James McGowan

James McGowan

Born: May 30, 1960
in Montreal, Quebec, Canada
James Robert McGowan was born on May 30, 1960, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. James is the youngest of three sons of Johnny McGowan a former light heavyweight boxer from Northern England. James grew up on the West Island in Montreal. He graduated from Concordia University with a B.A. in Communications. After graduation he took a job as a copy writer at an advertising agency rather than pursue an acting career as he did not believe he could make a living acting. He then took in the audio-visual department of McGill University. While there he got in touch with a friend who was directing plays at the Montreal university expecting to pursue acting as a hobby. He started out slowly doing student plays at the William Shatner Building. He loved it so much he decided to pursue it as a profession. It wasn't easy breaking into television in Toronto given his age (36) at the time as he was going up against other actors with lengthier resumes. It was hard at first to get auditions. He started out with guest spots in television shows such as the La Femme Nikita, Mutant-X, Falcon Beach, and Rent-a-Goalie. James also had minor roles in movies such as The Perfect Man with Heather Locklear, The Prince and Me with Julie Stiles, and Silent Night with Linda Hamilton. He has had success with two successful television ads. The first ad was entitled Doctor's Appointment and addressed the serious problem of erectile dysfunction. The ad was run continuously throughout the 2001 NHL Finals. The second ad was entitled The Deal and was for Verizon Wireless. One of his first big parts was a role in the TV movie 10,000 Black Men Named George. The 2002 film helped James find more work but he did not find substantial work until he auditioned for the CBC drama The Border. He had sent in an audition tape but had not heard back. He went to Winnipeg to film a guest part on the TV series Falcon Beach. While he was in Winnipeg, his agent contacted him and told him the show's casting directors wanted to meet with him. A second day of callbacks was added and he was able to return to Toronto in time. No one had heard of James but according to Peter Raymont, the co-creator of the show, James brought just the right degree of intelligence, compassion and authority to the character. While the producers were sure that James was right for the part, the network wasn't so sure. One of his biggest credits to that point was playing the goon in the Verizon Wireless commercial. His peers obviously approve of the portrayal. James received a Gemini nomination as outstanding actor in a drama. - IMDb Mini Biography

Movies for James McGowan...

Fixation
Title: Fixation
Released: August 31, 2022
Type: Movie
Dora, a young woman at the center of an unusual murder trial, is subjected to a psychiatric evaluation, and as the tests become more personal — and frightening — she begins to question the true motives of her doctor and is forced to live through the recreations of her past.
bee
The Toll
Title: The Toll
Character: Neil
Released: March 26, 2021
Type: Movie
A socially awkward driver and a weary passenger try to make it to their destination while being haunted by a supernatural threat.
bee
Pyewacket
Title: Pyewacket
Character: Rowen Dove
Released: December 8, 2017
Type: Movie
A frustrated, angry teenage girl awakens something in the woods when she naively performs an occult ritual to invoke a witch to kill her mother.
bee
A Song for Christmas
Title: A Song for Christmas
Character: Russell
Released: November 11, 2017
Type: Movie
Pop superstar Adelaide Kay is so fed up with her controlling manager that she sneaks off the tour bus after their latest squabble. Though exhilarated to be free, she finds herself stranded in the freezing cold of a Pennsylvania winter, with no money and no plan. A local family, the Lapps, take her in. They know the true meaning of the season, even if they’re close to losing their tree farm. No one in the family recognizes Adelaide except Dillon, the oldest son.
bee
Suicide Squad
Title: Suicide Squad
Character: Panda Man
Released: August 3, 2016
Type: Movie
From DC Comics comes the Suicide Squad, an antihero team of incarcerated supervillains who act as deniable assets for the United States government, undertaking high-risk black ops missions in exchange for commuted prison sentences.
bee
Title: The Girlfriend Experience
Character: Alex Payton
Released: April 10, 2016
Type: TV
Explore the relationships between exclusive escorts and their clients, for whom they provide far more than just sex. Known as GFEs, they are women who provide “The Girlfriend Experience”—emotional and sexual relationships at a very high price.
