J.P. McGowan
Personal Info
Known for
Acting
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
Acting
(1956)
Savage Fury
as Ship's Captain
(1951)
The Lady and the Bandit
as Old Man
(1939)
Stagecoach
as Bit Part (uncredited)
(1939)
Code of the Fearless
as Undetermined Minor Role
(1938)
The Buccaneer
as Jailer
(1938)
Kidnapped
as Clansman
(1938)
Hunted Men
as Cop
(1938)
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
as Scudder
(1937)
Slave Ship
as Helmsman
(1937)
Empty Holsters
as U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
(1937)
Heart of the Rockies
as Ed Dawson
(1937)
Jungle Jim
as Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
(1937)
Borderland
as El Rio Sheriff
(1937)
She Had to Eat
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
(1937)
Hit the Saddle
as Rance McGowan
(1937)
Prairie Thunder
as Col. Stanton
(1937)
Rough Riding Rhythm
as Pete Hobart
(1936)
The Prisoner of Shark Island
as Ship's Captain
(1936)
Robin Hood of El Dorado
as Danglong
(1936)
The Accusing Finger
as Inner Guard
(1936)
Silver Spurs
as Webb Allison
(1936)
Sinner Take All
as Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
(1936)
Guns and Guitars
as Dave Morgan
(1936)
Stampede
as Matt Stevens
(1936)
The Three Mesquiteers
as Brack Canfield
(1936)
Secret Patrol
as Blacksmith Barstow
(1936)
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Jim Howard
(1936)
Fury and the Woman
as Anderson
(1935)
Les Misérables
as Javert's Plainclothesman
(1935)
Murder in the Fleet
as Chief of Police (Uncredited)
(1935)
Mississippi
as Dealer (uncredited)
(1935)
Diamond Jim
as Engineer
(1935)
Rustlers of Red Dog
as Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
(1935)
Bar 20 Rides Again
as Buck Peters
(1935)
Whispering Smith Speaks
as Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
(1935)
The Silent Code
as Commissioner
(1935)
Border Brigands
as Inspector Winston - RCMP
(1935)
East of Java
as Sergeant, Rescue Party
(1935)
The Call of the Savage
as Freighter Captain
(1935)
The Outlaw Tamer
as Sheriff Jim Porter
(1934)
The Red Rider
as Scotty McKee
(1934)
No More Women
as Captain of The Hawk
(1934)
When Lightning Strikes
as Lafe Broderick
(1933)
Somewhere in Sonora
as Monte Black
(1932)
Flaming Gold
as Mack
(1932)
Lawless Valley
as Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand
(1931)
Quick Trigger Lee
as Brings note / Director
(1930)
The Canyon of Missing Men
as Slug Sagel
(1930)
(1930)
Breezy Bill
as Sheriff
(1930)
O'Malley Rides Alone
as Angus McGregor
(1929)
The Last Roundup
as Hash
(1929)
Headin' Westward
as Sneezer Clark
(1929)
Below the Deadline
as Taggart
(1929)
'Neath Western Skies
as Dugan
(1929)
The Lawless Legion
as Matson
(1929)
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
as Pepper Hardcastle
(1929)
(1929)
A Texas Cowboy
as Brute Kettle
(1929)
Law of the Plains
as Seagrue
(1929)
(1929)
Plunging Hoofs
as Jim Wales
(1929)
Señor Americano
as Maddox
(1929)
(1928)
The Code of the Scarlet
as Blake
(1928)
(1928)
(1928)
Ships of the Night
as Motilla
(1928)
Arizona Days
as Ed Hicks
(1928)
Dugan of the Dugouts
as Capt. von Brinken
(1928)
Two Outlaws
as Abner Whitcomb
(1927)
The Red Raiders
as Captain Ortwell
(1927)
Gun Gospel
as Bill Brogan
(1927)
Red Signals
as Jim Twyler
(1927)
Arizona Nights
as Jeff Decker
(1927)
The Royal American
as Capt. Burke
(1926)
Senor Daredevil
as Jesse Wilks
(1926)
Perils of the Rail
as Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction
(1926)
Crack O' Dawn
as Earle Thorpe Sr.
