| John Barrowman | |
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| Born | John Scot Barrowman 11 March 1967 Glasgow, Scotland, UK |
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| Occupation | Actor, musical performer, dancer, singer, television presenter, media personality |
| Years active | 1985–present |
| Domestic partner(s) | Scott Gill (1993–present) |
John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-born actor, singer, dancer, musical performer and media personality, with dual citizenship in the UK and the US[1].
Barrowman is best known on British television for his acting and presenting work for the BBC. His most prominent television role has been as Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who and its spin-off series Torchwood. He has featured in such light entertainment shows as Live & Kicking, Any Dream Will Do, How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?, and I'd Do Anything as well as appearing on the celebrity ice skating show Dancing on Ice. As a result of his family's move to Illinois when he was eight years old,[2] Barrowman speaks in an American accent on screen but reverts to a Scottish accent when with family or in Scotland.[3]
Barrowman is openly gay. He was voted the 2006 Stonewall "Entertainer of the Year"[4] and was third in Broadcast magazine's "Hottest Commodity" poll in November 2006.[5]
Barrowman appeared as a guest act for the Royal Variety Performance, which was staged at the London Palladium on Thursday 11 December 2008.[6]
Contents |
Biography
John Scot Barrowman was born in Mount Vernon, Glasgow, where he lived for the first eight years of his life. His mother worked in a record shop and his father worked for the Caterpillar heavy machinery company in nearby Uddingston. In 1976 the family was relocated to the United States by the company for which his father was working.[7]
He spent the next few years of his life in Joliet, Illinois, where his father was a manager at the Caterpillar tractor factory. Barrowman graduated from Joliet West High School in 1985. While still in high school, he won parts in several musical productions even as a freshman. Between 1983 and 1985 he performed in productions of Hello, Dolly!, Oliver!, Camelot, Li'l Abner and Anything Goes. He also spent a summer working for an Illinois power company, a job arranged by his father to give him experience of manual labour.[8] He attended university in San Diego, and returned to the United Kingdom in 1990.
Acting career
His professional debut was in the 1989 London West End production of Cole Porter's Anything Goes, playing Billy Crocker, a role that he reprised in Trevor Nunn's 2003 West End revival. He has also appeared in the West End productions of Miss Saigon, Beauty and the Beast, Matador, Hair, Grease!, Sunset Boulevard, Chicago and The Phantom of the Opera.
He was also part of the musical Godspell. He is a soloist in two songs, "We Beseech Thee" and "On The Willows". This 1997 CD is recorded for Jay Productions Ltd.
He was nominated for an Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 1998 for originating the role of Cal Chandler in The Fix[9], a performance he repeated in Cameron Mackintosh's 1998 gala concert Hey, Mr Producer!. He has played the role of Joe Gillis in Sunset Boulevard in the West End and, briefly, on Broadway. His only other Broadway credit is the Stephen Sondheim revue Putting It Together (1999–2000). In 2002, he appeared in the central role of Bobby in Sondheim's Company in the Kennedy Center's Stephen Sondheim Celebration.
He has also appeared in the West End in non-musical dramas, such as Rope and the 2005 production of A Few Good Men, in which Barrowman starred as Jack Ross opposite Rob Lowe. He has starred in the pantomimes Cinderella at the New Wimbledon Theatre (Christmas 2005–6) and Jack and the Beanstalk at Cardiff's New Theatre (Christmas 2006–7). He played the title role in Aladdin at the Birmingham Hippodrome over Christmas 2007–8.[10] He is also set to play the lead in the Robin Hood panto at the Birmingham Hippodrome for the 2008-2009 season.
He is best known in the UK for his appearances in the Doctor Who TV series and its spinoff Torchwood. In the United States these programs have been very popular on BBC America, but with its limited cable distribution his most familiar starring roles may be in several short-lived prime-time soap operas such as Titans with Yasmine Bleeth in 2000 and Central Park West, as well as the low-budget film Shark Attack 3: Megalodon.