bee
Flower Shop Mystery: Mum's the Word
Title: Flower Shop Mystery: Mum's the Word
Character: Louis Vertucci
Released: January 17, 2016
Type: Movie
Abby Knight, a former lawyer turned proud flower shop owner is starting over after the death of her husband with the support from her father, a new business and her daughter off to college. Life is good in the peaceful town of New Chapel but when a black SUV rams her prized vintage car, she’s determined to track down the driver. She begrudgingly accepts the help of a new neighbor, the handsome and charming ex-Marine Marco Salvare who just bought the bar down the street.
bee
How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town
Title: How to Plan an Orgy in a Small Town
Character: Spencer Goode
Released: September 19, 2015
Type: Movie
In high school Cassie Cranston was slut-shamed out of the wholesome and repressed town of Beaver’s Ridge following a humiliating attempt at losing her virginity. Now, years later, a big city sex columnist, Cassie returns home to bury her mother and finds a chance for revenge when her prudish childhood nemesis insists she helps her old friends plan an orgy.
bee
Stage Fright
Title: Stage Fright
Character: Victor Brady
Released: April 3, 2014
Type: Movie
A high-end musical theater camp is terrorized by a bloodthirsty killer who hates musical theater.
bee
Compulsion
Title: Compulsion
Character: Bob
Released: June 21, 2013
Type: Movie
A strange and destructive relationship develops between a chef and her neighbor, a former child actress.
bee
Title: Transporter: The Series
Character: Ian O'Sullivan
Released: October 25, 2012
Type: TV
The adventures of professional transporter Frank Martin, who can always be counted on to get the job done—discreetly. Operating in a seedy underworld of dangerous criminals and desperate players, his three rules are: Never change the deal, no names, and never open the package. Occasionally, complications arise and rules get broken.
bee
Total Recall
Title: Total Recall
Character: Military Adjutant
Released: August 2, 2012
Type: Movie
Factory worker Doug Quaid takes a virtual mind-trip vacation with the Rekall company, opting for implanted memories of being a spy. When the procedure goes wrong, Quaid becomes a wanted man by the police and joins forces with a rebel fighter to stop the evil Chancellor Cohaagen.
bee
Title: Against the Wall
Character: Bob Barceli
Released: July 31, 2011
Type: TV
This Chicago-set family drama follows a policewoman who causes a rift with her three cop brothers when she decides to join the department's Internal Affairs division.
bee
The Perfect Teacher
Title: The Perfect Teacher
Character: Reid
Released: September 12, 2010
Type: Movie
A spoiled, selfish teenager becomes infatuated with her teacher. She befriends his daughter as a way of worming her way into the family, and sets about manipulating every aspect of his life.
bee
Title: The Border
Character: Major Mike Kessler
Released: January 7, 2008
Type: TV
The Border is a Canadian drama that aired on CBC Television and 20 other TV networks worldwide. It was created by Peter Raymont, Lindalee Tracey, Janet MacLean and Jeremy Hole of White Pine Pictures. The Executive in Charge of Production is Janice Dawe. Episodes in the first season were directed by John Fawcett, Michael DeCarlo, Ken Girotti, Kelly Makin, Brett Sullivan and Philip Earnshaw. The first season had a total budget of 20 million dollars, with about 1.5 million dollars per episode. The series is set in Toronto and follows agents of the fictitious Immigration and Customs Security agency. ICS was created by the Government of Canada to deal with trans-border matters concerning Canadian national security including terrorism and smuggling. The cancellation of The Border was announced by the CBC after three seasons were aired.
bee
All the Good Ones Are Married
Title: All the Good Ones Are Married
Character: Ben
Released: September 29, 2007
Type: Movie
Ben Gold gets the break of his life as aspiring author, but must stay home with his kids, Luke and Madison, to make his 5 months deadline. His feminist wife, workaholic fashion executive Alex, selfishly decides to take in promising rebel designer Zoe Miller, who left her boyfriend Trey. The teenager soon wins the family's hearts. Written by KGF Vissers
bee
Christie's Revenge
Title: Christie's Revenge
Character: Richard Colton
Released: June 24, 2007
Type: Movie
After years of plotting, Christie vows to get revenge on her uncle, whom she blames for her father's demise.
