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{{Short description|Irish actor (1918–1973)}}
[[Image:Jack_MacGowran.jpg|right|thumb|140px|Jack MacGowran]]
{{EngvarB|date=November 2017}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2017}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Jack MacGowran
| image = Jack MacGowran, as seen in 'How I Won the War'.jpg
| caption = MacGowran, as pictured in ''[[How I Won the War]]'' (1967)
| birthname = John Joseph MacGowran
| birth_date = {{Birth date|df=y|1918|10|13}}
| birth_place = Dublin, Ireland
| death_date = {{Death date and age|df=y|1973|1|30|1918|10|13}}
| death_place = New York City, U.S.
| spouse = {{marriage|Aileen Gloria Nugent|1963}}
| children = 1
| yearsactive = 1951–1973
}}


'''John Joseph MacGowran''' (13 October 1918 – 30 January 1973) was an Irish actor, known for being one of the foremost stage interpreters of the work of [[Samuel Beckett]], as well as his film roles as Professor Abronsius in ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]'' (1967), Juniper in ''[[How I Won the War]]'' (1967), and Burke Dennings in ''[[The Exorcist]]'' (1973); MacGowran died during production of the latter film.
Jack MacGowran, ([[October 13]], [[1918]] - [[January 31]], [[1973]]) was an Irish-born character actor. Achieving a name as a member of Dublin's [[Abbey Players]], he achieved stage renown for his knowing interpretations of the works of [[Samuel Beckett]].


==Career==
MacGowran's film career started in Ireland with the film ''[[No Resting Place]]''. By [[1954]] he had moved to London, and was actually in The Royal Shakespeare Company. There he struck up a lasting friendship with [[Peter O'Toole]]. Many of MacGowran's earlier films were set in Ireland. Notably ''[[The Quiet Man]]'' (1952), ''[[The Gentle Gunman]]'' (1953), ''[[Rooney]]'' (1958) and ''[[Darby O'Gill and the Little People]]'' (1959). The first London production of Beckett's Endgame brought him acclaim early in the 60's, then [[Roman Polanski]] cast him as a gangster in ''[[Cul-de-Sac]]'', before creating the mad Professor Abronsius in ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]'' especially for him. In 1959 he created the role of ''Joxer'' in the [[Broadway]] musical ''[[Juno -Musical|Juno]]'', based on Irish playwright [[Sean O'Casey]]'s 1924 play ''[[Juno and the Paycock]]''.
===Stage===
MacGowran was born on 13 October 1918 in Dublin,<ref>{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E223AAAAIAAJ |title=British film and television year book |publisher=Cinema TV Today. |year=1970 |page=234}}</ref> and educated at [[Synge Street CBS]].<ref name="it-macgowran-1">{{cite news |last1=Battersby |first1=Eileen |title=Jack MacGowran: Born to play Beckett |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1988/1109/Pg016.html#Ar01600 |access-date=15 December 2020 |publisher=Irish Times |date=9 November 1988}}</ref> He established his professional reputation as a member of the [[Abbey Theatre|Abbey Players]] in Dublin, while he achieved stage renown for his knowing interpretations of the works of [[Samuel Beckett]]. He appeared as Lucky in ''[[Waiting for Godot]]'' at the [[Royal Court Theatre]], and with the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]] in ''[[Endgame (play)|Endgame]]'' at the [[Aldwych Theatre]]. He released an LP record titled ''MacGowran Speaking Beckett'' to coincide with Samuel Beckett's 60th birthday in 1966,<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.discogs.com/release/653672-MacGowan-Speaking-Beckett-MacGowran-Speaking-Beckett | title=MacGowan Speaking Beckett - MacGowran Speaking Beckett | website=[[Discogs]] }}</ref> and he won the 1970–71 [[Obie Award|Obie]] for Best Performance By an Actor in the off-Broadway play ''MacGowran in the Works of Beckett''.<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.iobdb.com/production/2970 | title=Jack MacGowran in the Works of Samuel Beckett }}</ref> Beckett‘s television play ''[[Eh Joe]]'' was written specifically for MacGowran, and he appears on the cover of the play’s published edition.


