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

John Barrowman - what members say

John Barrowman - filmography

5 most recent films

Torchwood - Miracle Day - 3.5 stars
Torchwood - Miracle Day - Blu-ray - 3.5 stars
Animals At Work - With John Barrowman - 2.5 stars
John Barrowman Collectors Edition - 3.0 stars
John Barrowman - Live At The Royal Albert Hall - 3.0 stars

5 highest-rated films

Doctor Who - Series 4 Vol.4 - 4.5 stars
Torchwood - Series 3 - Children Of Earth - 4.5 stars
Torchwood - Series 3 - Children Of Earth - Blu-ray - 4.0 stars
Torchwood - Series 2 - 4.0 stars
Torchwood - Series 1 - Part 3 - 4.0 stars

5 lowest-rated films

Putting it Together - a Musical Review - 3 stars
Animals At Work - With John Barrowman - 2.5 stars
John Barrowman Collectors Edition - 3.0 stars
Shark Attack 3 - 2.5 stars
John Barrowman - Live At The Royal Albert Hall - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Eve Myles - 84 times - show films
Burn Gorman - 83 times - show films
Naoko Mori - 83 times - show films
Gareth David-Lloyd - 78 times - show films
Kai Owen / - 46 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Colin Teague - 44 times - show films
Ashley Way - 40 times - show films
Andy Goddard - 40 times - show films
Euros Lyn - 25 times - show films
Brian Kelly - 21 times - show films