Barrowman was under consideration for the role of Will in the popular US series Will and Grace but the producers felt he was "too straight" and the role went to Eric McCormack instead, who is heterosexual. "The sad thing is it's run by gay men and women," said Barrowman in a January 2006 article.[11] He later expressed contempt for the idea that all gay men act the same way.[12]
He has played recurring guest character Captain Jack Harkness in BBC One's science fiction television series Doctor Who, since the show was revived in 2005. He first appeared in "The Empty Child"/"The Doctor Dances" two-part story, and appeared in the next three episodes, "Boom Town", "Bad Wolf" and "The Parting of the Ways" . Due to the character's popularity, in 2006 Captain Jack Harkness was given his own spin-off series Torchwood, which began filming its third series in August 2008, following a team of alien hunters based in modern day Cardiff. Barrowman also reprised the role in the 2007 Doctor Who episodes "Utopia", "The Sound of Drums" and "Last of the Time Lords", and the two-part 2008 series[13] finale, "The Stolen Earth" and "Journey's End". He reprised this role of Captain Jack Harkness in the "Doctor Who: Tonight's the Night" special written by Russell T. Davies, starring alongside the winner of the Doctor Who Alien Talent Search[14] competition which aired on his TV show Tonight's the Night.
Barrowman has also appeared in a Doctor Who special of the BBC's The Weakest Link.[15] He appeared in an episode of the third series of the BBC series Hotel Babylon.[16]
Barrowman's musical abilities have been featured in film: he had a duet with Kevin Kline singing Night and Day in the Cole Porter biopic De-Lovely, and he sang Springtime for Hitler in the 2005 film of Mel Brooks' The Producers, based on the Broadway adaptation of the original movie. He also recently performed in and co-presented a BBC One series on Saturday nights, entitled The Sound of Musicals, in which performers from West End musicals sing songs from the shows.[17]
Presenting and guest starring
Barrowman appeared in the BBC children's Saturday morning variety show Live & Kicking, in which he hosted the Electric Circus segment, reporting on technology news, before moving on to The Movie Game, a children's television game show. In the late 1990s he was one of the regular presenters on Five's afternoon show Five's Company.
During January and February 2006 Barrowman took part in the ITV1 series Dancing on Ice, where Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean trained celebrities to compete in an ice skating show which took onboard many characteristics of a real ice skating competition. Barrowman's skating partner was World Junior Gold Medalist and three-time Russian champion Olga Sharutenko. Although a favourite to win, on 4 February, Barrowman and Sharutenko faced Stefan Booth and Kristina Cousins in the skate off and were eliminated by the judge's vote of 3 to 2.
Between 10 April and 14 April, 2006, Barrowman presented ITV's morning talk show This Morning whilst Phillip Schofield took an Easter Break.[18] Between 1 May and 5 May, 2006, Barrowman read bedtime stories on the CBeebies channel. In Summer 2006, he was on the Judges panel of BBC One's How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? music talent show alongside Andrew Lloyd Webber, David Ian, and Zoe Tyler.[19]
On 31 December 2006, Barrowman made two television appearances. The first was on BBC Television's Heaven & Earth,[20] hosted by Gloria Hunniford. On it he talked about spirituality and civil partnerships. His second appearance was as a guest on a team with Craig Revel Horwood and Louis Walsh, on Graham Norton's one-off programme, The Big Finish[20] which was also broadcast on BBC Television. It was a light-hearted look at news stories in 2006.
