Who Plays Austin’s Dad Gil on ‘Ginny & Georgia’? Meet Aaron Ashmore (Not Shawn Ashmore)

Ginny & Georgia Season 2 is finally on Netflix, and would you believe us if we told you that Georgia Miller (Brianne Howey) has another new man in town?

Yes, yes! The rumors are true. In addition to Zion (Nathan Mitchell), Mayor Paul Randolph (Scott Porter), and Joe (Raymond Ablack), a character named Gil Timmons (Aaron Ashmore) enters — or rather, reenters — Georgia, Ginny (Antonia Gentry), and Austin’s (Diesel La Torraca) lives. And his presence is…complicated, to say the least.

With help from more Ginny & Georgia flashbacks, we learn Gil’s history with Georgia — or G, as he calls her — as well as what he’s doing in town, and how his presence threatens the safe life that Georgia and the kids are trying to build in Wellsbury, Massachusetts.

If you’re wondering who is Gil on Ginny & Georgia? Or what do we know about Aaron Ashmore, the actor who plays Gil on Ginny and Georgia (and is definitely not Shawn Ashmore), read on for Decider’s Gil Timmons explainer. Just be mindful that Ginny & Georgia Season 2 spoilers lie ahead.

Who Is Gil Timmons on Ginny & Georgia And Why Was Gil Arrested?

Gil Timmons, played by Aaron Ashmore, is Austin’s biological father who was in prison until his release in Season 2. He first appears in Season 2, Episode 5, “Latkes Are Lit” by dropping in unannounced at Austin’s school to say hi, then he resurfaces in Episode 6, “A Very Merry Ginny & Georgia Christmas Special” to make his intentions known. As Georgia and the fam are exchanging Christmas presents, Gil knocks on the door and interrupts the holiday celebrations. He brings presents for Austin, Ginny, and Georgia; reminisces about the kids’ childhoods; and makes it clear that because he’s no longer locked up he plans to be more involved in his son’s life.

It’s initially unclear why and how Gil got arrested, but through a series of flashbacks — in which young Gil is portrayed by actor Ben Caldwell — we see how he met, fell in love with, abused, and was ultimately betrayed by Georgia. We learn that Georgia once earnestly loved Gil, but after he started physically and emotionally abusing her she planned to leave him and run away with Ginny. When she learned that she was pregnant with Austin, the situation got more complex, so she decided to embezzele money from Gil’s company and frame him, which got him fired and arrested.

In Episode 7, Gil asks Georgia if he can take Austin to a hockey game and says he wants to see more of his son. Georgia says no to the hockey game, but later that day Gil shows up unannounced (again!) at Austin’s school as Georgia is picking him up and presents two tickets to the hockey game so that Georgia feels pressured to say yes. He even makes Austin ask her for snack money. Ugh! Later in the episode, Gil stops by the Blue Farm Cafe and meets Cynthia. He tells her he’d love to stay in town but can’t find an apartment, and after learning that Georgia dislikes him and allegedly framed him for embezzlement, Cynthia reveals she’s in real estate and offers to help him find a place. During Episode 8, Gil returns to the Blue Farm Cafe to meet Georgia and Joe tells Cynthia he doesn’t like Gil and suspects Georgia needs help, which puts Cynthia on red alert. The following episode, Gils sits Georgia down and tells her he’s applying to apartments in town before threatening to tell Paul about her past secrets unless she lets him have a relationship with Austin and helps him financially.

Gil confronts Georgia again at Austin’s school later in the episode and Cynthia comes to her rescue. That night, Gil shows up at Georgias house in a rage because Cynthia will no longer help him get an apartment. He accuses Georgia of ruining his shot at finding a place to live, starts screaming, throws her into a table, and Ginny and Austin comes downstairs to help their mom. Austin, who found the gun hidden in Georgia’s room, shoots Gil in the arm, and the four of them regain composure and clean up the mess before Paul gets home. Once Ginny and Austin realize how Gil treats their mom they finally understand why she made some of the choices she did in the past.

In the Season 2 finale, Georgia decides to tell Paul about her criminal past before Gil has the chance to, and Paul leaves in a frenzy to digest all the information. The following morning Paul texts Georgia and asks her to meet him at the office. “For all I know he’s waiting with cops waiting to arrest me and just doesn’t want to do it in front of you guys,” Georgia says, before deciding to go see him and take responsibility for her past rather than running. She arrives at the office and finds Paul, a cop, and Paul’s attorney. She assumes she’s about to be arrested, but Gil shows up and things take a turn. “Gil, I asked you to come here to tell you that what you are doing has crossed over into harassment. You are a convicted felon, one call from me to your parole officer and you go back to prison,” Paul says. Gil tells him that Georgia isn’t who she says she is and that he’ll fight for custody of Austin, but Paul shuts him down. “From now on, if you want to see my stepson or speak to my wife you do so through me.” When Paul and Georgia are alone he says he’s still very angry with her, but he can’t see himself spending life without her. They kiss and Georgia rushes home to tell Ginny that Paul still wants to marry her.

Who Plays Austin’s Dad, Gil Timmons, on Ginny & Georgia? Meet Aaron Ashmore (Not Shawn Ashmore)

As noted, Gil on Ginny & Georgia is played by Aaron Ashmore, a 43-year-old Canadian actor who kickstarted his career in 1991 and starred in a number of popular TV shows and movies over the years. Per his IMDb page, the actor’s credits include The West Wing, Veronica Mars, Private Practice and more. Ashmore is well-known for playing Duncan Locke on Locke & Key and Jimmy Olsen on Smallville, but if you can’t shake the feeling that you’ve seen him star in other things, that checks out. Why? Because Aaron’s twin brother Shawn Ashmore is also an actor.

Over the decades, Shawn Ashmore has starred in Guitarman, Animorphs, X-Men, Smallville, The Conviction, The Boys and more. He’s well-known for his role as Brad on Cadet Kelly, Mike Weston on The Following, and Wesley Evers on The Rookie. Shawn was also born one minute after Aaron, in case you were curious.

If you want to keep up with the twins off-screen, you can follow Aaron Ashmore on Instagram and Twitter or Shawn Ashmore on Instagram and Twitter, too. Here’s hoping Ginny & Georgia pulls a Dead To Me and casts Shawn Ashmore as Gil’s twin brother next season.

Season 2 of Ginny & Georgia is now streaming on Netflix.