bee
Savage Planet
Title: Savage Planet
Character: John Stotzer
Released: May 26, 2007
Type: Movie
A team of scientists explore a new planet and find much more than expected.
bee
Lies and Crimes
Title: Lies and Crimes
Character: Charlie Danzinger
Released: March 5, 2007
Type: Movie
A woman moves to a new home after her police officer husband is killed. She soon discovers a place where growing prescription drug abuse is creating a nightmare of lies, crime, and murder.
bee
Title: Killer Wave
Character: Reporter Erik Adjuk
Released: January 10, 2007
Type: TV
Two engineers try to save Boston after terrorists use nuclear missiles to create huge tidal waves.
bee
Warriors of Terra
Title: Warriors of Terra
Character: Peter Isaacs
Released: January 1, 2006
Type: Movie
A headstrong animal-rights activist group plans a raid on a bio-tech company to stop the cruelty. They discover the true nature of the experiments that are really taking place. As they break into a biotech lab only to have their idealism crushed by the terrifying things they find inside. But when a genetically mutated human with a taste for human flesh gets released, they all struggle to survive!
bee
The Perfect Man
Title: The Perfect Man
Character: Jean's Suitor
Released: June 17, 2005
Type: Movie
Holly is tired of moving every time her mom Jean breaks up with yet another second-rate guy. To distract her mother from her latest bad choice, Holly conceives the perfect plan for the perfect man, an imaginary secret admirer who will romance Jean and boost her self-esteem.
bee
Plague City: SARS in Toronto
Title: Plague City: SARS in Toronto
Character: Ed
Released: May 29, 2005
Type: Movie
The once clean and healthy city of Toronto becomes the pariah of the western world when a deadly chain of infection lands in the city. Panic spreads as the number of SARS cases increases as there are no effective treatments.
bee
Title: Tilt
Character: WSOP Tournament Host
Released: February 17, 2005
Type: TV
Young poker players must navigate their past along with the best players in the world to win.
bee
The Right Way
Title: The Right Way
Character: Dad
Released: November 17, 2004
Type: Movie
Amy and David are two underachievers from suburbia. Amy has had a rough life raised by her neglectful drug addicted single mother. David has been raised in a more conventional family, but his lack of motivation has driven his father crazy. When Amy meets David it seems they both find what they are looking for. But when Amy gets pregnant, both Amy and David go through a personal and surreal crisis in making choices. Which leads them to decide if they should do it the right way or the wrong way?
bee
My Brother's Keeper
Title: My Brother's Keeper
Character: Scout
Released: October 1, 2004
Type: Movie
Identical twin brothers Lou and Eric plan to compete together in the National Rowing Championships. But when Eric leaves their small town to attend an Ivy League University, the brother's bond is torn apart.
bee
The Prince & Me
Title: The Prince & Me
Character: Photographer
Released: March 28, 2004
Type: Movie
A fairy tale love-story about pre-med student Paige who falls in love with a Danish Prince "Eddie" who refused to follow the traditions of his parents and has come to the US to quench his thirst for rebellion. Paige and Edward come from two different worlds, but there is an undeniable attraction between them.
bee
Perfect
Title: Perfect
Character: Michael
Released: September 11, 2003
Type: Movie
The delicate world of an upper-middle-class woman is suddenly turned upside down when her husband recounts a nightmare in which he brutally murders her.
bee
DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
Title: DC 9/11: Time of Crisis
Character: Michael Gerson
Released: September 7, 2003
Type: Movie
This is the story of the days directly after 9/11, and the president's whereabouts. Scheduled to air shortly before the second anniversary of the September 11 attacks, DC 9/11 takes an inside look at the Bush Administration, beginning with the day of the attacks, and following the President's journey to Ground Zero, culminating with his now famous national address nine days after the attacks.
