John Joseph MacGowran (13 October 1918 – 30 January 1973) was an Irish actor. He was known for being one of the foremost stage interpreters of the work of

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish writer of novels, plays, short stories, and poems. Writing in both English and French, his literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal, and Tragicomedy, tra ...

and Seán O'Casey. He was also known to film audiences for his roles as Professor Abronsius in '' The Fearless Vampire Killers'' (1967), Juniper in ''

How I Won the War ''How I Won the War'' is a 1967 British black comedy film directed and produced by Richard Lester and starring Michael Crawford, Jack MacGowran, Roy Kinnear, Lee Montague, and John Lennon in his only non-musical acting role. The screenplay was b ...

'' (1967), and Burke Dennings in ''

The Exorcist ''The Exorcist'' is a 1973 American supernatural horror film directed by William Friedkin from a screenplay by William Peter Blatty, based on The Exorcist (novel), his 1971 novel. The film stars Ellen Burstyn, Max von Sydow, Jason Miller (play ...

'' (1973); MacGowran died during production of the latter film.

Early life

MacGowran was born on 13 October 1918 in the

Ranelagh Ranelagh ( , ; , ) is an affluent residential area and urban village on the Southside of Dublin, Ireland in the postal district of Dublin 6. Ranelagh was originally a village called Cullenswood. It has a history of conflict, including the at ...

area of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

, one of three children born to

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

parents Matthew and Gertrude (née Shanahan) MacGowran. He was educated at

Synge Street CBS Synge Street CBS (colloquially Synger) is a boys' non-fee-paying state school, under the auspices of the Edmund Rice Schools Trust, located in the Dublin 8 area of Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1864 by Canon ...

. Prior to his acting career, he worked for Hibernian Insurance. He made his stage debut in a

Gilbert and Sullivan Gilbert and Sullivan refers to the Victorian-era theatrical partnership of the dramatist W. S. Gilbert (1836–1911) and the composer Arthur Sullivan (1842–1900) and to the works they jointly created. The two men collaborated on fourteen com ...

operetta at the Gaiety Theatre.

Career

Stage

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

. He appeared as Lucky in ''

Waiting for Godot ''Waiting for Godot'' ( or ) is a 1953 play by Irish writer and playwright Samuel Beckett, in which the two main characters, Vladimir (Waiting for Godot), Vladimir (Didi) and Estragon (Gogo), engage in a variety of discussions and encounters w ...

'' at the

Royal Court Theatre The Royal Court Theatre, at different times known as the Court Theatre, the New Chelsea Theatre, and the Belgravia Theatre, is a West End theatre#London's non-commercial theatres, non-commercial theatre in Sloane Square, London, England, opene ...

, and with the

Royal Shakespeare Company The Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) is a major British theatre company, based in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, England. The company employs over 1,000 staff and opens around 20 productions a year. The RSC plays regularly in London, Stratf ...

in '' Endgame'' at the

Aldwych Theatre The Aldwych Theatre is a West End theatre, located in Aldwych in the City of Westminster, central London. It was listed Grade II on 20 July 1971. Its seating capacity is 1,200 on three levels. History Origins The theatre was constructed in th ...

. He released an LP record titled ''MacGowran Speaking Beckett'' to coincide with Samuel Beckett's 60th birthday in 1966, and he won the 1970–71 Obie for Best Performance By an Actor in the off-Broadway play ''MacGowran in the Works of Beckett''. 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 The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

. He played O'Casey's brother Archie in '' Young Cassidy'' (1965), one of

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), better known as John Ford, was an American film director and producer. He is regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers during the Golden Age of Hollywood, and w ...

's later films, which the director had to abandon due to ill health, and was completed by

Jack Cardiff Jack Cardiff (18 September 1914 – 22 April 2009) was a British cinematographer, film and television director, and photographer. His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor, to film ...