(1925)
Barriers of the Law
as Steve Redding
(1925)
The Lost Express
as Train Engineer
(1925)
Outwitted
as Tiger McGuire
(1925)
(1924)
Baffled
as Jack Norton
(1924)
Crossed Trails
as 'Pepper' Baldwin
(1924)
The Whipping Boss
as Livingston
(1924)
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
as Stephen Lawlor
(1923)
Stormy Seas
as Capt. Morgan
(1922)
Hills of Missing Men
as Capt. Brandt / The Dragon
(1921)
Do or Die
as Capt. Alvarez / Satan
(1920)
(1920)
(1917)
The Hazards of Helen
as Various roles
(1917)
The Railroad Raiders
as Thomas Desmond
(1916)
Whispering Smith
as Whispering Smith
(1916)
Medicine Bend
as Whispering Smith
(1915)
The Girl and the Game
as Spike
(1915)
The Leap from the Water Tower
as Rand - the Fireman
(1915)
A Railroader's Bravery
as Thomas - the Chief of the Gang
(1915)
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
as Jerry McGuire
(1915)
The Railroad Raiders of '62
as Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman
(1915)
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
as Blake - a Lineman
(1915)
The Broken Rail
as Trow - of the Working Crew
(1915)
The Broken Train
as Warren - Railroad Employee
(1915)
(1914)
His Nemesis
as Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival
(1914)
Kaintucky Bill
as Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner
(1914)
Helen's Sacrifice
as Benton
(1914)
The Black Diamond Express
as Dan Haddon - a Cowboy
(1914)
The Escape on the Limited
as Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier
(1914)
The Flying Freight's Captive
as Rand - a Yeggman
(1913)
The Wives of Jamestown
as The O’Rourke
(1912)
From the Manger to the Cross
as Wise Man 1
(1912)
Captured by Bedouins
as Lt. Greig
(1912)
The Shaughraun
as Corry Kinchela
(1912)
(1912)
The Little Gluers
as Valentine Hay
(1912)
The Poacher's Pardon
as Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
(1912)
Dust of the Desert
as Sheik Mohammad
(1912)
Vagabonds
as Big Jim
(1912)
(1912)
The Mayor from Ireland
as Shamus Foley
(1912)
His Mother
as John Foster
(1912)
Ireland, the Oppressed
as Lord Kilhannack
(1912)
Tragedy of the Desert
as The Arab Sheik
(1912)
(1911)
The Fiddler’s Requiem
as Dolores' father
(1911)
When the Dead Return
as Jacques
(1911)
The Colleen Bawn
as Hardress Cregan
(1911)
Slim Jim's Last Chance
as The Rancher
(1911)
Rory O'More
as Commander of the English troops
(1911)
(1911)
The Fishermaid of Ballydavid
as Policeman
(1911)
The Special Messenger
as Royal
(1911)
(1911)
Railroad Raiders of '62
as Federal Officer
(1910)
The Lad from Old Ireland
as Election Agent
(1910)
Crew
Headin' for Trouble
Director
(1938)
Where the West Begins
Director
(1937)
Roaring Six Guns
Director
(1937)
Rough Riding Rhythm
Director
(1937)
What Price Vengeance
Writer
(1936)
Secret Patrol
Screenplay
(1935)
The Outlaw Tamer
Director
(1933)
Drum Taps
Director, Screenplay
(1933)
When a Man Rides Alone
Director
(1933)
Deadwood Pass
Director
(1933)
War of the Range
Director
(1932)
The Hurricane Express
Director, Screenplay
(1932)
Mark of the Spur
Director
(1932)
The Scarlet Brand
Director
(1932)
Lawless Valley
Director
(1932)
Tangled Fortunes
Director
(1932)
Human Targets
Director
(1931)
Riders of the North
Director
(1931)
Quick Trigger Lee
Director
(1931)
So This Is Arizona
Director
(1931)
Shotgun Pass
Director
(1930)
O'Malley Rides Alone
Producer, Director
(1930)
Under Texas Skies
Director
(1930)
Canyon Hawks
Director
(1930)
Code of Honor
Director
(1930)
The Oklahoma Sheriff
Director
(1930)
The Hunted Men
Director
(1930)
Western Honor
Director
(1930)
Breezy Bill
Director
(1930)
The Man from Nowhere
Director
(1930)
Beyond the Law
Director
(1930)
Call of the Desert
Director
(1930)
Covered Wagon Trails
Director
(1930)
The Canyon of Missing Men
Director
(1930)
Near the Rainbow's End
Director
(1929)
The Last Roundup
Director
(1929)
Code of the West
Director
(1929)
A Texas Cowboy
Director
(1929)
The Invaders
Director
(1929)
Captain Cowboy
Director, Writer
