Zachary Bennett

Like Gema Zamprogna, who plays his sister, Felicity, on Road to Avonlea, Zachary Bennett also comes from an acting family. His father teaches drama, his mother is his coach, and his elder brother Gareth, and sisters Marion and Sophie, all work in the field.

Zachary’s role as the irrepressible Felix King matured over the course of the show. The Felix of Season 1 - indefatigable tease, lover of adventure stories and shirker of chores - matured into a responsible young man who knows his own mind and always has an eye for a quick dollar.

Zach is already a veteran actor on an international scale. Aside from his work in Canada, Zach has worked in the United States, Europe, New Zealand, the former Czechoslovakia and Mexico with some of the best known names in the entertainment industry, including Leonard Nimoy, Sam Waterson, Diane Keaton, Liam Neeson and Jan Rubes.

Film credits include The Good Mother with Diane Keaton, Back to Hannibal with Megan Follows, The Muppets Christmas Special, the lead in the four-hour mini-series By Way of the Stars and Sullivan Entertainment’s Looking for Miracles, for which he received an Emmy nomination. Television credits include Shattered City, Blind Faith, Lantern Hill and Twice in a Lifetime. His recent credits include appearances on a number of television series.

Character's Bio: Felicity King

Felicity is Alec and Janet’s eldest daughter. She often takes on adult responsibility and feels superior to her four siblings and her cousin Sara.

Actor's Bio: Gema Zamprogna

A talented actress, a scholarship winning student and an accomplished dancer, Gema Zamprogna, like her character Felicity King, is one of those enviable young adults who can turn their hand at almost anything with brilliant results. Gema is a native of Hamilton, Ontario and comes from a stage family. Her parents operate a dance school, and her father Lou is a professional Director/Choreographer and director of a performing arts program at Hamilton’s Theatre Aquaris. Dominic and Amanda, Gema’s twin siblings, are also accomplished stage and screen actors. Gema’s portrayal of the opinionated and frequently bossy Felicity King has brought her 1991 and 1994 Gemini nominations for Best Supporting Actress. Gema’s other film credits include a co-starring role on Sullivan’s four-hour mini-series, By Way of the Stars, the leading role in the TV film The Challengers, as well as principal roles in Defense of a Married Man, Amerika, Friday the 13th, War of the Worlds and Forever Knight. Her stage credits include The Queen in Winnie the Pooh, Little Marie Antionette in the opera Andrea Chenier as well as productions of Into the Woods, Chess and West Side Story.

Character's Bio: Cecily King

Cecily is the younger and quieter daughter of Alec and Janet King. She is more interested in farm work than her brother. As a result, Alec considers leaving King Farm to her after his death, knowing he will be leaving it in good hands.

Actor's Bio: Harmony Cramp

Harmony Cramp’s first major role in a television series was on Road to Avonlea. Prior to that, she appeared in the feature film The January Man, in which she was saved from a burning building by Kevin Kline; and in an episode of the CTV series The Campbells. Eventually, Harmony would leave Road to Avonlea and be replaced by actress Molly Atkinson, who would complete the series as Cecily King and later appear in An Avonlea Christmas.

Character's Bio: Jasper Dale

Jasper Dale is perhaps the most eccentric resident of Avonlea. His shy awkwardness and fantastic inventions often make him the subject of ridicule by the other townspeople. But after Sara Stanley befriends the stumbling genius, and he gains the affections of Olivia King, Jasper becomes more sure of himself.

Actor's Bio: R.H. Thomson

R.H. Thomson is one of Canada’s busiest and most accomplished stage and film actors. He has won every major Canadian award – a 1989 Gemini Award for his portrayal of Dr. Frederick Banting in the CBC mini-series Glory Enough for All, a Genie Award for If You Could See What I Hear and a Dora Mavor Moore Award for his stage work in the Toronto Free Theatre production of Hand to Hand. Thomson’s incredible dramatic range is heightened by an extraordinary command of physical characterization, a skill he utilizes to great affect in portraying the awkward inventor Jasper Dale. His more recent credits include roles in Chloe and The Englishman’s Boy – for which he received a Gemini Award nomination in 2008.

Character's Bio: Gus Pike

Gus is a young vagabond and sailor who eventually earns the respect of the residents of Avonlea. At one point, Gus leaves town to search for his mother, who he thought had died years earlier. After news of a hurricane, the people of Avonlea assumed Gus lost at sea. However, Felicity and Hetty eventually find a blind Gus along the eastern shore of the United States and he returns to Canada where he has surgery to restore his eyesight and marries Felicity.