On 11 February 2007, he co-presented the E!: Entertainment Television BAFTA Film Awards red carpet coverage with Ruby Wax.[21] He also guest-presented two editions of Elaine Paige on Sunday, a pre-recorded BBC Radio 2 weekly musical theatre and film music showcase, broadcast on 11 February and 18 February 2007.[22]
In 2007 Barrowman was a judge in the BBC One TV series Any Dream Will Do to find a new star to play the lead role in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat in London's West End, won on 9 June by Lee Mead, of whom he said: "Lee won because he is polished, professional and close to perfection in what he does. He goes on stage and commands it, and one of the best qualities about him is that he doesn't analyse the song too much. He just gets out there and does it. I'm happy to give over my West End leading man's shoes for a while, to allow him to fill them.",[23] on a post-final party on video posted at Andrew Lloyd Webber's website he commented "The West End had need of Lee Mead".[24]
He has also guested on BBC Two comedy panel quiz show Never Mind the Buzzcocks (Series 19, Episode 5), challenging host Simon Amstell to a "gay-off", Al Murray's Happy Hour, The Charlotte Church Show, and Friday Night with Jonathan Ross.
On Friday 27 July 2007 Barrowman guest hosted The Friday Night Project, on Channel 4, with Justin-Lee Collins and Alan Carr, in which he discussed his role as Captain Jack Harkness, what ET could do with his finger, and showed his backside at the request of an audience member.[25]
In 2008 Barrowman presented a primetime BBC game show called The Kids Are All Right in which a team of 4 adults tried to win money by beating a gang of seven super bright kids.[26] The show was recorded in the new BBC studios in Pacific Quay in Glasgow.[27] On Saturday 16 February 2008, and Saturday 23 February 2008, he presented the National Lottery Draw. On the 1st of March 2008 he appeared on the panel of the Eurovision Song Contest selection show, Eurovision: Your Decision on BBC 1, alongside Carrie Grant and Sir Terry Wogan.
On the 29 April, 30 April 2008 and the 1 May 2008 he presented This Morning.
On the evening of 29 April 2008 he spoke at the Oxford Union about his career, the entertainment industry and gay rights issues. The event was filmed for the programme John Barrowman - The Making Of Me for the BBC, broadcast on 24 July 2008, in which Barrowman explored ideas of what makes people gay.
Beginning in June 2008, he featured as a judge on the Canadian version of How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?.
On Sunday 14 September 2008 he presented Andrew Lloyd Webber's 60th birthday party in London's Hyde Park with a host of guests such as Idina Menzel, Denise Van Outen, Elaine Paige, Lee Mead and the stars of I'd Do Anything.
On 30 November, Barrowman was asked during Radio 1's Switch programme about his habit of exposing himself during interviews, and did so on this occasion.[28] The BBC and Barrowman subsequently apologised for any offence caused.[29]
Barrowman currently presents a new BBC programme in 2009 called Tonight's the Night. It gives contestants "a chance to live their performance dreams".
It was confirmed the On September 14th 2009 John Barrowman will take over from Phillip Quast as Zaza/Albin in the hit drag musical La Cage Aux Folles, it will be at the playhouse theatre. It has not yet been confirmed how long he will remain in the show.
Personal life
Barrowman has been with his partner, Scott Gill, since 1993, from when they met during a production of Rope at the Chichester Festival Theatre.[30] The couple have homes in London and Cardiff Bay.
Despite this long-standing relationship, Barrowman told Scotland's The Herald newspaper that he had no plans to marry, saying, "Why would I want a 'marriage' from a belief system that hates me?" However, he and Gill did become civil partners on 27 December 2006. As Barrowman explained when the couple were interviewed by Attitude magazine, the couple do not want to call this a marriage: "We're just going to sign the civil register. We're not going to have any ceremony because I'm not a supporter of the word marriage for a gay partnership."[12][31][32] The two did have a small ceremony in Cardiff with around 40 friends and family.[33] Among the guests were the regular cast of Torchwood, along with Russell T Davies, the Doctor Who and Torchwood executive producer.[30] The civil partnership was covered by OK! magazine, which published pictures of the ceremony on 16 January 2007.
