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J.P. McGowan
Born · February 23, 1880
Died · March 26, 1952 (72 years old)
Known For: Acting
Place of Birth: Terowie, Australia
Bio
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.
The Lady and the Bandit
Old Man
6.0
1951
Stagecoach
Bit Part (uncredited)
7.6
1939
Code of the Fearless
Undetermined Minor Role
5.0
1939
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Scudder
0.0
1938
Kidnapped
Clansman
6.0
1938
Hunted Men
Cop
6.0
1938
The Buccaneer
Jailer
6.4
1938
Prairie Thunder
Col. Stanton
3.5
1937
Heart of the Rockies
Ed Dawson
6.0
1937
Rough Riding Rhythm
Pete Hobart
0.0
1937
Empty Holsters
U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
0.0
1937
She Had to Eat
Police Sergeant (uncredited)
5.0
1937
Slave Ship
Helmsman
4.8
1937
Hit the Saddle
Rance McGowan
5.3
1937
Borderland
El Rio Sheriff
0.0
1937
Jungle Jim
Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
4.8
1937
Sinner Take All
Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
4.8
1936
Stampede
Matt Stevens
0.0
1936
The Accusing Finger
Inner Guard
4.7
1936
Fury and the Woman
Anderson
0.0
1936
The Three Mesquiteers
Brack Canfield
5.0
1936
Ride 'Em Cowboy
Jim Howard
0.0
1936
Guns and Guitars
Dave Morgan
4.2
1936
Secret Patrol
Blacksmith Barstow
0.0
1936
Robin Hood of El Dorado
Danglong
4.7
1936
Silver Spurs
Webb Allison
0.0
1936
Bar 20 Rides Again
Buck Peters
6.0
1935
East of Java
Sergeant, Rescue Party
6.0
1935
The Silent Code
Commissioner
4.0
1935
Diamond Jim
Engineer
6.0
1935
Border Brigands
Inspector Winston - RCMP
0.0
1935
Murder in the Fleet
Chief of Police (Uncredited)
5.0
1935
Whispering Smith Speaks
Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
0.0
1935
Les Misérables
Javert's Plainclothesman
7.2
1935
The Call of the Savage
Freighter Captain
5.0
1935
Mississippi
Dealer (uncredited)
6.7
1935
The Outlaw Tamer
Sheriff Jim Porter
0.0
1935
Rustlers of Red Dog
Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
8.0
1935
When Lightning Strikes
Lafe Broderick
5.0
1934
The Red Rider
Scotty McKee
4.0
1934
No More Women
Captain of The Hawk
4.5
1934
Somewhere in Sonora
Monte Black
5.0
1933
Flaming Gold
Mack
5.5
1932
Lawless Valley
Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand
2.2
1932
Quick Trigger Lee
Brings note / Director
0.0
1931
The Canyon of Missing Men
Slug Sagel
0.0
1930
Covered Wagon Trails
0.0
1930
Breezy Bill
Sheriff
0.0
1930
O'Malley Rides Alone
Angus McGregor
0.0
1930
A Texas Cowboy
Brute Kettle
0.0
1929
Señor Americano
Maddox
0.0
1929
The Oklahoma Kid
0.0
1929
The Invaders
0.0
1929
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Pepper Hardcastle
0.0
1929
Law of the Plains
Seagrue
0.0
1929
The Fighting Terror
0.0
1929
The Last Roundup
Hash
0.0
1929
Plunging Hoofs
Jim Wales
0.0
1929
The Lawless Legion
Matson
0.0
1929
Headin' Westward
Sneezer Clark
0.0
1929
Below the Deadline
Taggart
1.0
1929
'Neath Western Skies
Dugan
0.0
1929
Ships of the Night
Motilla
0.0
1928
Two Outlaws
Abner Whitcomb
0.0
1928
The Black Ace
0.0
1928
The Chinatown Mystery
0.0
1928
Arizona Days
Ed Hicks
1.0
1928
The Code of the Scarlet
Blake
0.0
1928
Dugan of the Dugouts
Capt. von Brinken
0.0
1928
Gun Gospel
Bill Brogan
0.0
1927
The Red Raiders
Captain Ortwell
8.0
1927
Arizona Nights
Jeff Decker
0.0
1927
The Royal American
Capt. Burke
0.0
1927
Red Signals
Jim Twyler
0.0
1927
Perils of the Rail
Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction
6.0
1926
Crack O' Dawn
Earle Thorpe Sr.
