Image of J.P. McGowan

J.P. McGowan

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.


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Born:
Feb 24, 1880
Movie/TV Credits:
111
First Appeared:
In the movie The Lad from Old Ireland 1910-11-23
Latest Project:
Movie The Lady and the Bandit 1951-08-13
Known For
Poster of Law of the Plains
Poster of Arizona Nights
Poster of The Whipping Boss
Poster of The Leap from the Water Tower
Filmography
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 Slave Ship Helmsman 1937-06-16
Movie Hit the Saddle Rance McGowan 1937-03-03
Movie Borderland El Rio Sheriff 1937-02-26
Movie She Had to Eat Police Sergeant (uncredited) 1937-07-02
Movie Jungle Jim Ship Captain J.S. Robinson 1937-01-18
Movie Empty Holsters U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill 1937-07-10
Movie Heart of the Rockies Ed Dawson 1937-09-06
Movie Prairie Thunder Col. Stanton 1937-09-10
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 Secret Patrol Blacksmith Barstow 1936-06-02
Movie Robin Hood of El Dorado Danglong 1936-03-17
Movie The Three Mesquiteers Brack Canfield 1936-09-22
Movie Fury and the Woman Anderson 1936-09-22
Movie Sinner Take All Police Officer Murphy (uncredited) 1936-12-18
Movie Stampede Matt Stevens 1936-11-26
Movie The Accusing Finger Inner Guard 1936-11-17
Movie The Call of the Savage Freighter Captain 1935-04-14
Movie Mississippi Dealer 1935-03-22
Movie Whispering Smith Speaks Caboose Passenger (uncredited) 1935-05-15
Movie Rustlers of Red Dog Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4] 1935-01-01
Movie The Outlaw Tamer Sheriff Jim Porter 1935-03-15
Movie East of Java Sergeant, Rescue Party 1935-12-01
Movie Murder in the Fleet Chief of Police (Uncredited) 1935-05-24
Movie The Silent Code Commissioner 1935-11-20
Movie Bar 20 Rides Again Buck Peters 1935-12-06
Movie Diamond Jim Engineer 1935-09-01
Movie Border Brigands Inspector Winston - RCMP 1935-05-31
Movie No More Women Captain of The Hawk 1934-03-03
Movie When Lightning Strikes Lafe Broderick 1934-12-18
Movie The Red Rider Scotty McKee 1934-07-16
Movie Somewhere in Sonora Monte Black 1933-05-27
Movie Lawless Valley Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand 1932-03-03
Movie Flaming Gold Mack 1932-09-28
Movie Quick Trigger Lee Brings note / Director 1931-11-24
Movie Breezy Bill Sheriff 1930-01-24
Movie O'Malley Rides Alone Angus McGregor 1930-01-01
Movie Covered Wagon Trails 1930-02-01
Movie The Canyon of Missing Men 1930-06-01
Movie The Lawless Legion Matson 1929-02-17
Movie Plunging Hoofs Jim Wales 1929-04-10
Movie The Last Roundup Hash 1929-06-30
Movie 'Neath Western Skies Dugan 1929-01-01
Movie Headin' Westward Sneezer Clark 1929-02-15
Movie Below the Deadline Taggart 1929-01-02
Movie The Fighting Terror 1929-08-01
Movie Señor Americano Maddox 1929-11-10
Movie The Oklahoma Kid 1929-11-01
Movie The Cowboy and the Outlaw Pepper Hardcastle 1929-10-01
Movie Law of the Plains Seagrue 1929-08-19
Movie The Code of the Scarlet Blake 1928-07-01
Movie Dugan of the Dugouts Capt. von Brinken 1928-04-15
Movie Arizona Days Ed Hicks 1928-08-01
Movie Two Outlaws Abner Whitcomb 1928-11-18
Movie Ships of the Night Motilla 1928-11-27
Movie The Chinatown Mystery 1928-09-01
Movie The Black Ace 1928-09-02
Movie Red Signals Jim Twyler 1927-03-01
Movie The Royal American Capt. Burke 1927-07-01
Movie Arizona Nights Jeff Decker 1927-08-28
Movie Gun Gospel Bill Brogan 1927-11-06
Movie The Red Raiders Captain Ortwell 1927-09-27
Movie Senor Daredevil Jesse Wilks 1926-08-01
Movie Perils of the Rail Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction 1926-10-22
Movie Crack O' Dawn Earle Thorpe Sr. 1926-10-16
Movie Barriers of the Law Steve Redding 1925-03-26
Movie Outwitted Tiger McGuire 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 The Railroad Raiders Thomas Desmond 1917-04-09
Movie The Hazards of Helen Various roles 1917-02-24
Movie Whispering Smith Whispering Smith 1916-06-05
Movie Medicine Bend Whispering Smith 1916-07-03
Movie The Girl and the Game Spike 1915-01-02
Movie The Broken Rail Trow - of the Working Crew 1915-09-04
Movie The Leap from the Water Tower Rand - the Fireman 1915-01-09
Movie The Girl Telegrapher's Peril Blake - a Lineman 1915-01-02
Movie The Railroad Raiders of '62 Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman 1915-03-20
Movie The Broken Train Warren - Railroad Employee 1915-05-22
Movie Kaintucky Bill Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner 1914-07-07
Movie His Nemesis Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival 1914-11-18
Movie The Flying Freight's Captive Rand - a Yeggman 1914-12-12
Movie Captured by Bedouins Lt. Greig 1912-06-26
Movie His Mother John Foster 1912-01-25
Movie An Arabian Tragedy 1912-06-19
Movie Winning a Widow 1912-07-05
Movie From the Manger to the Cross Wise Man 1 1912-10-03
Movie Ireland, the Oppressed Lord Kilhannack 1912-12-14
Movie The Shaughraun Corry Kinchela 1912-12-23
Movie The Little Gluers Valentine Hay 1912-11-18
Movie Slim Jim's Last Chance The Rancher 1911-04-13
Movie By a Woman's Wit 1911-04-04
Movie A Sawmill Hero 1911-03-22
Movie The Fiddler’s Requiem Dolores' father 1911-05-03
Movie Railroad Raiders of '62 Federal Officer 1911-06-15
Movie The Colleen Bawn Hardress Cregan 1911-10-16
Movie When the Dead Return Jacques 1911-05-05
Movie Rory O'More Commander of the English troops 1911-09-03
Movie The Special Messenger Royal 1911-08-16
Movie The Lad from Old Ireland Election Agent 1910-11-23
Movie When Lovers Part 1910-12-23