Gale Hansen (born 1959) is an American film and television actor best known for playing Charlie "Nuwanda" Dalton in Dead Poets Society.
Career Hansen started acting with a bit part in Woody Allen's Zelig; his breakout role came with Dead Poets Society in 1989, in which Hansen played rebellious high school student Charlie Dalton. The subsequent year, Hansen played one of the leads in Shaking the Tree alongside Courteney Cox, followed by The Finest Hour alongside Rob Lowe. He had a starring role in the drama series Class of '96. After a stint of supporting roles, Hansen quit acting due to a car accident in 1998, and found it difficult to return. He works as an acting teacher and studio executive, having worked as the latter in films including The Social Network and Paul. He returned to acting with several short and independent feature films, including You Are Here with Judd Nelson in 2026.
Personal life Hansen married dancer Evangeline Quiroz in 1986. They have two children.
Filmography Year Title Role Notes1983 Zelig Freshman #1 1989 Dead Poets Society Charlie Dalton 1990 Shaking the Tree John "Sully" Sullivan 1991 Under Surveillance Joel Pierson 1991 The Finest Hour Dean Mazzoli a.k.a. Desert Shield1992 Double Vision Michael TV movie1993 Class of '96 Samuel "Stroke" Dexter 17 episodes1994 Murder, She Wrote Arnold Wynn / Jason Bayer Saxon 1 episode1998 Beyond Belief: Fact or Fiction Security Guard 1 episode, (final appearance)2024Good Bad ThingsDad2026You Are HereJoe Donald
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