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John Barrowman

John Barrowman
John Scot Barrowman (born March 11, 1967) is a Scottish–American actor, singer, dancer, musical theatre performer, writer and television personality. Born in Glasgow, he grew up in Illinois following his family's emigration to the U.S. Encouraged by his high school teachers, Barrowman studied performing arts at the United States International University in San Diego before landing the role of Billy Crocker in Cole Porter's Anything Goes in London's West End.
Since his debut in professional theatre, Barrowman has played lead roles in various musicals both in the West End and on Broadway, including Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard and Matador. After appearing in Sam Mendes' production of The Fix, he was nominated for the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and, in the early 2000s, returned to the role of Billy Crocker in the revival of Anything Goes. His most recent West End credit was in the 2009 production of La Cage aux Folles.
Aside from his theatrical career, Barrowman has appeared in various films including the musical biopic De-Lovely (2004) and musical comedy The Producers (2005). Before venturing into British television, he featured in the American television dramas Titans and Central Park West but he is better known for his acting and presenting work for the BBC that includes his work for CBBC in its earlier years, his self-produced entertainment programme Tonight's the Night, and his BAFTA Cymru-nominated role of Captain Jack Harkness, who appears in science fiction series Doctor Who and Torchwood. Barrowman has also had a number of guest roles in television programmes both in the US and the UK. He appeared as a contestant on the first series of celebrity ice skating show Dancing on Ice while his theatrical background allowed him to become a judge on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical talent shows How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, Any Dream Will Do and I'd Do Anything. In 2006, he was voted Stonewall's Entertainer of the Year.
Barrowman is also featured on more than a dozen musical theatre recordings including cover tunes found on his 2007 album, Another Side, and 2008's Music Music Music. Both albums accrued places on the UK Albums Chart, as did his self-titled John Barrowman (2010), which reached number 11, his highest chart placing to date. Furthermore, Barrowman has published two memoirs and autobiographies, Anything Goes (2008) and I Am What I Am (2009), with his sister Carole as co-author. The siblings also teamed up to write a novel, Hollow Earth. John Scot Barrowman was born in 1967 in the Mount Vernon area of Glasgow, the youngest of three siblings. Barrowman lived in Glasgow for the first eight years of his life. His mother was a singer and worked as a clerk in a record shop while his father was employed by the Caterpillar heavy machinery company in Uddingston. In 1976, his father's company relocated the family to Aurora, Illinois in the USA, where his father managed the Caterpillar tractor factory. Barrowman recalls his family as loving, but strict and mindful of etiquette: always polite and respectful towards others. Comparing the two countries where he was raised, Barrowman concludes: "Scotland gave us, as a family, closeness; America gave us the get-up-and-go."The family settled in Joliet, Illinois, where Barrowman attended Joliet West High School in the heart of a "quintessentially middle-class conservative town". Barrowman's high school music and English teachers changed the future course of his life, his music tutor instilling in him a love for performing, and his English teacher encouraging him to realise his true potential. His English teacher moved him into a "Gifted" program and coached Barrowman for the school's speech team. With the support of his teacher, he competed with other schools in statewide speech competitions, where he sharpened his skills reading scenes from plays.
As a freshman, Barrowman won parts in several musical productions and from 1983 to 1985 he performed in such musical productions as Oliver!, Camelot, Hello, Dolly!, Li'l Abner and Anything Goes. Looking back, he acknowledges that "without the support he received in high school, chances are that he would not now be appearing in royal command performances in the West End in front of the Royal Family or having Stephen Sondheim ask him to play opposite Carol Burnett".
Barrowman spent his senior year shoveling coal for an Illinois power company. His father had arranged the job (and similar jobs for his brother and sister) to give Barrowman the experience of manual labour. His father told him: "If you want to do manual labour for the rest of your life you'll know that when you do it; it's a choice. But if you don't like it, you'll understand the importance of educating yourself and – if you decide what you want to do – being good at your craft or your skill." Barrowman worked for the power company for the entire summer, but did not like the job. Eventually, he convinced the company to move him to work in the storeroom.
Barrowman graduated from high school in 1985, and became a naturalised citizen of the United States (although he maintains dual citizenship in the UK and the US). After he graduated from high school, he moved to San Diego, California, to study performing arts at the United States International University (USIU). As part of an exchange programme, he returned to the UK in 1989, to study Shakespeare for six months.