. In 1954, he moved to London, where he became a member of the

, where he struck up a lasting friendship with actor

Peter O'Toole Peter Seamus O'Toole (; 2 August 1932 – 14 December 2013) was an English actor known for his leading roles on stage and screen. His numerous accolades include the Academy Honorary Award, a BAFTA Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and four Golde ...

, with whom he later appeared in

Richard Brooks Richard Brooks (born Reuben Sax; May 18, 1912 – March 11, 1992) was an American screenwriter, film director, novelist and film producer. Nominated for eight Academy Awards in his career, he was best known for ''Blackboard Jungle'' (1955), '' ...

' '' Lord Jim'' (1965). MacGowran played the title role of Gandhi in the Broadway play written by Gurney Campbell in 1971, directed by José Quintero.

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'' (1958) and ''

Darby O'Gill and the Little People ''Darby O'Gill and the Little People'' is a 1959 American fantasy adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions, adapted from the ''Darby O'Gill'' stories of Herminie Templeton Kavanagh. Directed by Robert Stevenson and written by Lawrenc ...

'' (1959). In 1966

Roman Polanski Raymond Roman Thierry Polański (; born 18 August 1933) is a Polish and French filmmaker and actor. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Roman Polanski, numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, three Britis ...

cast him as the gangster Albie in ''

Cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a ''cul-de-sac'' (; , ), a no-through road or a no-exit road, is a street with only one combined inlet and outlet. Dead ends are added to roads in urban planning designs to limit traffic in residential areas. Some d ...

'', before creating Professor Abronsius in '' The Fearless Vampire Killers'' (1967) especially for him. Other notable film appearances include the

Ealing Ealing () is a district in west London (sub-region), west London, England, west of Charing Cross in the London Borough of Ealing. It is the administrative centre of the borough and is identified as a major metropolitan centre in the London Pl ...

comedy ''

The Titfield Thunderbolt ''The Titfield Thunderbolt'' is a 1953 British comedy film directed by Charles Crichton and starring Stanley Holloway, Naunton Wayne, George Relph and John Gregson. The screenplay concerns a group of villagers trying to keep their branch line ...

'' (1953),

Tony Richardson Cecil Antonio Richardson (5 June 1928 – 14 November 1991) was an English theatre and film director, producer and screenwriter, whose career spanned five decades. He was identified with the "angry young men" group of British directors and play ...

's '' Tom Jones'' (1963),

David Lean Sir David Lean (25 March 190816 April 1991) was an English film director, producer, screenwriter, and editor, widely considered one of the most important figures of Cinema of the United Kingdom, British cinema. He directed the large-scale epi ...

's '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965),

Richard Lester Richard Lester Liebman (born January 19, 1932) is an American retired film director, who spent the majority of his professional life in the United Kingdom. He is known for the fast-paced, flamboyant directing he brought to his comedy films, mo ...

's ''

'' (1967),

Peter Brook Peter Stephen Paul Brook (21 March 1925 – 2 July 2022) was an English theatre and film director. He worked first in England, from 1945 at the Birmingham Repertory Theatre, from 1947 at the Royal Opera House, and from 1962 for the Royal Shak ...

's ''

King Lear ''The Tragedy of King Lear'', often shortened to ''King Lear'', is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare. It is loosely based on the mythological Leir of Britain. King Lear, in preparation for his old age, divides his ...

'', the leading role of Professor Collins in '' Wonderwall'' (1968), and ''

Age of Consent The age of consent is the age at which a person is considered to be legally competent to consent to Human sexual activity, sexual acts. Consequently, an adult who engages in sexual activity with a person younger than the age of consent is un ...

'' (1969). On TV, he appeared in "The Happening", episode 5 of ''

The Champions ''The Champions'' is a British espionage thriller/science fiction/occult detective fiction adventure television series. It was produced by Lew Grade's ITC Entertainment production company, and consists of 30 episodes broadcast in the UK on ...