He also specialised in the work of [[Seán O'Casey]], creating the role of Joxer in the Broadway musical ''[[Juno (musical)|Juno]]'' in 1959, based on ''[[Juno and the Paycock]]'', O'Casey's 1924 play about the [[Irish Civil War]]. He played O'Casey's brother Archie in ''[[Young Cassidy]]'' (1965), one of [[John Ford]]'s later films, which the director had to abandon due to ill health.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://variety.com/1964/film/reviews/young-cassidy-1200420694/ | title=Young Cassidy | date=January 1965 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.rodtaylorsite.com/youngcassidy.shtml | title=The Complete Rod Taylor Site: Young Cassidy }}</ref>
While in [[New York]] filming his scenes for [[The Exorcist]] (1973), MacGowran died of complications resulting from the recent London flu epidemic. Jack MacGowran was the father of actress [[Tara MacGowran]].


In 1954, he moved to London, where he became a member of the [[Royal Shakespeare Company]], where he struck up a lasting friendship with actor [[Peter O'Toole]], with whom he later appeared in [[Richard Brooks]]' ''[[Lord Jim]]'' (1965).
[[Category:1973 deaths|MacGowran, Jack]]

[[Category:Film actors|MacGowran, Jack]]
MacGowran played the title role of Gandhi in the Broadway play written by Gurney Campbell in 1971, directed by [[José Quintero]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.iobdb.com/production/6123 | title=Gandhi }}</ref>

===Film===
MacGowran's film career started in Ireland with the film ''[[No Resting Place]]'' (1951), and many of his earlier films were set in Ireland. Notably ''[[The Quiet Man]]'' (1952), ''[[The Gentle Gunman]]'' (1952), ''[[Rooney (film)|Rooney]]'' (1958) and ''[[Darby O'Gill and the Little People]]'' (1959).

In 1966 [[Roman Polanski]] cast him as the gangster Albie in ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]'', before creating Professor Abronsius in ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]'' (1967) especially for him. Other notable film appearances include the [[Ealing]] comedy ''[[The Titfield Thunderbolt]]'' (1953), [[Tony Richardson]]'s ''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'' (1963), [[David Lean]]'s ''[[Doctor Zhivago (film)|Doctor Zhivago]]'' (1965), [[Richard Lester]]'s ''[[How I Won the War]]'' (1967), [[Peter Brook]]'s ''[[King Lear]]'', the leading role of Professor Collins in ''[[Wonderwall (film)|Wonderwall]]'' (1968), and ''[[Age of Consent (film)|Age of Consent]]'' (1969). On TV, he appeared in "The Happening", episode 5 of ''[[The Champions]]'' as Banner B. Banner, (Old prospector), and in "The Winged Avenger" episode of ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' (where he is sometimes listed as "Jack MacGowan"). He played a safecracker opposite [[Kenneth Cope]] in "[[The Ghost Talks (Randall and Hopkirk Deceased)|The Ghost Talks]]" episode of ''[[Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)]]''. He played a thief in "Big Fish Little Fish" episode of [[Gideon's Way]] (1964). His last film was ''[[The Exorcist]]'' (1973), where he played Burke Dennings, an alcoholic director and Regan's first victim.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/hero-of-the-stage-an-irishman-s-diary-on-actor-jack-macgowran-1.3654484 |title=Hero of the stage – An Irishman's Diary on actor Jack MacGowran |date=8 October 2018 |access-date=5 March 2019 |first=Brian |last=Maye |newspaper=[[Irish Times]]}}</ref>

==Personal life==
In 1963, he married Aileen Gloria Nugent, daughter of [[Walter Nugent|Sir Walter Nugent, Bt.]]

==Death==
Shortly after completing work on ''[[The Exorcist]]'', while in New York City appearing as Fluther in [[Seán O'Casey]]'s ''[[The Plough and the Stars]]'', MacGowran died at 54 from [[influenza]] after complications resulting from the [[London flu]] epidemic.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1973/01/31/archives/jack-macgowran-interpreter-of-beckett-and-ocasey-dead-noted-irish.html |title=Jack MacGowran, Interpreter Of Beckett and O'Casey, Dead |first=Lawrence |last=van Gelder |author-link=Lawrence van Gelder |date=31 January 1973 |access-date=5 March 2019 |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=44 }}</ref> He was survived by his wife and daughter.

