J.P. McGowan
115 Movies
Movies
Director
Plays Eagle Custer
Red Blood
1925
Plays Bill Brogan
Gun Gospel
1927
Plays Javert's Plainclothesman
Les Misérables
1935
Plays Helmsman
Slave Ship
1937
Plays Jailer
The Buccaneer
1938
Plays Clansman
Kidnapped
1938
Plays Inner Guard
The Accusing Finger
1936
Plays Cop
Hunted Men
1938
Plays Danglong
Robin Hood of El Dorado
1936
Plays Old Man
The Lady and the Bandit
1951
Plays Mack
Flaming Gold
1932
Plays Couch
Wagon Wheels
1934
Plays Ship Captain J.S. Robinson
Jungle Jim
1937
Plays Col. Stanton
Prairie Thunder
1937
Plays Captain Ortwell
The Red Raiders
1927
Plays Dave Morgan
Guns and Guitars
1936
Plays Undetermined Minor Role
Code of the Fearless
1939
Plays Wise Man 1
From the Manger to the Cross
1912
Plays Rance McGowan
Hit the Saddle
1937
Director
Plays Big Mike Carter, aka El Lobo, aka Texas Rand
Lawless Valley
1932
Plays Buck Peters
Bar 20 Rides Again
1935
Plays Monte Black
Somewhere in Sonora
1933
Writer
Secret Patrol
1936
Director
Hills of Missing Men
1922
Plays Hardress Cregan
The Colleen Bawn
1911
Director
Barriers of the Law
1925
Plays Captain of The Hawk
No More Women
1934
Plays Election Agent
The Lad from Old Ireland
1910
Plays Lt. Greig
Captured by Bedouins
1912
Plays Commander of the English troops
Rory O'More
1911
Latest Trailers
Watch Trailer
The Lady and the Bandit
Full Filmography
The Lady and the Bandit
Old Man
1951
Film
Stagecoach
Bit Part (uncredited)
1939
Film
Code of the Fearless
Undetermined Minor Role
1939
Film
The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok
Scudder
1938
Film
Kidnapped
Clansman
1938
Film
Hunted Men
Cop
1938
Film
The Buccaneer
Jailer
1938
Film
Prairie Thunder
Col. Stanton
1937
Film
Heart of the Rockies
Ed Dawson
1937
Film
Photos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is J.P. McGowan still alive?
J.P. McGowan passed away on March 26, 1952 at age 72.
What are the most famous roles of J.P. McGowan?
J.P. McGowan is best known for roles in Stagecoach, The Prisoner of Shark Island, Les Misérables.
How many movies has J.P. McGowan been in?
Over a 42-year career (since 1910), J.P. McGowan has appeared in 115 movies and 0 TV shows.
What was J.P. McGowan's first movie?
The career of J.P. McGowan began with The Lad from Old Ireland (1910).
What is J.P. McGowan's most recent movie or series?
J.P. McGowan's most recent release is The Lady and the Bandit, which premiered on August 13, 1951.
J.P. McGowan
1880-02-23 · Terowie, Australia
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.