Biography

James McGowan was born on May 30, 1960, in Montreal, Quebec, the youngest of John and June McGowan’s three sons. He grew up in Dollard-des-Ormeaux and attended John Abbott College where he studied theatre. James graduated from Concordia University with a B.A. in Communications. After graduating, he took a job as a copy writer at an advertising agency rather than pursuing an acting career as he did not believe he could make a living acting. He took a "a mind-numbing 9-to-5 job” in the audio-visual department at McGill University. While there he got in touch with a friend who was directing plays at the Montreal university expecting to pursue acting simply as a hobby.

"I needed some kind of artistic outlet and I've always loved the process," McGowan said. "I started out slowly doing student plays and plays at the William Shatner building.” "It was immediate," he said. "As soon as I got on and got the first words out, then it was just, 'Wow, I love this. I've always loved this.”
It wasn’t easy breaking into television in Toronto given his age."The truth of the matter is that, at 36, you're trying to audition for parts and you're up against guys who've been doing it for 15 years and have résumés that reflect that. It was hard at first to just get to see people."

He started out with guest spots in television shows such as La Femme Nikita, Mutant-X, “Falcon Beach,” and “Rent-a-Goalie.” He 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. The ad’s other talent was Kevin Sussman who was told by the goon portrayed by James, “I thought I told you to come alone.”

"One of my first bigger parts came when I got a role in (TV movie) 10,000 Black Men Named George," he said. The 2002 film helped James find more work but he did not find substantial work until he auditioned for the CBC drama The Border

The Border (TV series)

The Border is a Canadian drama airing 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...

. 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 and 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 to audition for the part of Major Michael Kessler.

"No one had heard of this guy," says Peter Raymont, one of the co-creators of the show, who saw dozens of actors with deeper resumes. Raymont, whose background was in documentary films ("Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire"), knew exactly what he was looking for. He had met a few real-life Kesslers; McGowan brought just the right degree of intelligence, compassion and authority to the mix. "[He] walked in and just commanded the room. The minute he shook our hands and read his lines it was Kessler. We knew it immediately."

The network wasn't so sure. One of McGowan's biggest credits to that point was playing the goon in the Verizon commercial. "I always felt like I knew Mike Kessler," says McGowan. The part was all on the page, he felt he didn't have to do much work "to bring him alive." He related to the character's strict moral centre as much as he did to his flaws. "He's just an ordinary guy who tries to act heroically," he says.

His peers obviously approve of the portrayal. McGowan nabbed a Gemini nomination in 2008 as outstanding actor in a drama, one of nine the series picked up for its first season. "I loved the writing in the scenes I auditioned, and in terms of Mike Kessler, I really felt I understood him," the actor said. "I would love to be as morally strong as him, but he's also got flaws. He's a very lonely man at his centre and I align myself with that; sort of the high-plains drifter."

James lives with his wife, Alicia Selvi, and their son, Tristan, in a two-storey, 100-year-old brick home near College Street (Little Italy) in Toronto, Ontario.

Filmography

• Against the Wall: Lead on Me or Die(2011) (TV Series) as Lt. Bob Barcelli
• Against the Wall: Baby Did A Bad Thing(2011) (TV Series) as Lt. Bob Barcelli
• Covert Affairs: Begin the Begin (2011) (TV Series) as Alo Morozov
• The Perfect Teacher(2010) (Lifetime Movie) as Reid
• Another Man's Son(2009) (Movie) as Mayor Richard Kendrick
• The Translator(2009) (Short Film) as Husband
• Unstable(2009) (Lifetime Movie) as Rupert Carlyle
• The Border (2008 - 2010) (TV Series) as Major Michael Kessler
• All the Good Ones Are Married (2007) (Lifetime Movie) as Ben Gold
• Lies and Crimes (2007) (Lifetime Movie) as Charlie Danzinger
• Christie's Revenge (2007) (Lifetime Movie) as Richard / Dad
• Falcon Beach: Lost (2007) (TV Series) as Max Krieger
• Warriors of Terra (2006) (Movie) as Peter Isaacs
• I Am An Apartment Building (2006) (Short Film) as David
• Killer Wave (2006) (TV Mini Series) as Erik Ajduk, Reporter
• Rent-A-Goalie (2006) (TV Series) as Harry "Hey-O" Bontar
• Savage Planet (2006) (TV Movie) as John Stotzer
• 1-800 Missing: Anything for the Baby: Parts 1 and 2 (2005) (TV Series)
• The Perfect Man (2005) (Movie) as Jean's Suitor
• Plague City: SARS in Toronto (2005) (TV Movie) as Ed
• G-Spot: Bronzed Vagina (2005) (TV Series) as Producer #1
• Adulterers Guide to Toronto (2005) (Movie) as Simon
• Headhunter (2004) (Short Film) as Father Eves
• The Right Way (2004) (Movie) as Frank Taylor
• My Brother's Keeper (2004) (Movie) as Scout
• The Prince and Me (2004) (Movie) as Photographer
• Mayday: A Wounded Bird (2004) (TV Series) as Captain Ed Gannaway
• Fallen Angel (2003) (TV Movie) as Jack Billings
• Sue Thomas: F.B. Eye: The Sniper (2003) (TV Series) as Gordon, the Sniper
• Perfect (2003) (Short Film) as Marsh
• DC 9/11: Time of Crisis (2003) (TV Movie) as Michael Gerson
• Mutant X: Lest He Become (2003) (TV Series) as Dr. Richard Haines
• Silent Night (2002) (Movie) as SS Captain Walter Dietrich
• Scent of Murder/Scent of Danger (2002) (Movie) as Gideon
• Touching Wild Horses (2002) (Movie) as John Benton
• 10,000 Black Men Named George (2002) (Movie) as Mr. Desmond
• Tracker: To Catch a Desserian (2002) (TV Series) as Bradford Kotan
• Screech Owls: Face Off (2001) (TV Series)
• On Their Knees (2001) (Movie) as Bartender
• All Souls: Bad Blood (2001) (TV Series) as Biohazard
• La Femme Nikita: Let No Man Put Asunder (2001) (TV Series)
• Largo Winch: Bloodlines (2001) (TV Series) as President Fiodor Belshek
• Live Through This (2000) (TV)
• The Best Bad Thing (1997) (TV Movie) as First Cop