5.0
1926
Senor Daredevil
Jesse Wilks
0.0
1926
The Lost Express
Train Engineer
0.0
1925
The Fast Freight
0.0
1925
Barriers of the Law
Steve Redding
0.0
1925
Outwitted
Tiger McGuire
0.0
1925
Crossed Trails
'Pepper' Baldwin
0.0
1924
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
Stephen Lawlor
0.0
1924
The Whipping Boss
Livingston
0.0
1924
Baffled
Jack Norton
0.0
1924
Stormy Seas
Capt. Morgan
0.0
1923
Hills of Missing Men
Capt. Brandt / The Dragon
0.0
1922
Do or Die
Capt. Alvarez / Satan
0.0
1921
King of the Circus
0.0
1920
Elmo the Fearless
0.0
1920
The Railroad Raiders
Thomas Desmond
0.0
1917
The Hazards of Helen
Various roles
0.0
1917
Medicine Bend
Whispering Smith
0.0
1916
Whispering Smith
Whispering Smith
0.0
1916
A Desperate Leap
0.0
1915
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
Jerry McGuire
0.0
1915
The Broken Rail
Trow - of the Working Crew
0.0
1915
A Railroader's Bravery
Thomas - the Chief of the Gang
0.0
1915
The Broken Train
Warren - Railroad Employee
0.0
1915
The Railroad Raiders of '62
Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman
0.0
1915
The Leap from the Water Tower
Rand - the Fireman
0.0
1915
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
Blake - a Lineman
0.0
1915
The Girl and the Game
Spike
0.0
1915
The Escape on the Limited
Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier
0.0
1914
The Black Diamond Express
Dan Haddon - a Cowboy
0.0
1914
The Flying Freight's Captive
Rand - a Yeggman
0.0
1914
His Nemesis
Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival
0.0
1914
Helen's Sacrifice
Benton
0.0
1914
Kaintucky Bill
Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner
0.0
1914
The Wives of Jamestown
The O’Rourke
0.0
1913
The Shaughraun
Corry Kinchela
0.0
1912
Ireland, the Oppressed
Lord Kilhannack
0.0
1912
The Mayor from Ireland
Shamus Foley
0.0
1912
The Little Gluers
Valentine Hay
0.0
1912
From the Manger to the Cross
Wise Man 1
5.2
1912
The Poacher's Pardon
Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
0.0
1912
Winning a Widow
0.0
1912
Tragedy of the Desert
The Arab Sheik
0.0
1912
Captured by Bedouins
Lt. Greig
0.0
1912
An Arabian Tragedy
0.0
1912
Dust of the Desert
Sheik Mohammad
0.0
1912
Far from Erin's Isle
0.0
1912
Vagabonds
Big Jim
0.0
1912
His Mother
John Foster
4.0
1912
The Fishermaid of Ballydavid
Policeman
0.0
1911
The Colleen Bawn
Hardress Cregan
6.5
1911
Rory O'More
Commander of the English troops
4.2
1911
The Special Messenger
Royal
0.0
1911
Railroad Raiders of '62
Federal Officer
5.0
1911
When the Dead Return
Jacques
0.0
1911
The Fiddler’s Requiem
Dolores' father
0.0
1911
Slim Jim's Last Chance
The Rancher
4.0
1911
By a Woman's Wit
6.5
1911
A Sawmill Hero
0.0
1911
When Lovers Part
4.0
1910
The Lad from Old Ireland
Election Agent
5.1
1910