Acting
J.P. McGowan
EN, NL cinema · 256 credits
Born
23 February 1880
Died
26 March 1952 (aged 72)
Birthplace
Terowie, Australia
Also known as John Paterson 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.
Known for
Filmography
Danger Quest
Danger Quest
as Col. Spiffy
Savage Fury
as Ship's Captain
The Lady and the Bandit
as Old Man
Code of the Fearless
as Undetermined Minor Role
Stagecoach
as Bit Part (uncredited)
Kidnapped
as Clansman
The Buccaneer
as Jailer
Hunted Men
as Cop
Hit the Saddle
as Rance McGowan
Jungle Jim
as Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
Borderland
as El Rio Sheriff
Empty Holsters
as U.S. Marshal Billy O'Neill
Heart of the Rockies
as Ed Dawson
Rough Riding Rhythm
as Pete Hobart, Director
Prairie Thunder
as Col. Stanton
Slave Ship
as Helmsman
She Had to Eat
as Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Roaring Six Guns
Director
Silverspurs
as Webb Allison
Guns and Guitars
as Dave Morgan
Stampede
as Matt Stevens
Secret Patrol
as Blacksmith Barstow, Screenplay
Fury and the Woman
as Anderson
Robin Hood of El Dorado
as Danglong
Ride 'Em Cowboy
as Jim Howard
The Three Mesquiteers
as Brack Canfield
Sinner Take All
as Police Officer Murphy (uncredited)
The Accusing Finger
as Inner Guard
The Prisoner of Shark Island
as Ship's Captain (uncredited)
The Silent Code
as Commissioner
Mississippi
as Dealer (uncredited)
The Call of the Savage
as Freighter Captain
Bar 20 Rides Again
as Buck Peters
Murder in the Fleet
as Chief of Police (Uncredited)
The Outlaw Tamer
as Sheriff Jim Porter, Director
Whispering Smith Speaks
as Caboose Passenger (uncredited)
Border Brigands
as Inspector Winston - RCMP
Diamond Jim
as Engineer
Rustlers of Red Dog
as Capt. Trent [Chs. 3-4]
East of Java
as Sergeant, Rescue Party
Les Misérables
as Javert's Plainclothesman
When Lightning Strikes
as Lafe Broderick
No More Women
as Captain of The Hawk
The Red Rider
as Scotty McKee
Wagon Wheels
as Couch
Somewhere in Sonora
as Monte Black
Drum Taps
Director, Screenplay
Deadwood Pass
Director
War of the Range
Director
Lawless Valley
as Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand, Director
Flaming Gold
as Mack
The Hurricane Express
Screenplay, Director
Mark of the Spur
Director
The Scarlet Brand
Director
Tangled Fortunes
Director
Human Targets
Director
Quick Trigger Lee
as Brings note / Director, Director
Riders of the North
Director
So This Is Arizona
Director
Shotgun Pass
Director
Headin' for Trouble
Director
Covered Wagon Trails
1930
Covered Wagon Trails
Actor, Director
The Canyon of Missing Men
as Slug Sagel, Director
Breezy Bill
1930
Breezy Bill
as Sheriff, Director
O'Malley Rides Alone
as Angus McGregor, Producer, Director
Under Texas Skies
Director
Canyon Hawks
Director
The Code of Honor
Director
The Hunted Men
Director
The Oklahoma Sheriff
Director
Beyond the Law
Director
'Neath Western Skies
as Dugan, Director, Producer
Plunging Hoofs
as Jim Wales
A Texas Cowboy
as Brute Kettle, Director
The Invaders
1929
The Invaders
Actor, Director
The Lawless Legion
as Matson
Señor Americano
as Maddox
The Last Roundup
as Hash, Director
Headin' Westward
as Sneezer Clark, Director
The Cowboy and the Outlaw
as Pepper Hardcastle, Director
Below the Deadline
as Taggart, Director
The Fighting Terror
Actor, Director
The Oklahoma Kid
Actor, Director
The Law of the Plains
as Seagrue, Director
Pioneers of the West
as Tom Dorgan, Director, Adaptation, Producer
Bad Men's Money
as Sheriff Bud Jennings, Director, Screenplay, Story
Code of the West
Director
Captain Cowboy
Director, Writer
The Man from Nevada
Director, Producer
Arizona Days
1928
Arizona Days
as Ed Hicks, Director
Two Outlaws
as Abner Whitcomb
The Chinatown Mystery
Actor, Director
Dugan of the Dugouts
1928
Dugan of the Dugouts
as Capt. von Brinken, Writer
Ships of the Night
as Motilla
The Devil’s Tower
1928
The Devil’s Tower
as George Stilwell, Director
The Lightnin’ Shot
1928
The Lightnin’ Shot
Actor, Director, Writer
The Old Code
1928
The Old Code
as Raoul de Valle
Manhattan Cowboy
Director
Mystery Valley
Director, Writer
Trail Raiders
1928
Trail Raiders
Director, Writer
Trailin’ Back
1928
Trailin’ Back
Director, Writer
The Red Raiders
as Captain Ortwell
Gun Gospel
as Bill Brogan
The Royal American
1927
The Royal American
as Capt. Burke
Arizona Nights
as Jeff Decker
Red Signals
as Jim Twyler, Director
The Lost Limited
1927
The Lost Limited
as Thomas Webber, Director
The Slaver
1927
The Slaver
as ’Iron' Larsen
The Outlaw Dog
Director
Thunderbolt's Tracks
Director
Perils of the Rail
as Barker's Accomplice at Smelter Junction, Director
Senor Daredevil
as Jesse Wilks
The Lost Express
as Train Engineer, Director
Crack O' Dawn
as Earle Thorpe Sr.