Barrowman's autobiography, titled Anything Goes, was published on 24 January 2008 with Michael O'Mara Books. It was named after the Cole Porter song and musical of the same name. It was published in the US on 28 April 2008[34] His sister - English professor and journalist - Carole Barrowman wrote the book using her brother's dictations.[35] Barrowman is bidialectal. He learned an American accent after school children picked on his Scottish accent when he moved to the U.S.[3] His accent is often called Mid-Atlantic.[36] He stated while he was appearing on The Friday Night Project that he still speaks in a Scottish accent when he is with his parents, which can be seen during recordings of him with them for the show The Making of Me first broadcast on 24 July 2008 on BBC One. He can be heard slipping into his Scottish accent during the blooper reel included on the Season 1 DVD set of Torchwood.
According to David Tennant's video diary of filming Doctor Who Series 3, Barrowman had a dog named Tegan after the Fifth Doctor's companion Tegan Jovanka, as well as another dog named Lewis. Tegan (the dog) was euthanized in October 2007.[37] On 27 February 2008, Barrowman and Gill adopted another dog, a Jack Russell, whom they named Captain Jack.[38] Later in 2008 they adopted Charlie, a brown cocker spaniel and Harris, a black cocker spaniel.[39]
He was named by Out Magazine as "One of the 100 Men and Women to make 2008 a year to remember".[40]
Credits
| Year | Title | Medium | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | The Untouchables | Film | (uncredited) | |
| 1996 | Central Park West | TV Series | Peter Fairchild | |
| 2000 | Putting It Together | TV Special | The Young Man | |
| Titans | TV Series | Peter Williams | ||
| 2002 | Shark Attack 3: Megalodon | Film | Ben Carpenter | |
| 2004 | Method | Film | Reporter (uncredited) | |
| De-Lovely | Film | Jack/Musical Performer | ||
| 2005 | The Producers | Film | Lead Tenor | |
| Doctor Who | TV Series | Captain Jack Harkness | also in 2007, 2008, 2009 | |
| 2006 - Present | Torchwood | TV Series | Captain Jack Harkness |
Recordings
| Year | Title | Album Artist | Label | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 | Songs from Grease | John Barrowman | JAY Records | Studio recording Grease from JAY Records |
| Godspell | London Cast | JAY Records | Studio Recording by JAY Records | |
| 1997 | Aspects of Lloyd Webber | John Barrowman | JAY PRODUCTIONS | |
| 1998 | The Fix | Original London Cast | Relativity | |
| Hey Mr Producer! | Various Artists | First Night Records | Performing "One, Two, Three" from The Fix | |
| 2002 | The Musicality of Andrew Lloyd Webber | Various Artists | JAY Records | Performing "Any Dream Will Do" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat |
| Essential Songs of Andrew Lloyd Webber | Various Artists | Metro Music | Performing "High Flying, Adored" from Evita | |
| Greatest Songs from the Musicals | Various Artists | Soho | Performing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" from The Lion King and "Grease" from Grease | |
| Loving You | Various Artists | JAY Records | Performing "Can You Feel the Love Tonight?" from The Lion King | |
| 2003 | Anything Goes | 2003 London Cast | First Night Records | |
| Reflections from Broadway | John Barrowman | JAY Records | Studio album | |
| 2004 | Swings Cole Porter | John Barrowman | JAY Records | Studio album - reached #19 on the US Jazz Billboard Chart |
| De-Lovely | Original Soundtrack | Columbia | Performing "Night and Day" | |
| The Producers | Original Soundtrack | Sony BMG | Performing "Springtime for Hitler" | |
| 2006 | Just So | World Premiere Cast | First Night Records | |
| 2007 | Aspects of Lloyd Webber | John Barrowman | JAY Records | Studio album (re-issue of 1997 album) |
| Another Side | John Barrowman | Sony BMG | Studio album (first pop album) - reached #22 on the UK Albums Chart. | |
| 2008 | Music Music Music | John Barrowman | Epic/Sony UK | Studio album (second pop album) - reached #35 on the UK Albums Chart, led by the digital-only single "What About Us?", which failed to chart on the Top 75 singles chart. |
Footnotes
- ^ CABARET REVIEW; Confessions of a Yankee Doodle Dandy at The New York Times
- ^ John Barrowman official website, biography section
- ^ a b "John Barrowman - Christopher Fisher meets Captain Jack from sci-fi television series Doctor Who, now starring in his own spin-off series Torchwood". Scotland Magazine. December 2006. http://web.archive.org/web/20080119192141/http://www.johnbarrowman.net/outabout/press/2006/scotlandmagazine.html. Retrieved on 2009-03-15.
