John Barrowman

John Barrowman was born in Glasgow and lived in the Mount Vernon area of the city until he was eight years old, when his family moved to Illinois in the United States. He studied Performing Arts at San Diego’s United States International University (USIU), and during his studies returned to the UK to study Shakespeare.

He began his career in London’s West End alongside Elaine Paige in Cole Porter’s Anything Goes, and went on to star as the lead male in many of London’s leading shows, such as The Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Hair, Sunset Boulevard and Godspell. He also appeared on several occasions on New York’s Broadway in Sunset Boulevard and Putting it Together.

Barrowman has appeared as an artist at the Royal Variety Performance, the Stephen Sondheim Celebration at Washington’s Kennedy Center, the 1998 Gala Performance for Sir Cameron Mackintosh, and he presented the concert in London’s Hyde Park for Lord Lloyd Webber’s 60^th birthday.

John has now become known as a television presenter, being one of the original presenters of Live & Kicking, presenting the BAFTA Film Awards, and appearing a judge on the BBC’s How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria? and Any Dream Will Do with Andrew Lloyd Webber. In 2009, he began presenting his own show: Tonight’s the Night, which is filmed in Glasgow at the BBC.

Doctor Who and Torchwood is perhaps what John is best known for. He is the lead star in Torchwood, which is due to film its fourth series after become popular in the US through BBC America. He guest starred in the 2010 season of Desperate Housewives, Hotel Babylon for BBC1, and it is rumoured that he will appear in hit series, Glee.

He was nominated for an Oliver Award in 1998 and voted Entertainer of the Year by Stonewall in 2006. Barrowman works with Stonewall on gay rights issues and has spoken at the Oxford Union about his career and gay rights issues. He met with David Cameron prior to the 2010 UK General Election as a representative of the LGBT community.