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Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Birthday
February 23, 1880
Died
March 26, 1952
Place of Birth
Terowie, Australia
Also Known As
- John Paterson McGowan
J.P. McGowan
0.4 Popularity
Biography
From Wikipedia John Paterson McGowan (February 24, 1880 – March 26, 1952) was a pioneering Hollywood actor and director and occasionally a screenwriter and producer. J. P. McGowan, as he was usually known, remains the only Australian to have been made a life member of the Screen Directors Guild (now Directors Guild of America). Born in the then-bustling railway centre of Terowie in South Australia, McGowan grew up in Adelaide (Islington) and Sydney. He was a capable horseman and served in the Second Boer War with Montmorency's Scouts as a special dispatch rider. McGowan directed and often acted in the first 33 episodes of Kalem's 1914 adventure film series, The Hazards of Helen, which eventually ran to 54 episodes, some still with McGowan's participation. While filming he began a relationship with Helen Holmes, the film's star, and the two married. They left Kalem to set up their own production company, Signal Films, which successfully made a series of railroad melodramas but lost out when their distributor (Mutual) failed. The collaboration ended when they divorced in 1925. There was an adopted daughter, Kaye. McGowan successfully made the transition from silent film to talkies. While never a major star, in a busy career that spanned four decades he is credited with acting in 232 films—mostly strong roles like sheriff or villain—writing 26 screenplays and directing 242 productions. In 1932 he directed a young John Wayne in the 12-episode rail vs airplane serial The Hurricane Express for the independent Mascot Pictures. From 1938 to 1951, as Executive Secretary of the Screen Directors Guild, he fought to secure recognition for the director within the studio systems of the film and emerging television industry. J.P. McGowan died in 1952 in Hollywood and was interred in the Forest Lawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Glendale, California.
Known For
0.0
Ship's Captain
Savage Fury
1956
6.0
Old Man
The Lady and the Bandit
1951
7.6
Bit Part (uncredited)
Stagecoach
1939
3.0
Undetermined Minor Role
Code of the Fearless
1939
0.0
Scudder
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
1938
4.7
Clansman
Kidnapped
1938
6.0
Cop
Hunted Men
1938
6.4
Jailer
The Buccaneer
1938
3.0
Col. Stanton
Prairie Thunder
1937
6.0
Ed Dawson
Heart of the Rockies
1937
Credits
Savage Fury
as Ship's Captain
1956
0.0
The Lady and the Bandit
as Old Man
1951
6.0
Stagecoach
as Bit Part (uncredited)
1939
7.6
Code of the Fearless
as Undetermined Minor Role
1939
3.0
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
as Scudder
1938
0.0
Kidnapped
as Clansman
1938
4.7
Hunted Men
as Cop
1938
6.0
The Buccaneer
as Jailer
1938
6.4
Prairie Thunder
as Col. Stanton
1937
3.0
Heart of the Rockies
as Ed Dawson
1937
6.0
Rough Riding Rhythm
as Pete Hobart
1937
0.0
Empty Holsters
as U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
1937
0.0
She Had to Eat
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
1937
5.0
Slave Ship
as Helmsman
1937
4.5
Hit the Saddle
as Rance McGowan
1937
5.2
Borderland
as El Rio Sheriff
1937
5.0
Jungle Jim
as Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
1937
4.8
Sinner Take All
as Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
1936
4.3
Stampede
as Matt Stevens
1936
0.0
The Accusing Finger
as Inner Guard
1936
4.7
The Three Mesquiteers
as Brack Canfield
1936
5.0
Fury and the Woman
as Anderson
1936
0.0
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Jim Howard
1936
0.0
Guns and Guitars
as Dave Morgan
1936
4.2
Secret Patrol
as Blacksmith Barstow
1936
0.0
Robin Hood of El Dorado
as Danglong
1936
4.2
The Prisoner of Shark Island
as Ship's Captain (uncredited)
1936
6.8
Silver Spurs
as Webb Allison
1936
0.0
Bar 20 Rides Again
as Buck Peters
1935
5.0
East of Java
as Sergeant, Rescue Party
1935
6.0
The Silent Code
as Commissioner
1935
4.0
Diamond Jim
as Engineer
1935
6.0
Border Brigands
as Inspector Winston - RCMP
1935
0.0
Murder in the Fleet
as Chief of Police (Uncredited)
1935
5.0
Whispering Smith Speaks
as Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
1935
0.0
Les Misérables
as Javert's Plainclothesman
1935
7.2
The Call of the Savage
as Freighter Captain
1935
5.0
Mississippi
as Dealer (uncredited)
1935
6.7
The Outlaw Tamer
as Sheriff Jim Porter
1935
0.0
Rustlers of Red Dog
as Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