Actor's Bio: Michael Mahonen

A graduate of George Brown Theatre School in Toronto, Michael Mahonen was born in the small Ontario town of Kirkland Lake. Mahonen was introduced in the second season of Road to Avonlea as a migrant worker employed at the Cannery. His television debut in this series attracted the attention of critics, marking him as a young talent to watch. Later that year, he drew rave reviews for his performance as Lee Colgan in the critically-acclaimed mini-series Conspiracy of Silence (CBC/CBS) – a performance which garnered him a Gemini Award. He was also the writer, director and co-producer of the award-winning film, Sandstorm.

Kevin Sullivan: Executive Producer, Writer, Director

Kevin Sullivan is the President of Sullivan Entertainment Inc. which he and his partner, Trudy Grant, founded in 1979. Internationally recognized as one of the leading producers of high quality entertainment and renowned for his directorial ease with children and top performers, Mr. Sullivan has achieved myriad accolades and awards over the past two decades. His ability to consistently produce top-notch entertainment as well as to attract big name stars has enhanced the image of Sullivan Entertainment throughout the world.

Under Mr. Sullivan’s guidance Sullivan Entertainment has developed a distinctive brand of story-telling. Lavish productions that are emotionally compelling and entertaining have become the hallmark of the company Mr. Sullivan founded more than 20 years ago.

Trudy Grant: Co-Executive Producer

Trudy Grant is the President of Sullivan Entertainment International, which she founded in 1981. Through her leadership, the company has emerged as a major player in the world marketplace and particularly in the television arena.

Her involvement in distribution prompted her to form Sullivan Entertainment International to better administer the Sullivan product. The company’s penetration into many of the world’s less accessible markets makes it one of the few companies that can truly be considered international, having developed key relationships with buyers and financiers for various co-productions. One of Ms. Grant’s main achievements is the sale of the mini-series “Anne of Green Gables” to more than 120 countries around the globe.

Ms. Grant has evolved into the guiding light behind the company’s financial success. By strategically maximizing financial opportunities, Ms. Grant has built a very successful international business around the Sullivan brand.

Heather Conkie: Writer

Heather Conkie’s credits include the Canadian television show Heartland, and the Emmy Award-winning made-for-TV movie Beethoven Lives Upstairs. She has also been credited as a producer, actress and composer.

John Welsman: Composer

John Welsman has won four Gemini Awards in recognition of his compositions for Road to Avonlea, and has been nominated an additional six times for his work on the programs Borrowed Hearts, Marie Curie: More Than Meets the Eye, Stolen Miracle and Kevin Sullivan’s By Way of the Stars. Some of Welsman’s countless other credits include War of the Worlds, Lantern Hill and more recently, My Friend Rabbit, Nurse Fighter Boy and The Mighty Jungle.

Allan King: Direction

Allan King began his career by making documentaries for the CBC. There are a long list of credits to his name, which include Alfred Hitchcock Presents, The Twilight Zone and Dying at Grace – just three of the many titles over the course of a career that spanned six decades. The Canadian director died on June 15th, 2009, leaving behind his wife and four children.

Nancey Pankiw: Art Director

Road to Avonlea is not the only Sullivan Entertainment production to which Nancey Pankiw has brought her expertise in art direction. The award-winning production designer also worked on Lantern Hill, Wind at my Back, Butterbox Babies and By Way of the Stars. Some of Nancey’s other credits include the feature films The Fly, Dick, Chicago, Urban Legends: Final Cut, Cold Creek Manor, and the series Nothing Too Good for a Cowboy and Salem Witch Trials - for which she won a Directors Guild of Canada award for production design.

Don Gillis: Composer

Don is a three-time Gemini Award nominee who has contributed his musical talents to several of Kevin Sullivan’s productions, including Wind at my Back, A Wind at my Back Christmas, Road to Avonlea and An Avonlea Christmas. He was nominated for a Gemini for his compositions for two Road to Avonlea seasons in 1994 and 1995, as well as for the TV series Danger Bay. In addition, Gillis was the musical director of episodes of The Jim Henson Hour and was the musical director of Fraggle Rock – also created by Jim Henson.