Theatre

• Traffic - One Man Show - House of Chaos
• Taming of the Shrew - Lord Vincento - Skylight Theatre
• Archie Loves Nathan - Richard Loeb - Esoteric Productions
• Under the Skin - John - House of Chaos/Fringe Festival
• Oleanna - John - Lilac Productions
• Duchess of Malfi - Cardinal - McGill Mainstage
• King John - Pandulph - Mount Royal Shakespeare
• Ten Lost Years - R. B. Bennett - McGill Mainstage
• Both of Us - Tom - Quebec Drama Festival

Commercials

• Pfizer
  Pfizer
  Pfizer, Inc. is an American multinational pharmaceutical corporation. The company is based in New York City, New York with its research headquarters in Groton, Connecticut, United States...
  
   - "Doctor's Appointment" (2001)
• Verizon Wireless
  Verizon Wireless
  Cellco Partnership, doing business as Verizon Wireless, is one of the largest mobile network operators in the United States. The network has 107.7 million subscribers as of 2011, making it the largest wireless service provider in America....
  
   - "The Deal" (2006)
• Lotto 6/49
  Lotto 6/49
  Lotto 6/49 is one of Canada's two national lottery games. Winning numbers are drawn by the Interprovincial Lottery Corporation every Wednesday and Saturday. Launched on June 12, 1982, Lotto 6/49 was the first nationwide Canadian lottery game to allow players to choose their own numbers...
  
   - "Cottage" (2008)

Awards and Nominations

• 2008 Golden Nymph Awards – Nominated for Best Actor in a Television Drama (The Border)
• 2008 Gemini Awards – Nominated for Best Performance by an Actor in a Continuing Leading Dramatic Role (The Border)
• 2009 Golden Nymph Awards – Nominated for Best Actor in a Television Drama (The Border)

Sources

• A Run For The Border - Five years in the making and the timing couldn't be better for what may be Canadian TV's answer to 24, The Canadian Press, November 30, 2007
• Border Security. Syrian Terrorist. Have we seen this one before? By Eric Kohanik, The Ottawa Citizen, January 7, 2008
• CBC Crime Drama Enjoys Impressive Debut by Etan Vlessing, Reuters Canada, January 8, 2008
• Different Show, Same Message by Robert Fulford, National Post, January 12, 2008
• Nice Work Now That He Gets It - West Island Native James Mcgowan Stars In CBC Drama by Brendan Kelly, The Montreal Gazette, January 22, 2008
• Bullet-Proof Vetted by Robert Cushman, National Post, February 4, 2008
• Actor May Have Some American Revolutionary Roots But He's Happily Grounded In Little Italy by Kathryn Kates, The Toronto Star, February 16, 2008
• CBC Television Announces Returning Shows for 2008–2009, CBC Television, March 8, 2008
• Job Change Paid Dividends For James McGowan Of 'The Border' by Bill Brioux, The Canadian Press, September 25, 2008
• Border Sits on Edge by Bill Harris, Toronto Sun, September 29, 2008
• Actor Crosses The Border Into Stardom - James McGowan Starring In Hit CBC Show by Justin Skinner, Inside Toronto, October 2, 2008
• Festival Magic Calls For Only Occasional Sleep, National Post, September 11, 2009
• Border Rules Relaxed by Bill Harris, Toronto Sun, October 4, 2009
• Fine Tuning for Thursday, October 8 by Alex Strachan, Canwest News Service, October 8, 2009
• Border No Better Despite Press Push by Bill Brioux, TV Feeds My Family, November 6, 2009
• Caledon quarry featured in Canadian television show "The Border," Caledon Enterprise, November 6, 2009
• ACTRA Holds Day of Action for Canadian Programming, The Canadian Press, November 16, 2009

External links