Jack MacGowran facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jack MacGowran
MacGowran, as pictured in How I Won the War (1967)
Born	John Joseph MacGowran (1918-10-13)13 October 1918 Dublin, Ireland
Died	30 January 1973(1973-01-30) (aged 54) New York City, U.S.
Years active	1951–1973
Spouse(s)	Aileen Gloria Nugent (m. 1963)
Children	1

John Joseph MacGowran (born October 13, 1918 – died January 30, 1973) was a talented actor from Ireland. He was famous for his roles as Juniper in the movie How I Won the War (1967) and Burke Dennings in The Exorcist (1973). Sadly, he passed away while working on The Exorcist.

Jack MacGowran's Acting Career

Jack MacGowran was born in Dublin, Ireland, on October 13, 1918. He went to school at Synge Street CBS. He became a well-known actor by joining the Abbey Players in Dublin. He was especially good at performing plays written by Samuel Beckett.

Stage Performances

MacGowran played the character Lucky in the play Waiting for Godot at the Royal Court Theatre. He also worked with the Royal Shakespeare Company in the play Endgame. In 1966, he released an album called MacGowran Speaking Beckett. This album came out to celebrate Samuel Beckett's 60th birthday. In 1970–71, he won an Obie Award for being the Best Actor in an off-Broadway play. The play was called MacGowran in the Works of Beckett.

He also loved performing plays by Seán O'Casey. In 1959, he created the role of Joxer in the Broadway musical Juno. This musical was based on O'Casey's 1924 play Juno and the Paycock, which was about the Irish Civil War. MacGowran also played O'Casey's brother, Archie, in the 1965 film Young Cassidy.

In 1954, MacGowran moved to London. There, he joined the Royal Shakespeare Company. He became good friends with actor Peter O'Toole. They later appeared together in the movie Lord Jim (1965). In 1971, MacGowran played the main role of Gandhi in a Broadway play.

Film Roles

MacGowran's film career began in Ireland with the movie No Resting Place (1951). Many of his early films were set in Ireland. Some of these include The Quiet Man (1952), The Gentle Gunman (1952), Rooney (1958), and Darby O'Gill and the Little People (1959).

In 1966, director Roman Polanski cast him as the gangster Albie in Cul-de-sac. Polanski then created the character Professor Abronsius in The Fearless Vampire Killers (1967) especially for MacGowran.

Other important film roles include:

• The comedy The Titfield Thunderbolt (1953)
• Tom Jones (1963)
• Doctor Zhivago (1965)
• How I Won the War (1967)
• King Lear (1971)
• The main role of Professor Collins in Wonderwall (1968)
• Age of Consent (1969)

On TV, he appeared in "The Happening," an episode of The Champions. He also appeared in "The Winged Avenger" episode of The Avengers. He played a safecracker in "The Ghost Talks" episode of Randall and Hopkirk (Deceased).

Jack MacGowran's Family Life

In 1963, Jack MacGowran married Aileen Gloria Nugent. She was the daughter of Sir Walter Nugent.

Jack MacGowran finished working on The Exorcist shortly before he passed away. He was in New York City performing in a play called The Plough and the Stars. He died at age 54 from the influenza (flu) after getting sick during a flu outbreak in London. He was survived by his wife and his daughter.

Filmography: Movies Jack MacGowran Appeared In