- ^ Stonewall (2006-11-03). John Barrowman, Sugar Rush, Sheri Dobrowski, Mail on Sunday win accolades at Stonewall Awards. Press release. http://www.stonewall.org.uk/media/current_releases/1524.asp. Retrieved on 2006-11-03.
- ^ Murray, Paula (24 November 2006). "Russell is voted hottest brand on telly". Daily Record. http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/tm_headline=russell-is-voted-hottest-brand-on-telly&method=full&objectid=18149622&siteid=66633-name_page.html. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ http://www.eabf.org.uk/RVP-PressRelease08.pdf Press release announcing acts for the 2008 Royal Variety Performance
- ^ John Barrowman official website, biography section
- ^ Luaine, Lee (27 August 2007). "John Barrowman stars in BBC America's 'Torchwood'". The Miami Herald. http://www.miamiherald.com/272/story/216821.html. Retrieved on 2007-08-28.
- ^ "1998 Olivier Awards winners and nominations". Albermarle of London. http://www.albemarle-london.com/awards/AwardWinners.php?Award_Type=Laurence%20Olivier%20Awards&Year=1998. Retrieved on 2007-05-21.
- ^ Birmingham Hippodrome (2007-06-05). John Barrowman to play Aladdin!. Press release. http://www.birminghamhippodrome.com/?page=106&nsID=213. Retrieved on 2007-06-05.
- ^ "Gay Doctor Who star was too straight for Will and Grace". Pink News. 13 January 2006. http://www.pinknews.co.uk/news/articles/2005-327.html.
- ^ a b Williams, Andrew (2 November 2006). "60 seconds: John Barrowman". Metro (Associated Newspapers). http://www.metro.co.uk/fame/interviews/article.html?in_article_id=23649&in_page_id=11. Retrieved on 2006-11-05.
- ^ "EG BIG INTERVIEW: JOHN BARROWMAN". thisisnottingham.co.uk. 2007-11-09. http://www.thisisnottingham.co.uk/displayNode.jsp?nodeId=133942&command=displayContent&sourceNode=244910&contentPK=18914884&folderPk=103546&pNodeId=244911. Retrieved on 2007-11-09.
- ^ "David Tennant makes surprise return to the TARDIS!". BBC. 2009-05-22. http://www.bbc.co.uk/doctorwho/s4/misc/media/tntnspesh.sthml. Retrieved on 2009-05-24.
- ^ Blair, Alan (26 November 2007). "Capt. Jack Returns To 'Doctor Who'". SyFy Portal. http://www.syfyportal.com/news423008.html. Retrieved on 2007-02-12.
- ^ BBC (2008-02-08). Hotel Babylon series three: Credits. Press release. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2008/02_february/08/babylon_credits.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-02-12.
- ^ "It's showtime on BBC1" (needs registration). 2 September 2005. http://media.guardian.co.uk/broadcast/story/0,7493,1561687,00.html.
- ^ Cameron Robertson (13 March 2006). "Exclusive: Dr's Jack takes on ITV sofa". The Daily Mirror. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=16807139&method=full&siteid=94762&headline=exclusive--dr-s-jack-takes-on-itv-sofa-name_page.html.
- ^ BBC (6 June 2006). How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria? panel chosen. Press release. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2006/06_june/06/maria.shtml.