bee
Title: Mayday
Character: Captain Ed Gannaway
Released: September 3, 2003
Type: TV
Major real-life air disasters are depicted in this series. Each episode features a detailed dramatized reconstruction of the incident based on cockpit voice recorders and air traffic control transcripts, as well as eyewitnesses recounts and interviews with aviation experts.
bee
Silent Night
Title: Silent Night
Character: Capt. Dietrich
Released: December 24, 2002
Type: Movie
Fact-based World War II story set on Christmas Eve, 1944, finds a German Mother and her son seeking refuge in a cabin on the war front. When she is invaded by three American soldiers and then three German soldiers, she successfully convinces the soldiers to put aside their differences for one evening and share a Christmas dinner.
bee
Scent of Danger
Title: Scent of Danger
Character: Gideon
Released: October 20, 2002
Type: Movie
FBI agent Carol Blue was unwilling to take local help in the case of the kidnapping of little Zoe Hendricks, but ex-cop Chris Milos' private investigation bureau proves just too good. His dog handler, Brenna Shaw, and her Alsatian, Brie, find the kidnapper holding Zoe and dropping the kid in the water on purpose so he can escape. They soon conclude it's not a ransom case but more personal, are contacted under the Biblical name Gideon 'judge', and get caught up in his macabre, vindictive games and gruesome logic
bee
Title: Sue Thomas: F.B.Eye
Character: Gordon, The Sniper
Released: October 13, 2002
Type: TV
Based on a true story, this family-friendly series follows the adventures of a young, hearing impaired woman who has a special gift and goes to work for the FBI in Washington, D.C. She's one hard-headed, soft-hearted woman whose talent for reading lips helps crack crimes and bag the bad guys in places listening devices can't penetrate. With her hearing-ear dog, Levi, Sue's a glutton for jeopardy – and there's (almost) nothing she won't do to bring notorious criminals to justice. This remarkable, edge-of-your-seat drama is an inspiring tribute to the ability of the human spirit to overcome adversity and achieve great things.
bee
10,000 Black Men Named George
Title: 10,000 Black Men Named George
Character: Desmond
Released: February 24, 2002
Type: Movie
In the 1920s, the rights of American workers to join a labor union was still considered an open question, and African-Americans were routinely denied their civil and economic rights. 10,000 Black Men Named George, the title, refers to the fact Pullman porters were often called "George" by white passengers, which was considered a racial slur.
bee
On Their Knees
Title: On Their Knees
Character: Bartender
Released: October 25, 2001
Type: Movie
Willie and Mo are half sisters who have never seen eye to eye. A cross-country road trip in an ice cream truck carrying their dead grandmother may not change that, but it will give them the opportunity to laugh and learn.
bee
Title: Tracker
Character: Bradford Kotan
Released: October 15, 2001
Type: TV
Tracker is a 2001 Canadian science fiction television series starring Adrian Paul and Amy Price-Francis. The series is based on a short story by Gil Grant and Jeannine Renshaw. The pilot episode and two other episodes were edited into the film Alien Tracker.
bee
Title: Mutant X
Character: Dr. Richard Haines
Released: October 6, 2001
Type: TV
Mutant X is a science fiction television series that debuted on October 6, 2001. The show was created by Avi Arad, and it centers around Mutant X, a team of "New Mutants" who possess extraordinary powers as a result of genetic engineering. The members of Mutant X were used as test subjects in a series of covert government experiments. The mission of Mutant X is to seek out and protect their fellow New Mutants. The series was filmed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Even though the series had high ratings and was meant to be renewed for a fourth season, it was abruptly canceled in 2004 after the dismantling of Fireworks Entertainment, one of the show's production companies, ending the show on a cliffhanger.
bee
Title: All Souls
Released: April 17, 2001
Type: TV
In a Boston hospital, All Souls Hospital, Dr. Mitchell Grace tries to discover the truth about the haunting that date as far back as the Civil War. The hospital's lower levels, once a mental asylum, are haunted by ghosts of dead patients, including Lazarus, an orderly who has been benevolently haunting the hospital since his days working with Dr. Ambrosius after the Civil War.