Moran of the Mounted
as Sgt. Churchill
Crossed Signals
Director
The Fast Freight
Actor, Scenario Writer, Director
Outwitted
as Tiger McGuire, Writer, Director
Barriers of the Law
as Steve Redding, Director
The Patent Leather Pug
as James Curtis
Duped
as 'Hard Rock' Ralston, Director
Red Blood
as Eagle Custer, Director
The Ace of Clubs
Director
The Road Agent
Director
Cold Nerve
Director
Webs of Steel
Director
The Bandit Tamer
Director
The Whipping Boss
1924
The Whipping Boss
as Livingston, Director
Crossed Trails
as 'Pepper' Baldwin, Director
Baffled
as Jack Norton, Director
A Two Fisted Tenderfoot
as Stephen Lawlor, Director
Courage
Director
Stormy Seas
as Capt. Morgan, Director
Hills of Missing Men
as Capt. Brandt / The Dragon, Director, Writer
Perils of the Yukon
Director
Captain Kidd
Director
Do or Die
as Capt. Alvarez / Satan, Director
Cold Steel
as Steele Weir
Tiger True
Director
Below the Deadline
Director
King of the Circus
Actor, Director
Elmo the Fearless
Actor, Director
The Vanishing Dagger
Director
Elmo, the Mighty
Director
The Red Glove
Director
The Hazards of Helen
as Various roles, Director
The Railroad Raiders
as Thomas Desmond, Director, Producer, Editor
The Lost Express
Director, Writer, Producer
Whispering Smith
as Whispering Smith, Director
Medicine Bend
as Whispering Smith, Director
Judith of the Cumberlands
Director, Producer
The Diamond Runners
1916
The Diamond Runners
Director, Scenario Writer
A Lass of the Lumberlands
Director, Producer
The Girl Telegrapher's Peril
as Blake - a Lineman, Director
The Railroad Raiders of '62
as Lockwood - the old one-armed Flagman, Director
The Broken Train
as Warren - Railroad Employee, Director
A Railroader's Bravery
as Thomas - the Chief of the Gang, Director
The Broken Rail
as Trow - of the Working Crew
The Mettle of Jerry McGuire
as Jerry McGuire, Director
A Desperate Leap
1915
A Desperate Leap
Actor, Director
The Girl and the Game
as Spike, Director, Writer
The Leap from the Water Tower
as Rand - the Fireman, Director
A Wild Ride
Director
Near Eternity
Director
In Danger's Path
Director
The Pay Train
Director
Blackbirds
Director
The Flying Freight's Captive
as Rand - a Yeggman, Director
The Black Diamond Express
as Dan Haddon - a Cowboy, Director
The Escape on the Limited
as Brandt - a Defaulting Cashier, Director
Helen's Sacrifice
as Benton, Director
His Nemesis
as Mammoth - Manning's Business Rival, Director, Writer
Kaintucky Bill
1914
Kaintucky Bill
as Kaintucky Bill - a Moonshiner, Director
The Lost Mail Sack
Director
The Wives of Jamestown
as The O’Rourke
Dust of the Desert
as Sheik Mohammad
The Poacher's Pardon
as Mr. Wallace - the Gamekeeper
The Little Gluers
as Valentine Hay
Ireland, the Oppressed
as Lord Kilhannack
The Shaughraun
1912
The Shaughraun
as Corry Kinchela
From the Manger to the Cross
as Wise Man 1
His Mother
as John Foster
Captured by Bedouins
as Lt. Greig
Tragedy of the Desert
as The Arab Sheik
Vagabonds
1912
Vagabonds
as Big Jim
The Grit of the Girl Telegrapher
Actor, Director
Railroad Raiders of '62
as Federal Officer
When the Dead Return
as Jacques
The Colleen Bawn
as Hardress Cregan
The Fiddler’s Requiem
1911
The Fiddler’s Requiem
as Dolores' father
Rory O'More
as Commander of the English troops
The Lad from Old Ireland
as Election Agent