J.P. McGowan

Personal Info

Known For

Acting

Known Credits

141

Gender

Male

Birthday

1880-02-23

Day of death

1952-03-26 (72 years old)

Place of Birth

Terowie, Australia

J.P. McGowan

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

  • Kidnapped

    Kidnapped

  • Hunted Men

    Hunted Men

  • Elmo the Fearless

    Elmo the Fearless

  • The Red Rider

    The Red Rider

  • Prairie Thunder

    Prairie Thunder

  • Whispering Smith

    Whispering Smith

  • Headin' Westward

    Headin' Westward

  • Rough Riding Rhythm

    Rough Riding Rhythm

  • Borderland

    Borderland

  • Helen's Sacrifice

    Helen's Sacrifice

  • The Fiddler’s Requiem

    The Fiddler’s Requiem

  • The Outlaw Tamer

    The Outlaw Tamer

  • Crack O' Dawn

    Crack O' Dawn

  • Gun Gospel

    Gun Gospel

  • Ships of the Night

    Ships of the Night

  • King of the Circus

    King of the Circus

  • The Whipping Boss

    The Whipping Boss

  • Hit the Saddle

    Hit the Saddle

  • Stagecoach

    Stagecoach

  • Winning a Widow

    Winning a Widow

  • The Three Mesquiteers

    The Three Mesquiteers

  • Diamond Jim

    Diamond Jim

  • Covered Wagon Trails

    Covered Wagon Trails

  • Mississippi

    Mississippi

  • Jungle Jim

    Jungle Jim

  • Red Signals

    Red Signals

  • Dust of the Desert

    Dust of the Desert

  • The Law of the Plains

    The Law of the Plains

  • The Invaders

    The Invaders

  • Outwitted

    Outwitted

  • A Sawmill Hero

    A Sawmill Hero

  • Medicine Bend

    Medicine Bend

  • Plunging Hoofs

    Plunging Hoofs

  • Les Misérables

    Les Misérables

  • Empty Holsters

    Empty Holsters

  • Señor Americano

    Señor Americano

  • No More Women

    No More Women

  • The Lady and the Bandit

    The Lady and the Bandit

  • Slave Ship

    Slave Ship

  • By a Woman's Wit

    By a Woman's Wit

  • Stormy Seas

    Stormy Seas

  • The Prisoner of Shark Island

    The Prisoner of Shark Island

  • Kaintucky Bill

    Kaintucky Bill

  • The Buccaneer

    The Buccaneer

  • His Nemesis

    His Nemesis

  • An Arabian Tragedy

    An Arabian Tragedy

  • Heart of the Rockies

    Heart of the Rockies

  • Silver Spurs

    Silver Spurs

  • Border Brigands

    Border Brigands

  • She Had to Eat

    She Had to Eat

  • The Accusing Finger

    The Accusing Finger

  • Baffled

    Baffled

  • Murder in the Fleet

    Murder in the Fleet

  • Robin Hood of El Dorado

    Robin Hood of El Dorado

  • East of Java

    East of Java

  • Crossed Trails

    Crossed Trails

  • Rustlers of Red Dog

    Rustlers of Red Dog

  • Ride 'Em Cowboy

    Ride 'Em Cowboy

  • Do or Die

    Do or Die

  • Dugan of the Dugouts

    Dugan of the Dugouts

  • The Fishermaid of Ballydavid

    The Fishermaid of Ballydavid

  • The Lost Express

    The Lost Express

  • A Two Fisted Tenderfoot

    A Two Fisted Tenderfoot

  • Sinner Take All

    Sinner Take All

  • Captured by Bedouins

    Captured by Bedouins

  • The Girl Telegrapher's Peril

    The Girl Telegrapher's Peril

  • The Poacher's Pardon

    The Poacher's Pardon

  • Bar 20 Rides Again

    Bar 20 Rides Again

  • Flaming Gold

    Flaming Gold

  • A Desperate Leap

    A Desperate Leap

  • The Girl and the Game

    The Girl and the Game

  • The Code of the Scarlet

    The Code of the Scarlet

  • Fury and the Woman

    Fury and the Woman