'' 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 Kenneth Charles Cope (14 April 1931 – 11 September 2024) was an English actor and scriptwriter. He was best known for his roles as Marty Hopkirk in '' Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'', Jed Stone in ''Coronation Street,'' Ray Hilton in '' ...

in " The Ghost Talks" episode of ''

Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased) ''Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased)'' is a British private detective television series, starring Mike Pratt (actor), Mike Pratt and Kenneth Cope respectively as the private detectives Jeff Randall and Marty Hopkirk. The series was created by Denn ...

''. He played a thief in "Big Fish Little Fish" episode of

Gideon's Way ''Gideon's Way'' is a British television crime series that was made by ITC Entertainment and broadcast by ITV in 1964–1966, following the 1958 film, '' Gideon's Day''. The film and series are based on novels by John Creasey (writing as 'J. ...

(1964). His last film was ''

'' (1973), where he played Burke Dennings, an alcoholic director and Regan's first victim.

Personal life

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

Death

Shortly after completing work on ''

'', while in New York City appearing as Fluther in Seán O'Casey's '' The Plough and the Stars'', MacGowran died at 54 from

influenza Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by influenza viruses. Symptoms range from mild to severe and often include fever, runny nose, sore throat, muscle pain, headache, coughing, and fatigue. These sympto ...

after complications resulting from the London flu epidemic. He was survived by his wife and daughter.

Partial filmography

* '' No Resting Place'' (1951) – Billy Kyle * '' The Quiet Man'' (1952) – Ignatius Feeney * '' The Gentle Gunman'' (1952) – Patsy McGuire * ''

Time Bomb A time bomb (or a timebomb, time-bomb) is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use or attempted use of time bombs has been for various purposes including insurance fraud, terrorism, assassination, sabotage and warfare. They are a ...

'' (1953) – Bearded Man in Hostel (uncredited) * ''

'' (1953) – Vernon Crump * '' Raiders of the River'' (1956) – Alf Barber * '' Jacqueline'' (1956) – Campbell * '' Sailor Beware!'' (1956) – Toddy (uncredited) * '' The Rising of the Moon'' (1957) – Mickey J. – the poitín maker (1st Episode) * '' Manuela'' (1957) – Tommy * '' Rooney'' (1958) – Joe O'Connor * '' She Didn't Say No!'' (1958) – William Bates * '' Behemoth the Sea Monster'' (1959) – Dr. Sampson, the Paleontologist * ''

'' (1959) – Phadrig Oge * '' The Boy and the Bridge'' (1959) – Market Porter * ''

Blind Date A blind date is a romantic meeting between two people who have never met before. Both parties arrange a date with little to no information about each other, hoping for the possibility of making a lasting impression. Typically, a family member or ...

'' (1959) – Postman * '' Two and Two Make Six'' (1962) – Night Porter * '' Captain Clegg'' (1962) – Frightened Man * '' Mix Me a Person'' (1962) – Terence * '' The Brain'' (1962) – Furber * '' Tom Jones'' (1963) – Partridge * '' The Ceremony'' (1963) – O'Brian * '' Lord Jim'' (1965) – Robinson * '' Young Cassidy'' (1965) – Archie * '' Doctor Zhivago'' (1965) – Petya * ''

'' (1966) – Albie * ''

'' (1967) – Juniper * '' The Fearless Vampire Killers'' (1967) – Professor Abronsius * '' The Avengers'' TV Series: Episode "The Winged Avenger'" (1967) – Professor Poole * '' Wonderwall'' (1968) – Prof. Oscar Collins * ''

'' (1969) – Nat Kelly * '' Start the Revolution Without Me'' (1970) – Jacques * '' The Yin and the Yang of Mr. Go'' (1970) – Leo Zimmerman * ''

'' (1971) – Fool * '' A Day at the Beach'' (1972) – The Collector * ''

'' (1973) – Burke Dennings (final film role, released posthumously)

References

External links

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