News | What members say | Filmography

John Barrowman - news / articles


  • Barrowman in high-speed crash - 20 July 2009
    -Actor John Barrowman narrowly escaped death when he was involved in a high-speed car crash.- -The Torchwood star was filming for TV series Fifth Gear when he lost control of his super fast rally car.- - Barrowman's vehicle plummeted down a verge and flipped four times

John Barrowman - what members say


  • Shark Attack 3
  • Shark Attack 3 review by from Didcot
    Rated - 5.0 stars John Barrowman =Wow! 9 March 2007
    ...John Barrowman is sooooooo hot in this film!! I'd love to bum him. ...   Read customer review
  • Torchwood - Series 1- Part 1
  • Torchwood - Series 1- Part 1 review by A customer from Fermanagh, Northern Ireland
    Rated - 2.0 stars Keep on trying... 8 February 2007
    ...LD be so good.. yet somehow it isn't. The acting is truly appalling, especially John Barrowman, the wierd forced emotionality (is that a word??) of the characters, what's goi...   Read customer review
  • Torchwood - Series 1 - Part 3
  • Torchwood - Series 1 - Part 3 review by JediSi from Kent
    Rated - 4.0 stars arming the human race against the future. 8 September 2007
    ...de investigators of alien and human crime located in Cardiff in Wales. Starring John Barrowman as Captain Jack Harkness, and Eve Myles as his sidekick Gwen Cooper. Out Of ...   Read customer review

John Barrowman - filmography


  • Torchwood - Miracle Day (4 discs) on DVD (2011)
    Starring: Tom Price,  Gareth David-Lloyd,  John Barrowman
    Director: Russell T. Davies
    Certificate: Certificate: 15
    All ten episodes from the fourth series of the popular Doctor Who spin-off. Earth faces potential disaster from overpopulation when, day after day, month after month, no-one on the planet dies. As resources reach breaking break, top CIA man Rex Matheson (Mekhi Phifer) travels to Wales to ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 70% from 948 members
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  • Animals At Work - With John Barrowman (5 discs) on DVD (2010)
    Starring: John Barrowman
    Certificate: Certificate: Ex
    All 13 episodes from the first season of the CBBC series presented by John Barrowman. A playful celebration of some of the many animals whose skills have been used to enhance the quality of human lives, the series looks at working animals from around the world, from musical elephants to a school ..read more »
    2.5 stars out of 5 54% from 28 members
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  • John Barrowman Collectors Edition (2010)
    Starring: John Barrowman
    Certificate: Certificate: Ex
    Collection of performances from Scottish musical entertainer John Barrowman. The programme features live footage from the singer's 2009 UK tour, including shows at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall and London's Royal Albert Hall.
    3 stars out of 5 57% from 17 members
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  • An Evening with John Barrowman - Live at... on DVD (2009)
    Starring: John Barrowman,  Daniel Boys
    Director: Steve Kemsley
    Certificate: Certificate: Ex
    Multi-talented entertainer John Barrowman performs a selection of well-known songs from stage, screen and pop in this musical extravanganza filmed live at Glasgow's Royal Concert Hall in May 2009. 'Any Dream Will Do' star Daniel Boys makes a special appearance.
    3.5 stars out of 5 68% from 278 members
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  • Doctor Who - Series 4 Vol.4 on DVD (2008)
    Starring: John Barrowman,  David Tennant,  Billie Piper
    Director: Graeme Harper
    Certificate: Certificate: 12
    Episodes 11-13 from the fourth series of the BBC's relaunched version of the sci-fi classic, starring David Tennant as the legendary Time Lord. Comedienne Catherine Tate co-stars as the Doctor's assistant Donna Noble, with former companions Rose Tyler (Billie Piper), Martha Jones (Freema Agyeman), ..read more »
    4.5 stars out of 5 86% from 3,203 members
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  • Dancing On Ice - Tour 2007 on DVD (2007)
    Starring: David Seaman,  Gaynor Faye,  John Barrowman
    Certificate: Certificate: Ex
    Jayne Torville and Christopher Dean take their version of the hit TV series on the road. As with the series, a judging panel made up of Robin Cousins, Nicky Slater, Karen Barber and Jason Gardiner will be on hand to give their verdicts on the celebrity dancers, before the audience vote on their ..read more »
    3.5 stars out of 5 72% from 322 members
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John Barrowman facts