![Image of J.P. McGowan](https://image.tmdb.org/t/p/w342/wgnKlARq4qwwpOr732Rvyta63Fk.jpg)
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.
Movie | The Lady and the Bandit | Old Man | 1951-08-13 |
Movie | Code of the Fearless | Undetermined Minor Role | 1939-01-05 |
Movie | Stagecoach | (uncredited) | 1939-03-03 |
Movie | The Buccaneer | Jailer | 1938-02-04 |
Movie | Kidnapped | Clansman | 1938-05-27 |
Movie | The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok | Scudder | 1938-06-30 |
Movie | Hit the Saddle | Rance McGowan | 1937-03-03 |
Movie | Borderland | El Rio Sheriff | 1937-02-26 |
Movie | Jungle Jim | Ship Captain J.S. Robinson | 1937-01-18 |
Movie | Slave Ship | Helmsman | 1937-06-16 |
Movie | Empty Holsters | U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill | 1937-07-10 |
Movie | Prairie Thunder | Col. Stanton | 1937-09-10 |
Movie | She Had to Eat | Police Sergeant (uncredited) | 1937-07-02 |
Movie | Heart of the Rockies | Ed Dawson | 1937-09-06 |
Movie | Rough Riding Rhythm | Pete Hobart | 1937-08-14 |
Movie | Ride 'Em Cowboy | Jim Howard | 1936-09-20 |
Movie | Guns and Guitars | Dave Morgan | 1936-06-22 |
Movie | Robin Hood of El Dorado | Danglong | 1936-03-17 |
Movie | The Three Mesquiteers | Brack Canfield | 1936-09-22 |
Movie | Secret Patrol | Blacksmith Barstow | 1936-06-02 |
Movie | Stampede | Matt Stevens | 1936-11-26 |
Movie | Fury and the Woman | Anderson | 1936-09-22 |
Movie | Sinner Take All | Police Officer Murphy (uncredited) | 1936-12-18 |
Movie | The Accusing Finger | Inner Guard | 1936-11-17 |
Movie | The Call of the Savage | Freighter Captain | 1935-04-14 |
Movie | Whispering Smith Speaks | Caboose Passenger (uncredited) | 1935-05-15 |
Movie | Rustlers of Red Dog | Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4] | 1935-01-01 |
Movie | Murder in the Fleet | Chief of Police (Uncredited) | 1935-05-24 |
Movie | The Outlaw Tamer | Sheriff Jim Porter | 1935-03-15 |
Movie | Mississippi | Dealer | 1935-03-22 |
Movie | Bar 20 Rides Again | Buck Peters | 1935-12-06 |
Movie | Border Brigands | Inspector Winston - RCMP | 1935-05-31 |
Movie | East of Java | Sergeant, Rescue Party | 1935-12-01 |
Movie | The Silent Code | Commissioner | 1935-11-20 |
Movie | Diamond Jim | Engineer | 1935-09-01 |
Movie | No More Women | Captain of The Hawk | 1934-03-03 |
Movie | The Red Rider | Scotty McKee | 1934-07-16 |
Movie | Somewhere in Sonora | Monte Black | 1933-05-27 |
Movie | Flaming Gold | Mack | 1932-09-28 |
Movie | Lawless Valley | Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand | 1932-03-03 |
Movie | Quick Trigger Lee | Brings note / Director | 1931-11-24 |
Movie | O'Malley Rides Alone | Angus McGregor | 1930-01-01 |
Movie | The Lawless Legion | Matson | 1929-02-17 |
Movie | Headin' Westward | Sneezer Clark | 1929-02-15 |
Movie | Below the Deadline | Taggart | 1929-01-02 |
Movie | The Last Roundup | Hash | 1929-06-30 |
Movie | Señor Americano | Maddox | 1929-11-10 |
Movie | Law of the Plains | Seagrue | 1929-08-19 |
Movie | The Oklahoma Kid | 1929-11-01 | |
Movie | The Cowboy and the Outlaw | Pepper Hardcastle | 1929-10-01 |
Movie | The Code of the Scarlet | Blake | 1928-07-01 |
Movie | Arizona Days | Ed Hicks | 1928-08-01 |
Movie | The Black Ace | 1928-09-02 | |
Movie | The Chinatown Mystery | 1928-09-01 | |
Movie | Ships of the Night | Motilla | 1928-11-27 |
Movie | Arizona Nights | Jeff Decker | 1927-08-28 |
Movie | The Red Raiders | Captain Ortwell | 1927-09-27 |
Movie | Gun Gospel | Bill Brogan | 1927-11-06 |
Movie | Senor Daredevil | Jesse Wilks | 1926-08-01 |
Movie | Crack O' Dawn | 1926-10-16 | |
Movie | Outwitted | Unknown | 1925-01-01 |
Movie | The Lost Express | Train Engineer | 1925-07-28 |
Movie | The Whipping Boss | Livingston | 1924-02-09 |
Movie | Do or Die | Capt. Alvarez / Satan | 1921-01-02 |
Movie | King of the Circus | 1920-01-02 | |
Movie | Elmo the Fearless | 1920-01-02 | |
Movie | Whispering Smith | Whispering Smith | 1916-06-05 |
Movie | The Broken Rail | Trow - of the Working Crew | 1915-09-04 |
Movie | The Girl and the Game | Spike | 1915-01-02 |
Movie | The Leap from the Water Tower | Rand - the Fireman | 1915-01-09 |
Movie | His Mother | John Foster | 1912-01-25 |
Movie | Captured by Bedouins | Lt. Greig | 1912-06-26 |
Movie | Winning a Widow | 1912-07-05 | |
Movie | The Little Gluers | Valentine Hay | 1912-11-18 |
Movie | From the Manger to the Cross | Wise Man 1 | 1912-10-03 |
Movie | By a Woman's Wit | 1911-04-04 | |
Movie | Slim Jim's Last Chance | The Rancher | 1911-04-13 |
Movie | A Sawmill Hero | 1911-03-22 | |
Movie | The Fiddler’s Requiem | Unknown | 1911-05-03 |
Movie | Rory O'More | Commander of the English troops | 1911-09-03 |
Movie | The Colleen Bawn | Hardress Cregan | 1911-10-16 |
Movie | When the Dead Return | Jacques | 1911-05-05 |
Movie | The Special Messenger | Royal | 1911-08-16 |
Movie | Railroad Raiders of '62 | Federal Officer | 1911-06-15 |
Movie | The Lad from Old Ireland | Election Agent | 1910-11-23 |
Movie | When Lovers Part | 1910-12-23 |