J.P. McGowan
Age: N/A | From: Terowie, Australia
Person Details
Birthday:
Aliases: John Paterson McGowan
Gender: Male
Place of birth: Terowie, Australia
Homepage:
Movie Involvements: 257
TV Involvements: 0
Most Famous Work
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.
Most Famous Work
The Hurricane Express
(1932) Screenplay
The Hazards of Helen
(1917) Director
O'Malley Rides Alone
(1930) Producer
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
(1927) Director
Human Targets
(1932) Director
The Pay Train
(1915) Director
The Flaw in the Alibi
(1914) Director
Below the Deadline
(1929) DirectorActing
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1951 | Old Man | |
| 1939 | (uncredited) | |
| Undetermined Minor Role | ||
| 1938 | Scudder | |
| Clansman | ||
| Jailer | ||
| 1937 | Col. Stanton | |
| Ed Dawson | ||
| Pete Hobart | ||
| U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill | ||
| Police Sergeant (uncredited) | ||
| Helmsman | ||
| Rance McGowan | ||
| El Rio Sheriff | ||
| Ship Captain J.S. Robinson | ||
| 1936 | Police Officer Murphy (uncredited) | |
| Matt Stevens | ||
| Inner Guard | ||
| Anderson | ||
| Brack Canfield | ||
| Jim Howard | ||
| Dave Morgan | ||
| N/A | ||
| Danglong | ||
| Webb Allison | ||
| 1935 | Buck Peters | |
| Sergeant, Rescue Party | ||
| Commissioner | ||
| Engineer | ||
| Inspector Winston - RCMP | ||
| Chief of Police (Uncredited) | ||
| Caboose Passenger (uncredited) | ||
| Freighter Captain | ||
| Sheriff Jim Porter | ||
| Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4] | ||
| 1934 | Lafe Broderick | |
| Scotty McKee | ||
| Captain of The Hawk | ||
| 1933 | Monte Black | |
| 1932 | Mack | |
| Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand | ||
| 1931 | Brings note / Director | |
| 1930 | N/A | |
| N/A | ||
| Sheriff | ||
| Angus McGregor | ||
| 1929 | Brute Kettle | |
| Maddox | ||
| N/A | ||
| N/A | ||
| Pepper Hardcastle | ||
| Seagrue | ||
| N/A | ||
| Hash | ||
| Jim Wales | ||
| Matson | ||
| Sneezer Clark | ||
| Taggart | ||
| Dugan | ||
| 1928 | Motilla | |
| Abner Whitcomb | ||
| N/A | ||
| N/A | ||
| Ed Hicks | ||
| Blake | ||
| Capt. von Brinken | ||
| 1927 | Bill Brogan | |
| Captain Ortwell | ||
| Jeff Decker | ||
| Capt. Burke | ||
| Jim Twyler | ||
| 1926 | Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction | |
| N/A | ||
| Jesse Wilks | ||
| 1925 | Train Engineer | |
| N/A | ||
| Steve Redding | ||
| Tiger McGuire | ||
| 1924 | Livingston | |
| 1923 | Capt. Morgan | |
| 1922 | Capt. Brandt / The Dragon | |
| 1921 | Capt. Alvarez / Satan | |
| 1920 | N/A | |
| N/A | ||
| 1917 | Thomas Desmond | |
| Various roles | ||
| 1916 | Whispering Smith | |
| Whispering Smith | ||
| 1915 | N/A | |
| Jerry McGuire | ||
| Trow - of the Working Crew | ||
| Thomas - the Chief of the Gang | ||
| Warren - Railroad Employee | ||
| Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman | ||
| Rand - the Fireman | ||
| Blake - a Lineman | ||
| Spike | ||
| 1914 | Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier | |
| Dan Haddon - a Cowboy | ||
| Rand - a Yeggman | ||
| Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival | ||
| Benton | ||
| Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner | ||
| 1912 | Corry Kinchela | |
| Lord Kilhannack | ||
| Valentine Hay | ||
| Wise Man 1 | ||
| Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper | ||
| N/A | ||
| Lt. Greig | ||
| N/A | ||
| Sheik Mohammad | ||
| John Foster | ||
| 1911 | Hardress Cregan | |
| Commander of the English troops | ||
| Royal | ||
| Federal Officer | ||
| Jacques | ||
| Dolores' father | ||
| The Rancher | ||
| N/A | ||
| N/A | ||
| 1910 | N/A | |
| Election Agent | ||
| Year | Character | Movie/Tv |
Directing
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1938 | Director | |
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| 1932 | Director | |
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| 1931 | Director | |
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| 1928 | Director | |
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| 1914 | Director | |
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| 1913 | Director | |
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| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Writing
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1937 | Writer | |
| 1936 | Screenplay | |
| 1933 | Screenplay | |
| 1932 | Screenplay | |
| 1929 | Writer | |
| 1928 | Writer | |
| 1926 | Writer | |
| 1925 | Scenario Writer | |
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| 1922 | Writer | |
| 1917 | Writer | |
| 1916 | Scenario Writer | |
| 1915 | Writer | |
| 1914 | Writer | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Production
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Producer | |
| 1929 | Producer | |
| 1917 | Producer | |
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| 1916 | Producer | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
Editing
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |
|---|---|---|
| 1917 | Editor | |
| Year | Role | Movie/Tv |