(1929)
Headin' Westward
Director
(1929)
'Neath Western Skies
Director, Producer
(1929)
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
Director
(1929)
Below the Deadline
Director
(1929)
The Fighting Terror
Director
(1929)
Riders of the Rio Grande
Director
(1929)
Law of the Plains
Director
(1929)
The Oklahoma Kid
Director
(1929)
The Man from Nevada
Director, Producer
(1928)
Arizona Days
Director
(1928)
Dugan of the Dugouts
Writer
(1928)
The Chinatown Mystery
Director
(1928)
Manhattan Cowboy
Director
(1927)
Tarzan and the Golden Lion
Director
(1927)
The Outlaw Dog
Director
(1927)
Thunderbolt's Tracks
Director
(1927)
Red Signals
Director
(1926)
Crossed Signals
Director
(1926)
The Brown Derby
Writer
(1926)
Perils of the Rail
Director
(1925)
The Fast Freight
Scenario Writer, Director
(1925)
The Ace of Clubs
Director
(1925)
Outwitted
Writer, Director
(1925)
The Road Agent
Director
(1925)
Mistaken Orders
Director
(1925)
The Lost Express
Director
(1925)
Barriers of the Law
Director
(1925)
Ambushed
Director
(1925)
Cold Nerve
Director
(1925)
A Desperate Chance
Director
(1925)
Webs of Steel
Director
(1924)
A Desperate Adventure
Director
(1924)
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
Director
(1924)
The Whipping Boss
Director
(1924)
Crossed Trails
Director
(1924)
Baffled
Director
(1923)
Stormy Seas
Director
(1922)
Perils of the Yukon
Director
(1922)
Hills of Missing Men
Director, Writer
(1922)
Captain Kidd
Director
(1921)
Tiger True
Director
(1921)
Do or Die
Director
(1921)
Below the Deadline
Director
(1920)
King of the Circus
Director
(1920)
Elmo the Fearless
Director
(1920)
The Vanishing Dagger
Director
(1919)
Elmo, the Mighty
Director
(1919)
The Red Glove
Director
(1918)
The Lure of the Circus
Director
(1917)
The Lost Express
Director, Writer, Producer
(1917)
The Railroad Raiders
Director, Editor, Producer
(1917)
The Hazards of Helen
Director
(1916)
Medicine Bend
Director
(1916)
Judith of the Cumberlands
Director, Producer
(1916)
The Diamond Runners
Director, Scenario Writer
(1916)
A Lass of the Lumberlands
Director, Producer
(1916)
Whispering Smith
Director
(1916)
The Manager of the B & A
Director
(1915)
The Death Train
Director
(1915)
A Deed of Daring
Director
(1915)
A Railroader's Bravery
Director
(1915)
The Fate of Number One
Director
(1915)
The Girl on the Engine
Director
(1915)
The Broken Circuit
Director
(1915)
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
Director
(1915)
The Fast Mail's Danger
Director
(1915)
The Little Engineer
Director
(1915)
The Girl at Lone Point
Director
(1915)
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
Director
(1915)
The Open Drawbridge
Director
(1915)
A Desperate Leap
Director
(1915)
When Rogues Fall Out
Director
(1915)
The Engineer's Peril
Director
(1915)
The Railroad Raiders of '62
Director
(1915)
The Girl on the Trestle
Director
(1915)
A Race for a Crossing
Director
(1915)
The Box Car Trap
Director
(1915)
A Life in the Balance
Director
(1915)
The Girl Engineer
Director
(1915)
The Human Chain
Director
(1915)
The Broken Train
Director
(1915)
The Midnight Limited
Director
(1915)
A Wild Ride
Director
(1915)
Near Eternity
Director
(1915)
(1915)
In Danger's Path
Director
(1915)
The Girl and the Game
Director, Writer
(1915)
The Pay Train
Director
(1915)
The Leap from the Water Tower
Director
(1915)
Blackbirds
Director
(1914)
The Operator at Black Rock
Director
(1914)
Helen's Sacrifice
Director
(1914)
His Nemesis
Writer, Director
(1914)
The Plot at the Railroad Cut
Director
(1914)
The Girl at the Throttle
Director
(1914)
The Stolen Engine
Director
(1914)
The Flying Freight's Captive
Director
(1914)
The Black Diamond Express
Director
(1914)
The Escape on the Limited
Director
(1914)
The Lost Mail Sack
Director
(1914)
The Flaw in the Alibi
Director
(1914)
Kaintucky Bill
Director
(1914)
The Car of Death
Director
(1914)
A String of Pearls
Director
(1913)
A Sawmill Hazard
Director
(1913)
The Pursuit of the Smugglers
Director