Madeleine Stewart: Costume Designer

Madeleine’s authentic costume designs for the cast of Road to Avonlea have not gone unnoticed. In 1995, her work on the episode “Strictly Melodrama” earned her an Emmy award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Costume Design for a Series. She was also nominated the following year for the episode “What a Tangled Web We Weave” and received two Gemini Award nominations for her designs in 1995 and 1996. Since then, Madeleine has worked as a costume designer for Earth: Final Conflict, The Murdoch Mysteries, Painted Angels and Custody.

The simple wedding plans of Jasper and Olivia get out of hand when Hetty decides to take charge after they fumble an elopement. The event takes on grandiose proportions when Hetty is goaded into competing with the wedding of the overbearing Mrs. Bugle’s (Barbara Hamilton) daughter. The confusion tries Hetty and Olivia’s relationship and Janet and Alec’s marriage. Despite an oversized wedding gown and a missing ring on their wedding day, it all comes together in the end. Alec and Janet realize their love and the two sisters come to terms with their fear of change.

When Alec buys a new workhorse and suggests Blackie be sold, Felix objects and starts a delivery service to pay for the horse’s keep. Felix becomes totally involved in the company and develops a friendship with the old horse. When things begin to go astray and Felix’s pride comes into question, he takes on a bet with another delivery man. The bet leads to a shortcut, a hasty ride, an accident and Blackie’s death.

Everything runs afoul as Alec is elected to the school board. Causing Hetty to quit teaching, he hires the effervescent Alistair Dimple (Christopher Lloyd) to take over. With the ability to see the originality in people, Dimple inspires the children. Still, Alec discovers that he is an imposter. Despite his fabrication, a successful History Bee demonstrates that Dimple has taught the community many important values and Alec decides to keep his discovery secret.
Special Guest Star: Christopher Lloyd

After Hetty gives a dress that Sara bought with her own money to charity, Sara’s desire for freedom comes to a climax. Sara switches places with a street waif named Jo Pitts, who strangely enough looks exactly like her, and follows Gus off the island. Trouble brews as Sara is nabbed by Buck Hogan (Colin O’Meara), the leader of a ruffian gang, and Gus is grabbed by his father, Abe Pike (Don Francks).

In Avonlea, Jo has been active in thievery and mischief and has driven Hetty crazy with her rude unladylike behavior. Hetty, Janet and Olivia become convinced that Sara has gone mad and Hetty feels responsible. Meanwhile, Gus and Sara battle with their captors and manage to escape their plight. Finally, they return to Avonlea to set things aright.

Inspired by a fictional suffragette, Amelia Sandhurst (Lucy Peacock), Janet becomes a canvasser for the women’s suffrage and sends her family, particularly Alec, the community and the cannery into an uproar. The need for the vote and social change that accompanies it is made clear by the arrival of Maude Craig (Fiona Reid), who is unable to care for her son, Peter (Miklos Perlus), economically. Alec learns to respect Janet’s endeavors and the important of the vote for women.
Special Guest Stars: Chris Wiggins, Fiona Reid

As Sara reads from the latest dime novel, “Death Rides By Night”, a mysterious woman (Louise Vallance) runs across the dark cliffs, seeking refuge from her pursuer, the evil Robert Rutherford (Christopher Reeve). Gus becomes involved in a mystery, helping Amanda Stone evade Rutherford’s grip. Felicity, leading the other children, never quite believes Amanda’s story about the family jewels and leads the others to spy on Gus and Amanda. In the end, Felicity is proved in the right. Amanda and Rutherford were partners in crime, stealing the gems and then double-crossing each other. With help from the plot of “Death Rides By Night”, Gus and the children foil the two jewel thieves and Gus learns the value of friends.
Special Guest Star: Christopher Reeve

Janet arranges a day at the Markdale auction for the King and Ward women, as Alec arranges an ice-fishing weekend for Jasper, Felix and himself. The weekend begins in high hopes of a good time, but the women’s outing quickly deteriorates when Janet squanders her money on a gaudy jewelry box. Accusations fly among the women, driving a wedge between Janet and Abigail (Rosemary Dunsmore). Meanwhile, Alec and Jasper try to renew their childhood friendship, while Felicity and Sara, left in charge of Daniel and Lucky, manage to “lose” Lucky and go after him in the woods. When the women arrive home, not speaking to each other, their argument is forgotten in their concern over Lucky. The sisters disappear in the woods and promptly get lost in a blizzard, as Lucky comes home with Digger. The men come home to discover their wives and daughters missing and take off after them. Digger is responsible for reuniting one and all, and at the King Farm everyone agrees that regardless of quarrels, they are all friends and relations.
Special Guest Star: Rosemary Dunsmore