==Partial filmography==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
* ''[[No Resting Place]]'' (1951) – Billy Kyle
* ''[[The Quiet Man]]'' (1952) – Ignatius Feeney
* ''[[The Gentle Gunman]]'' (1952) – Patsy McGuire
* ''[[Time Bomb (1953 film)|Time Bomb]]'' (1953) – Bearded Man in Hostel (uncredited)
* ''[[The Titfield Thunderbolt]]'' (1953) – Vernon Crump
* ''[[Raiders of the River]]'' (1956) – Alf Barber
* ''[[Jacqueline (1956 film)|Jacqueline]]'' (1956) – Campbell
* ''[[Sailor Beware! (1956 film)|Sailor Beware!]]'' (1956) – Toddy (uncredited)
* ''[[The Rising of the Moon (film)|The Rising of the Moon]]'' (1957) – Mickey J. – the poitín maker (1st Episode)
* ''[[Manuela (1957 film)|Manuela]]'' (1957) – Tommy
* ''[[Rooney (film)|Rooney]]'' (1958) – Joe O'Connor
* ''[[She Didn't Say No!]]'' (1958) – William Bates
* ''[[Behemoth the Sea Monster]]'' (1959) – Dr. Sampson, the Paleontologist
* ''[[Darby O'Gill and the Little People]]'' (1959) – Phadrig Oge
* ''[[The Boy and the Bridge]]'' (1959) – Market Porter
* ''[[Blind Date (1959 film)|Blind Date]]'' (1959) – Postman
* ''[[Two and Two Make Six]]'' (1962) – Night Porter
* ''[[Captain Clegg (film)|Captain Clegg]]'' (1962) – Frightened Man
* ''[[Mix Me a Person]]'' (1962) – Terence
* ''[[The Brain (1962 film)|The Brain]]'' (1962) – Furber
* ''[[Tom Jones (1963 film)|Tom Jones]]'' (1963) – Partridge
* ''[[The Ceremony (1963 film)|The Ceremony]]'' (1963) – O'Brian
* ''[[Lord Jim (1965 film)|Lord Jim]]'' (1965) – Robinson
* ''[[Young Cassidy]]'' (1965) – Archie
* ''[[Doctor Zhivago (film)|Doctor Zhivago]]'' (1965) – Petya
* ''[[Cul-de-sac (1966 film)|Cul-de-sac]]'' (1966) – Albie
* ''[[How I Won the War]]'' (1967) – Juniper
* ''[[The Fearless Vampire Killers]]'' (1967) – Professor Abronsius
* ''[[The Avengers (TV series)|The Avengers]]'' TV Series: Episode "The Winged Avenger'" (1967) – Professor Poole
* ''[[Wonderwall (film)|Wonderwall]]'' (1968) – Prof. Oscar Collins
* ''[[Age of Consent (film)|Age of Consent]]'' (1969) – Nat Kelly
* ''[[Start the Revolution Without Me]]'' (1970) – Jacques
* ''[[The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go]]'' (1970) – Leo Zimmerman
* ''[[King Lear (1971 UK film)|King Lear]]'' (1971) – Fool
* ''[[A Day at the Beach]]'' (1972) – The Collector
* ''[[The Exorcist]]'' (1973) – Burke Dennings (final film role)
{{div col end}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
* {{IMDb name|id=0532290}}
* {{IBDB name}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Macgowran, Jack}}
[[Category:1918 births]]
[[Category:1973 deaths]]
[[Category:Irish male film actors]]
[[Category:Irish male stage actors]]
[[Category:Male actors from Dublin (city)]]
[[Category:Deaths from influenza]]
[[Category:People educated at Synge Street CBS]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish male actors]]
[[Category:Irish expatriates in the United Kingdom]]

Latest revision as of 14:38, 21 November 2024

Jack MacGowran
MacGowran, as pictured in How I Won the War (1967)
Born
John Joseph MacGowran

(1918-10-13)13 October 1918
Dublin, Ireland
Died30 January 1973(1973-01-30) (aged 54)
New York City, U.S.
Years active1951–1973
Spouse
Aileen Gloria Nugent
​
​
(m. 1963)​
Children1

John Joseph MacGowran (13 October 1918 – 30 January 1973) was an Irish actor, known for being one of the foremost stage interpreters of the work of Samuel Beckett, as well as his film roles as Professor Abronsius in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967), Juniper in How I Won the War (1967), and Burke Dennings in The Exorcist (1973); MacGowran died during production of the latter film.