- ^ a b 'Kurly' (15 December 2006). "Catching you up through 2007". Torchwood. TV. http://torchwoodtv.blogspot.com/2006/12/catching-you-up-through-2007.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
- ^ "Bafta Red Carpet". John Barrowman Official Site — News. 10 January 2007. http://www.johnbarrowman.net/news/newsindex.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
- ^ "JB on the Radio". John Barrowman Official Site — News. 12 January 2007. http://www.johnbarrowman.net/news/newsindex.html. Retrieved on 2007-01-13.
- ^ BBC (2008-02-08). Public vote says West End in need of Lee Mead. Press release. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/06_june/09/dream.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-08-13.
- ^ Bill Kenwright, John Barrowman.. Bill and John at the Aftershow Party. [Windows Media Video]. BBC Television Centre: AndrewLloydWebber.com. http://www.andrewlloydwebber.com/sections/news/newsdb.php?article=83.
- ^ John Barrowman - 27 July 2007
- ^ BBC (2007-10-19). John Barrowman to host prime time BBC One show The Kids Are All Right. Press release. http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/pressreleases/stories/2007/10_october/19/kids.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-02-13.
- ^ "BBC - Be On A Show - The Kids are All Right" (SHTML). BBC.co.uk. BBC. http://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/beonashow/shows/the_kids_are_alright.shtml. Retrieved on 2008-02-13.
- ^ Leigh Holmwood "John Barrowman apologises for exposing himself on BBC Radio 1", The Guardian, 2 December 2008.
- ^ "Barrowman sorry for radio flash". BBC. 2007-12-01. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7759215.stm. Retrieved on 2008-12-04.
- ^ a b Oconner, Gavin (28 December 2006). "Torchwood star in celebrity ceremony". icWales (South Wales Echo). http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/southwalesecho/news/tm_headline=torchwood-star-in-celebrity-ceremony&method=full&objectid=18339640&siteid=50082-name_page.html. Retrieved on 2006-12-28.
- ^ "Any Queries". Attitude Magazine. December 2006. http://www.attitude.co.uk.
- ^ "Torchwood star's Cardiff big day". BBC News (BBC). 23 November 2006. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6173076.stm. Retrieved on 2006-11-25.
- ^ "Torchwood star's civil ceremony". BBC News (BBC). 2006-12-27. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/wales/6212729.stm. Retrieved on 2006-12-27.
- ^ "Autobiography release dates confirmed". http://www.johnbarrowman.com/news/newsindex.html.
- ^ Weintraub, Joanne (4 September 2007). "His own universe". News (Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). http://www.gallifreyone.com/cgi-bin/viewnews.cgi?id=EElElZZVEyimhFKAnu&tmpl=newsrss&style=feedstyle.
- ^ "Playbill: Dear John: Barrowman Puts It All Together on Broadway News". www.playbill.com. http://www.playbill.com/news/print.asp?id=64958. Retrieved on 2008-01-26.
- ^ "In loving memory". 12. http://web.archive.org/web/20080214223755/http://www.johnbarrowman.com/tiger/tiger.html. Retrieved on 29 March 2009.
- ^ "Pictures of CJ". 27. http://www.rexfeatures.com/set/740207. Retrieved on 2 March 2008.
- ^ "Meet the Boys". 10. http://www.johnbarrowman.com/boys/theboys.html. Retrieved on 10 October 2008.
- ^ "Out Magazine". out.com. http://out.com/out100/nominees_7.asp. Retrieved on 2009-04-28.
References
- Barrowman, John; Barrowman, Carole (2008), Anything Goes, Michael O'Mara Books, ISBN 1843172895
External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: John Barrowman |
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: John Barrowman |
- Official site
- John Barrowman at the Internet Movie Database
- John Barrowman at Allmovie
- John Barrowman channel at YouTube
- John Barrowman at InBaseline
- John Barrowman Spain, página para fans en español
- Interview with Barrowman at AfterElton.com
- BBC's Torchwood site
- BBC's Doctor Who site
- BBC's Any Dream Will Do site
- John Barrowman's How Do You Solve A Problem Like A Maria? Profile
- Downstage Center interview at American Theatre Wing.org
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