  • The Chinatown Mystery

    The Chinatown Mystery

  • The Railroad Raiders

    The Railroad Raiders

  • Code of the Fearless

    Code of the Fearless

  • Guns and Guitars

    Guns and Guitars

  • A Railroader's Bravery

    A Railroader's Bravery

  • Stampede

    Stampede

  • The Flying Freight's Captive

    The Flying Freight's Captive

  • Savage Fury

    Savage Fury

  • The Colleen Bawn

    The Colleen Bawn

  • The Red Raiders

    The Red Raiders

  • Railroad Raiders of '62

    Railroad Raiders of '62

  • The Royal American

    The Royal American

  • Somewhere in Sonora

    Somewhere in Sonora

  • Below the Deadline

    Below the Deadline

  • Whispering Smith Speaks

    Whispering Smith Speaks

  • Lawless Valley

    Lawless Valley

  • Secret Patrol

    Secret Patrol

  • The Fighting Terror

    The Fighting Terror

  • The Call of the Savage

    The Call of the Savage

  • The Lad from Old Ireland

    The Lad from Old Ireland

  • Arizona Nights

    Arizona Nights

  • The Mettle of Jerry McGuire

    The Mettle of Jerry McGuire

  • The Black Ace

    The Black Ace

  • The Lawless Legion

    The Lawless Legion

  • Two Outlaws

    Two Outlaws

  • A Texas Cowboy

    A Texas Cowboy

  • Senor Daredevil

    Senor Daredevil

  • The Special Messenger

    The Special Messenger

  • From the Manger to the Cross

    From the Manger to the Cross

  • Barriers of the Law

    Barriers of the Law

  • The Little Gluers

    The Little Gluers

  • The Shaughraun

    The Shaughraun

  • The Hazards of Helen

    The Hazards of Helen

  • Rory O'More

    Rory O'More

  • The Mayor from Ireland

    The Mayor from Ireland

  • The Escape on the Limited

    The Escape on the Limited

  • The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

    The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok

  • The Leap from the Water Tower

    The Leap from the Water Tower

  • When Lightning Strikes

    When Lightning Strikes

  • When Lovers Part

    When Lovers Part

  • The Silent Code

    The Silent Code

  • Bad Men's Money

    Bad Men's Money

  • Quick Trigger Lee

    Quick Trigger Lee

  • Slim Jim's Last Chance

    Slim Jim's Last Chance

  • The Fast Freight

    The Fast Freight

  • The Last Roundup

    The Last Roundup

  • The Grit of the Girl Telegrapher

    The Grit of the Girl Telegrapher

  • Hills of Missing Men

    Hills of Missing Men

  • The Cowboy and the Outlaw

    The Cowboy and the Outlaw

  • 'Neath Western Skies

    'Neath Western Skies

  • O'Malley Rides Alone

    O'Malley Rides Alone

  • Breezy Bill

    Breezy Bill

  • Perils of the Rail

    Perils of the Rail

  • Arizona Days

    Arizona Days

  • Far from Erin's Isle

    Far from Erin's Isle

  • The Canyon of Missing Men

    The Canyon of Missing Men

  • The Railroad Raiders of '62

    The Railroad Raiders of '62

  • The Broken Rail

    The Broken Rail

  • The Oklahoma Kid

    The Oklahoma Kid

  • When the Dead Return

    When the Dead Return

  • Vagabonds

    Vagabonds

  • Ireland, the Oppressed

    Ireland, the Oppressed

  • The Broken Train

    The Broken Train

  • His Mother

    His Mother

  • Tragedy of the Desert

    Tragedy of the Desert

  • Pioneers of the West

    Pioneers of the West

  • The Wives of Jamestown

    The Wives of Jamestown

  • The Black Diamond Express

    The Black Diamond Express