Ted Schmidt

Ted Schmidt
Queer as Folk character
Scott Lowell as Ted Schmidt
First appearance	December 3, 2000
Last appearance	August 7, 2005
Portrayed by	Scott Lowell
UK counterpart	Phil Delaney (Jason Merrells)
Information
Occupation	Accountant Businessman

Theodore "Ted" Schmidt is a fictional character from the American Showtime television drama series Queer as Folk, played by Scott Lowell. Fellow show cast member Peter Paige, who plays Emmett Honeycutt originally auditioned for the role. Lowell was cast and he stated that he had an instant connection with the character. Queer as Folk is based on the British show of the same name and Ted is loosely based on the character Phil Delaney, played by Jason Merrells. Phil was killed off in that series, whereas show creator Daniel Lipman decided to develop the character into a full-time role for the US version.

Ted is portrayed as a gay man uncomfortable with his thirty-something age. He wants to date younger men in their twenties and who are considered inappropriate. This was demonstrated as Ted became involved with the drug addicted Blake Wyzecki (Dean Armstrong). Ted takes it upon himself to save Blake from addiction but fails. The show developed an on-screen partnership between Lowell and Paige's Ted and Emmett. The duo were played as best friends who later start a romance.

The character's main storylines have been self-confidence issues, having plastic surgery and a drug addiction to crystal meth. Lowell worked with a medical consultant to create an accurate portrayal of a descent into drug addiction. The actor has praised the story for showing how men with low self-esteem, like Ted, are prone to addiction. The character has been generally well received by television critics, though some have criticized his long-suffering persona.

Various acting agencies did not send their clients to audition for roles in the show because of potential controversy. Lowell told Michael Idato from The Sydney Morning Herald that it helped him and other colleagues lacking television experience win the roles. In the original scripts Ted was described as "chubby and balding". Lowell did not resemble Ted but his first scene depicts him at a bar being ignored by "pretty, buffed club patrons". The actor had similar experiences and stated that while he was not a physical match he understood him psychologically.