Career

[edit]

Stage

[edit]

MacGowran was born on 13 October 1918 in Dublin,[1] and educated at Synge Street CBS.[2] He established his professional reputation as a member of the Abbey Players in Dublin, while he achieved stage renown for his knowing interpretations of the works of Samuel Beckett. He appeared as Lucky in Waiting for Godot at the Royal Court Theatre, and with the Royal Shakespeare Company in Endgame at the Aldwych Theatre. He released an LP record titled MacGowran Speaking Beckett to coincide with Samuel Beckett's 60th birthday in 1966,[3] and he won the 1970–71 Obie for Best Performance By an Actor in the off-Broadway play MacGowran in the Works of Beckett.[4] Beckett‘s television play Eh Joe was written specifically for MacGowran, and he appears on the cover of the play’s published edition.

He also specialised in the work of Seán O'Casey, creating the role of Joxer in the Broadway musical Juno in 1959, based on Juno and the Paycock, O'Casey's 1924 play about the Irish Civil War. He played O'Casey's brother Archie in Young Cassidy (1965), one of John Ford's later films, which the director had to abandon due to ill health.[5][6]

In 1954, he moved to London, where he became a member of the Royal Shakespeare Company, where he struck up a lasting friendship with actor Peter O'Toole, with whom he later appeared in Richard Brooks' Lord Jim (1965).

MacGowran played the title role of Gandhi in the Broadway play written by Gurney Campbell in 1971, directed by José Quintero.[7]

Film

[edit]

MacGowran's film career started in Ireland with the film No Resting Place (1951), and many of his earlier films were set in Ireland. Notably The Quiet Man (1952), The Gentle Gunman (1952), Rooney (1958) and Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959).

In 1966 Roman Polanski cast him as the gangster Albie in Cul-de-sac, before creating Professor Abronsius in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) especially for him. Other notable film appearances include the Ealing comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953), Tony Richardson's Tom Jones (1963), David Lean's Doctor Zhivago (1965), Richard Lester's How I Won the War (1967), Peter Brook's King Lear, the leading role of Professor Collins in Wonderwall (1968), and Age of Consent (1969). On TV, he appeared in "The Happening", episode 5 of The Champions as Banner B. Banner, (Old prospector), and in "The Winged Avenger" episode of The Avengers (where he is sometimes listed as "Jack MacGowan"). He played a safecracker opposite Kenneth Cope in "The Ghost Talks" episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased). He played a thief in "Big Fish Little Fish" episode of Gideon's Way (1964). His last film was The Exorcist (1973), where he played Burke Dennings, an alcoholic director and Regan's first victim.[8]

Personal life

[edit]

In 1963, he married Aileen Gloria Nugent, daughter of Sir Walter Nugent, Bt.

Death

[edit]

Shortly after completing work on The Exorcist, while in New York City appearing as Fluther in Seán O'Casey's The Plough and the Stars, MacGowran died at 54 from influenza after complications resulting from the London flu epidemic.[9] He was survived by his wife and daughter.

Partial filmography

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ British film and television year book. Cinema TV Today. 1970. p. 234.
  2. ^ Battersby, Eileen (9 November 1988). "Jack MacGowran: Born to play Beckett". Irish Times. Retrieved 15 December 2020.
  3. ^ "MacGowan Speaking Beckett - MacGowran Speaking Beckett". Discogs.
  4. ^ "Jack MacGowran in the Works of Samuel Beckett".
  5. ^ "Young Cassidy". January 1965.
  6. ^ "The Complete Rod Taylor Site: Young Cassidy".
  7. ^ "Gandhi".
  8. ^ Maye, Brian (8 October 2018). "Hero of the stage – An Irishman's Diary on actor Jack MacGowran". Irish Times. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
  9. ^ van Gelder, Lawrence (31 January 1973). "Jack MacGowran, Interpreter Of Beckett and O'Casey, Dead". The New York Times. p. 44. Retrieved 5 March 2019.
[edit]
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