Reverend Fitzsimmons is the new preacher at the church. He has a dramatic flair and believes that the louder he preaches, the closer to God he and his congregation will be. The higher decibel level in the church bothers most. But the children believe that the forcefulness of his sermons do make them more believable (at least scarier), which leads to a discussion between them about the end of the world. Because of recent events, Felix and Sara make Felicity believe that the end is near, and the one thing that is a black mark in her life that will prevent her from going to heaven is that she took her mother's new hair comb - a King family heirloom - without permission and lost it. She is in a desperate search to find it before the end. To find it, the children go to the closest thing they have in Avonlea to a mystic: Peg Bowen. Peg cannot locate the comb, but tells them that they have to confess their sins as the end approaches, and if the balance of good outweighs the bad, the end will not occur. By all signs, the end is the next evening, which makes Felicity's search even more frantic. In order to save the world and themselves, the kids confess their secret sings to each other. Meanwhile, Janet is being harassed by Hetty, Olivia and Alec for not wearing her comb, the three siblings believing the comb is a symbol of the King family honor.

Jasper's latest project is something called a vampire spectrum, which involves the use of live bats. Olivia wants to support Jasper in any way she can, despite not liking bats. When Sydney Carver, the head of the journal "The Royal Society of Naturalists", comes to Avonlea to see Jasper's work, Olivia is less than excited. She didn’t know that Sydney is a woman. Because Sydney is in many ways a female version of Jasper, Olivia is jealous of how much she has in common with her husband. The townsfolk are also gossiping about Sydney in the same vein. Meanwhile, after reading Bram Stoker’s “Dracula”, Felix and Sara become convinced that Sydney is a vampire and that Jasper may become one as well. Armed with the elements that ward off evil, Felix and Sara set off after Jasper and Sydney to the bat caves.
Special Guest Star: Kate Nelligan

Wally Higgins (Ned Beatty), a happy-go-lucky bachelor salesman from the “Windy City Skates Company” arrives in Avonlea eager to sell his skates to one and all. The minute he sets eyes on Hetty’s size 6AAAA feet, his heart does a somersault – he’s found what he’s been looking for all these years – the little lady to share his life! Hetty, however, is preoccupied with her neighbour, Wellington Campbell’s (John Gilbert) claim that he owns part of King property. Thus distracted, Hetty misinterprets Wally’s romantic advances and has no idea he is courting her until it blows up into an embarrassing public scandal that involves the entire community. Meanwhile, Felicity King has her own romantic problems. She desperately wants Gus Pike to ask her to the annual skating party and enlists Sara’s help to spur Gus on.
Special Guest Star: Ned Beatty

Felicity has garnered one of the highest scholastic grades in the province and is selected to be interviewed by Kingsport Ladies College. At Kingsport, when Felicity meets the other girls being interviewed, she feels she isn’t wealthy or worldly enough to compete. She lies using Sara’s life and travels as her own, putting on the airs to impress them. And she succeeds – at first. In her absence from Avonlea, Gus has decided that he should become a proper gentleman and make himself more worthy of a girl like Felicity. He enlists the aid of the new French chef at the White Sands Hotel, Pierre LaPierre (Albert Millaire), from Trois Reviere, to help transform him into a society gentleman.
Special Guest Star:Shirley Douglas

The sudden death of Marilla Cuthbert (Colleen Dewhurst), devastates Rachel Lynde (Patricia Hamilton) like nothing else ever has. But before she can grieve for her friend’s passing, Rachel learns that Green Gables is to be sold and that distant Cuthbert relations want to take away Dora Keith (Ashley Muscroft), but not Davey Keith (Kyle Labine) because he’s too much trouble. For the first tine in her life, Rachel Lynde is not in control. When crotchety sheep farmer John Harrison comes forward as the prospective buyer of Green Gables, Rachel is galvanized into action. She detests the man more than anyone. After all, according to Rachel, Harrison “stole” her farm away from her when poor Thomas died, buying it for a pittance. And now he’s trying to push her out of house and home once again. This time, with the help of Hetty King and Gilbert Blythe (Jonathan Crombie), Rachel is determined to stop him. Davey and Dora come up with their own plan to put Mr. Harrison off buying Green Gables, but they only succeed in making matters worse.
Special Guest Star:Jonathan Crombie