1935
8.0
When Lightning Strikes
as Lafe Broderick
1934
5.0
The Red Rider
as Scotty McKee
1934
4.0
No More Women
as Captain of The Hawk
1934
4.0
Somewhere in Sonora
as Monte Black
1933
5.0
Flaming Gold
as Mack
1932
5.5
Lawless Valley
as Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand
1932
2.2
Quick Trigger Lee
as Brings note / Director
1931
0.0
The Canyon of Missing Men
as Slug Sagel
1930
0.0
🎬
Covered Wagon Trails
1930
0.0
🎬
Breezy Bill
as Sheriff
1930
0.0
O'Malley Rides Alone
as Angus McGregor
1930
0.0
A Texas Cowboy
as Brute Kettle
1929
0.0
Señor Americano
as Maddox
1929
0.0
The Oklahoma Kid
1929
0.0
Pioneers of the West
as Tom Dorgan
1929
0.0
🎬
The Invaders
1929
0.0
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
as Pepper Hardcastle
1929
0.0
The Law of the Plains
as Seagrue
1929
0.0
The Fighting Terror
1929
0.0
The Last Roundup
as Hash
1929
0.0
Plunging Hoofs
as Jim Wales
1929
0.0
The Lawless Legion
as Matson
1929
0.0
Headin' Westward
as Sneezer Clark
1929
0.0
Below the Deadline
as Taggart
1929
1.0
'Neath Western Skies
as Dugan
1929
0.0
Ships of the Night
as Motilla
1928
0.0
Two Outlaws
as Abner Whitcomb
1928
0.0
The Black Ace
1928
0.0
The Chinatown Mystery
1928
0.0
Arizona Days
as Ed Hicks
1928
1.0
The Code of the Scarlet
as Blake
1928
0.0
🎬
Dugan of the Dugouts
as Capt. von Brinken
1928
0.0
Gun Gospel
as Bill Brogan
1927
0.0
The Red Raiders
as Captain Ortwell
1927
8.0
Arizona Nights
as Jeff Decker
1927
0.0
🎬
The Royal American
as Capt. Burke
1927
0.0
Red Signals
as Jim Twyler
1927
0.0
Perils of the Rail
as Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction
1926
6.0
Crack O' Dawn
as Earle Thorpe Sr.
1926
5.0
Senor Daredevil
as Jesse Wilks
1926
0.0
The Lost Express
as Train Engineer
1925
0.0
The Fast Freight
1925
0.0
Barriers of the Law
as Steve Redding
1925
0.0
Outwitted
as Tiger McGuire
1925
0.0
Crossed Trails
as 'Pepper' Baldwin
1924
0.0
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
as Stephen Lawlor
1924
0.0
🎬
The Whipping Boss
as Livingston
1924
0.0
Baffled
as Jack Norton
1924
0.0
Stormy Seas
as Capt. Morgan
1923
0.0
Hills of Missing Men
as Capt. Brandt / The Dragon
1922
0.0
Do or Die
as Capt. Alvarez / Satan
1921
0.0
Elmo the Fearless
1920
0.0
King of the Circus
1920
0.0
The Railroad Raiders
as Thomas Desmond
1917
0.0
The Hazards of Helen
as Various roles
1917
0.0
Medicine Bend
as Whispering Smith
1916
0.0
Whispering Smith
as Whispering Smith
1916
0.0
🎬
A Desperate Leap
1915
0.0
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
as Jerry McGuire
1915
0.0
The Broken Rail
as Trow - of the Working Crew
1915
0.0
A Railroader's Bravery
as Thomas - the Chief of the Gang
1915
0.0
The Broken Train
as Warren - Railroad Employee
1915
0.0
The Railroad Raiders of '62
as Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman
1915
0.0
The Leap from the Water Tower
as Rand - the Fireman
1915
0.0
The Girl and the Game
as Spike
1915
0.0
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
as Blake - a Lineman
1915
0.0
The Escape on the Limited
as Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier
1914
0.0
The Black Diamond Express
as Dan Haddon - a Cowboy
1914
0.0
The Flying Freight's Captive
as Rand - a Yeggman
1914
0.0
His Nemesis
as Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival
1914
0.0
Helen's Sacrifice
as Benton
1914
0.0
🎬
Kaintucky Bill
as Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner
1914
0.0
The Wives of Jamestown
as The O’Rourke
1913
0.0
🎬
The Shaughraun
as Corry Kinchela
1912
0.0
Ireland, the Oppressed
as Lord Kilhannack
1912
0.0
🎬
The Mayor from Ireland
as Shamus Foley
1912
0.0
The Little Gluers
as Valentine Hay
1912
0.0
From the Manger to the Cross
as Wise Man 1
1912
5.1
The Poacher's Pardon
as Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
1912
0.0
Winning a Widow
1912
0.0
Tragedy of the Desert
as The Arab Sheik
1912
0.0
Captured by Bedouins
as Lt. Greig
1912
0.0
An Arabian Tragedy
1912
0.0
Dust of the Desert
as Sheik Mohammad
1912
0.0
🎬
Far from Erin's Isle
1912
0.0
🎬
Vagabonds
as Big Jim
1912
0.0
His Mother
as John Foster
1912
4.0
🎬
The Fishermaid of Ballydavid
as Policeman
1911
0.0
The Colleen Bawn
as Hardress Cregan
1911
6.5
Rory O'More
as Commander of the English troops
1911
4.2
🎬
The Special Messenger
as Royal
1911
0.0
Railroad Raiders of '62
as Federal Officer
1911
5.0
When the Dead Return
as Jacques
1911
0.0
🎬
The Fiddler’s Requiem
as Dolores' father
1911
0.0
Slim Jim's Last Chance
as The Rancher
1911
4.0
By a Woman's Wit
1911
6.5
🎬
A Sawmill Hero
1911
0.0
When Lovers Part
1910
4.0
The Lad from Old Ireland
as Election Agent
1910
5.1