Thomas McGowan (born July 26, 1959) is an American actor. He first became known for his stage career both on and off Broadway. In 1991, he was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play and the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actor in a Play for his Broadway debut performance in La Bête. In 2011, McGowan was chosen to step into the role of the Wizard in Wicked on Broadway. In 2014, McGowan starred in Harvey Fierstein's original Broadway play Casa Valentina which was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Play. Since then he has appeared in the Broadway revivals of She Loves Me (2016) and Kiss Me, Kate (2019).
Tom McGowan | |
|---|---|
| Born | Thomas McGowan July 26, 1959 Belmar, New Jersey, U.S. |
| Education | Hofstra University (BFA) Yale University (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1991–present |
| Spouse | Cathy |
| Children | 2 |
He is also known for his recurring role on the Emmy Award winning NBC show Frasier, as KACL station manager Kenny Daly. He has also appeared on a variety of shows including Everybody Loves Raymond, The Practice, ER, Desperate Housewives, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, Veep and The Good Fight.
He has appeared in films such as Heavyweights, Sleepless in Seattle, The Birdcage, As Good as It Gets, True Crime, Ghost World, and Bad Santa.
Career
On Broadway he appeared in La Bête (1991), for which he received a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play. Off Broadway, he won an Obie Award for his performance in Nicky Silver's play The Food Chain. He played the role of Pat Finley in the 1995 movie Heavyweights and the role of Patrick Fisher in the 2006 movie Twelve and Holding.
McGowan has been performing the role of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz in various companies of Wicked since 2009. He first played the Wizard in the original Second National Tour production, beginning March 7, 2009.[1] He finished with the touring company on December 6, 2009, transferring to the San Francisco production, playing the Wizard from December 22, 2009, through September 5, 2010, when the production closed. He then returned to the Second National Tour, resuming performances on January 11, 2011, and concluding his performances on the tour on April 17, 2011. McGowan joined the Broadway company of the show from May 3, 2011, through February 5, 2012.[2] Thereafter, he moved to the show's First National Tour, playing the role from August 2012 through April 2013. He has since performed the role on Broadway intermittently, including from August 13, 2013, through February 22, 2014, and onward from July 15, 2014. McGowan played the role in the West End production of the show from September 21, 2015, through March 12, 2016.[3]
McGowan was in the 2016 Broadway revival of She Loves Me as Ladislav Sipos. McGowan played the character Falstaff in Shakespeare's The Merry Wives of Windsor at San Diego's The Old Globe Theatre in August 2023.[4]
Personal life
McGowan grew up in Belmar, New Jersey.[5] He graduated from Belmar's St. Rose High School in 1977.[6] Upon graduation from high school, he attended Hofstra University and the Yale School of Drama, from which he graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1988. He and his wife, Cathy, have a son, Mark (born May 5, 1992) and a daughter, Mary (born February 10, 1995).
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | The Last of the Mohicans | Rich Merchant | |
| 1992 | Captain Ron | Bill | |
| 1993 | Searching for Bobby Fischer | Reporter | |
| 1993 | Sleepless in Seattle | Keith | |
| 1994 | Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle | Alexander Woollcott | |
| 1995 | Heavyweights | Pat Finley | |
| 1996 | The Birdcage | Harry Radman | |
| 1997 | Cold Around the Heart | Gun Store Man | |
| 1997 | As Good as It Gets | Maitre D' | |
| 1997 | Bean: The Movie | Walter Huntley | |
| 1999 | True Crime | Tom Donaldson | |
| 2000 | The Family Man | Bill | |
| 2001 | Ghost World | Joe | |
| 2003 | Bad Santa | Harrison | |
