J.P. McGowan
Acting
🎂 1880-02-23
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.
Cast credits(138)
Bit Part (uncredited)
1939
Javert's Plainclothesman
1935
Ship's Captain
1936
Cop
1938
Jailer
1938
Inner Guard
1936
Danglong
1936
Chief of Police (Uncredited)
1935
Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
1936
Old Man
1951
Bill Brogan
1927
Rance McGowan
1937
Captain of The Hawk
1934
Engineer
1935
Dealer (uncredited)
1935
El Rio Sheriff
1937
Clansman
1938
Scotty McKee
1934
Monte Black
1933
Scudder
1938
Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction
1926
Inspector Winston - RCMP
1935
Ed Dawson
1937
U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
1937
Mack
1932
Blacksmith Barstow
1936
Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
1935
Ship's Captain
1956
Jack Norton
1924
Steve Redding
1925
Brings note / Director
1931
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
1937
Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
1935
Freighter Captain
1935
Slug Sagel
1930
Buck Peters
1935
Hash
1929
Commissioner
1935
Helmsman
1937
Various roles
1917
Spike
1915
1928
Undetermined Minor Role
1939
Sheriff
1930
Sheriff Jim Porter
1935
Col. Stanton
1937
Blake
1928
Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand
1932
John Foster
1912
Jerry McGuire
1915
Earle Thorpe Sr.
1926
Dave Morgan
1936
The Rancher
1911
Sergeant, Rescue Party
1935
Rand - the Fireman
1915
Jesse Wilks
1926
Whispering Smith
1916
Matt Stevens
1936
Taggart
1929
Motilla
1928
Capt. Morgan
1923
Pepper Hardcastle
1929
Webb Allison
1936
Pete Hobart
1937
Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
1937
Jim Twyler
1927
Brack Canfield
1936
Wise Man 1
1912
Warren - Railroad Employee
1915
1912
Seagrue
1929
Tiger McGuire
1925
'Pepper' Baldwin
1924
Capt. Brandt / The Dragon
1922
1929
Corry Kinchela
1912
Thomas - the Chief of the Gang
1915
Brute Kettle
1929
Maddox
1929
Rand - a Yeggman
1914
Dugan
1929
1911
Thomas Desmond
1917
Matson
1929
Whispering Smith
1916
1912
Sneezer Clark
1929
Dan Haddon - a Cowboy
1914
Captain Ortwell
1927
Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman
1915
Jacques
1911
Lafe Broderick
1934
Capt. Alvarez / Satan
1921
Hardress Cregan
1911
Train Engineer
1925
Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival
1914
The O’Rourke
1913
Abner Whitcomb
1928
Jeff Decker
1927
Jim Wales
1929
Commander of the English troops
1911
Anderson
1936
1928
1920
Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier
1914
Livingston
1924
Jim Howard
1936
Stephen Lawlor
1924
1930
Benton
1914
Blake - a Lineman
1915
Capt. von Brinken
1928
1911
1910
Shamus Foley
1912
Dolores' father
1911
The Arab Sheik
1912
Royal
1911
Angus McGregor
1930
Sheik Mohammad
1912
Election Agent
1910
Lt. Greig
1912
1920
1915
Big Jim
1912
Capt. Burke
1927
Trow - of the Working Crew
1915
1929
1929
Ed Hicks
1928
Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
1912
Valentine Hay
1912
Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner
1914
Policeman
1911
1925
Federal Officer
1911
Lord Kilhannack
1912
1912
Directing (142)
Director
1938
Director
1932
Director
1937
Director
1927
Director
1933
Director
1926
Director
1921
Director
1925
Director
1930
Director
1926
Director
1924
Director
1932
Director
1925
Director
1932
Director
1931
Director
1931
Director
1918
Director
1925
Director
1930
Director
1914
Director
1915
Director
1930
Director
1929
Director
1917
Director
1915
Director
1928
Director
1930
Director
1935
Director
1921
Director
1915
Director
1932
Director
1914
Director
1916
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1916
Director
1925
Director
1916
Director
1915
Director
1929
Director
1915
Director
1923
Director
1929
Director
1937
Director
1931
Director
1914
Director
1927
Director
1927
Director
1914
Director
1916
Director
1920
Director
1914
Director
1915
Director
1929
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1925
Director
1924
Director
1933
Director
1930
Director
1922
Director
1929
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1929
Director
1915
Director
1929
Director
1914
Director
1915
Director
1929
Director
1917
Director
1916
Director
1914
Director
1929
Director
1915
Director
1914
Director
1915
Director
1915
Director
1930
Director
1930
Director
1914
Director
1919
Director
1921
Director
1915
Director
1930
Director
1932
Director
1929
Director
1925
Director
1915
Director
1929
Director
1914
Director
1925
Director
1914
Director
1922
Director
1917
Director
1930
Director
1915
Director
1919
Director
1931
Director
1933
Director
1930
Director
1929
Director
1922
Director
1915
Director
1920
Director
1933
Director
1914
Director
1924
Director
1927
Director
1915
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1924
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1915
Director
1930
Director
1914
Director
1930
Director
1928
Director
1915
Director
1930
Director
1915
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1915
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1925
Director
1913
Director
1930
Director
Director
1924
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1915
Director
1920
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1915
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1916
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1929
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1929
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1928
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1914
Director
1932
Director
1925
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1925
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1913
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1915
Director
1925
