Seen on the screen|John Barrowman
Lifestyles
Published: Sep 14, 2007 12:30 AM
Modified: Sep 14, 2007 03:05 AM
Seen on the screen
John Barrowman
SERIES: "Torchwood," 8 p.m. Saturdays, BBC America (the channel is available on digital cable in the Raleigh market).
THE LATEST: John Barrowman plays Capt. Jack Harkness, the character he embodied in the "Doctor Who" series, in this sci-fi action series. Harkness leads a team of investigators who use alien technology to solve crimes -- way outside the jurisdiction of Earthbound law enforcement agencies.
CRITIC'S TAKE: Melanie McFarland of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer says, " 'Torchwood' might as well be a Saturday matinee all grown up, with a charismatic action figure at the center in Capt. Jack Harkness (John Barrowman), who's a little bit Han Solo, a little bit Jack Sparrow, with a touch of Tom Cruise. Surrounded by a team of geeks with no lives beyond hunting down aliens and collecting otherworldly technology, Harkness grants Saturday night's stay-in crowd reason to camp out on the couch and not sacrifice any cool."
DID YOU KNOW? Barrowman, who grew up in Illinois, attended DePaul University for a short while studying musical theater but left when he was told he had to become an opera singer, when he wanted to be a musical-comedy performer. After graduation, he went to the United Kingdom, where he eventually starred on London's West End in the musicals "Anything Goes," "Miss Saigon," "Matador," "Rope" and "Hair." He was the host of a children's show called "Live and Kicking" and played the Beast in the London version of "Beauty and the Beast." On TV, he co-starred in the short-lived series "Titans" but was better known for his guest appearances as Harkness on "Doctor Who," which earned him a following among devoted fans of the sci-fi series. Barrowman, who is gay, was among the final three considered for the role of Will Truman but lost it to Eric McCormack (who is heterosexual) when casting folks said Barrowman was "not gay enough."
LIFE OFF-SCREEN: Barrowman, 40, was born in Glasgow, Scotland, and moved at age 8 to the U.S. with his family when his dad became the first non-American citizen to head an American corporation, Caterpillar. "I feel like a Brit and an American," he says. "I think we became more Scottish when we left Scotland. Our patriotism to Scotland became strong but I was naturalized as an American citizen in 1985 and very proud of that. But my home is the United Kingdom." He lives there with his partner of 16 years, architect Scott Gill, and their two dogs.
FIND HIM ON DVD IN: Various "Doctor Who" collections as well as the musical revue "Putting It Together."
From: Mcclatchy-Tribune News Service, Mdb.Com, Amazon.Com
http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/703395.html