| 2004 | Dog Gone Love | Star | |
| 2004 | After the Sunset | Ed | |
| 2005 | 12 and Holding | Patrick Fisher | |
| 2009 | Just Peck | Mr. Kuhner | |
| 2015 | Freeheld | William Johnson | |
| 2016 | She Loves Me | Ladislav Sipos | Filmed production |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992–93 | Down the Shore | Eddie Cheever | 29 episodes |
| 1994 | Coach | Edgar | Episode: "Be a Good Sport" |
| 1994 | Monty | Clifford Walker | 13 episodes |
| 1996 | The Show | George Hart | 4 episodes |
| 1996–97 | Sabrina, The Teenage Witch | Principal Larue | 3 episodes |
| 1996–2004 | Everybody Loves Raymond | Bernie | 17 episodes |
| 1997 | Honey, I Shrunk the Kids: The TV Show | Randy | Episode: "Honey, I Shrunk the Science Dude" |
| 1998 | The Practice | William Wright | Episode: "The Pursuit of Dignity" |
| 1998–2004 | Frasier | Kenny Daly | 42 episodes |
| 1999 | Snoops | Dirty Marty | 2 episodes |
| 1999–2000 | ER | Joe Bernero | 2 episodes |
| 2000 | Bull | Johnny Walker | Episode: "In The Course of Human Events" |
| 2001 | Welcome to New York | Joe Gaffigan | Episode: "The Brother" |
| 2001 | King of the Hill | David (voice) | Episode: "Hank's Back Story" |
| 2001 | The Huntress | Ollie Drake | Episode: "With Great Power" |
| 2001 | Curb Your Enthusiasm | John Tyler | Episode: "The Thong" |
| 2003 | The Pitts | Officer Peltz | Episode: "Squarewolves" |
| 2003 | Judging Amy | Mr. Moran | Episode: "Picture of Perfect" |
| 2004 | Complete Savages | Reverend Dave | Episode: "Carnival Knowledge" |
| 2004 | Oliver Beene | Bob "Simon Says" Brooks | Episode: "Catskills" |
| 2004 | 8 Simple Rules | Frank | Episode: "Thanksgiving Guest" |
| 2005 | Reba | Inspector | Episode: "As Is" |
| 2005–07 | The War at Home | Joe | 11 episodes |
| 2006 | Just Legal | Jeff Jacobs | Episode: "The Bar" |
| 2006 | Play Nice | Performer | TV movie |
| 2007 | Hannah Montana | Leo | Episode: "Don't Stop 'Til You Get the Phone" |
| 2007 | Brothers & Sisters | Luther Reeves | Episode: "An American Family" |
| 2007 | Boston Legal | Noris Milk | Episode: "Green Christmas" |
| 2008 | Greek | Fred | Episode: "47 Hours and 11 Minutes" |
| 2008 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Mark | Episode: "Two and a Half Deaths" |
| 2009 | Eli Stone | Donnie Griffiths | Episode: "Sonoma" |
| 2010 | Desperate Housewives | Mayor Franklin | Episode: "Down the Block There's a Riot" |
| 2011 | Hot in Cleveland | Robert | Episode: "Love Thy Neighbor" |
| 2012 | Modern Family | Principal Roth | Episode: "Schooled" |
| 2015 | Veep | Congressman Moyes | Episode: "B/ill" |
| 2017 | The Good Fight | Jax Rindell | 5 episodes |
| 2020 | One Royal Holiday | Ed Jordan | TV movie |
| 2022 | American Auto | Ed | Episode: "Earnings Call" |
Theatre
| Year | Title | Role | Venue | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | Coriolanus | Ensemble | The Public Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1989 | The Winter's Tale | Clown | The Public Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1991 | La Bête | Valere | Eugene O'Neill Theatre, Broadway | [7] |
| 1995 | The Food Chain | Otto | Westside Theatre, Off-Broadway | |
| 1996 | Chicago | Amos Hart (replacement) | The Gershwin Theatre, Broadway | |
| 1997 | Ivanov | Mikhail Borkin | Vivian Beaumont Theater, Broadway | |
| 2002 | A Few Stout Individuals | Adam Badeau | Peter Norton Space, Off-Broadway | |
| 2011 | Wicked | The Wizard of Oz (replacement) | The Gershwin Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2014 | Casa Valentina | Bessie | Samuel J. Friedman Theatre, Broadway | |
| 2016 | She Loves Me | Ladislav Sipos (replacement) | Studio 54, Broadway | |
| 2019 | Kiss Me, Kate | Gangster (replacement) | ||
| 2023 | The Merry Wives of Windsor | Falstaff | The Old Globe, San Diego |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Tony Awards | Best Actor in a Play | La Bête | Nominated | [7] |
| Drama Desk Awards | Best Actor in a Play | Nominated | |||
| Outer Critics Circle Award | Best Debut Performance | Won | |||
| 1996 | Obie Award | Best Performance | The Food Chain | Won |
