Peter Gowland's Past - Excerpts from the Biography of Peter Gowland

From Peter's biography
Click here for Peter's filmography

London-Photographer, Ralph Starkweather, bought pic on e-Bay. link to the filmography of Gibson Gowland	Erich von Stroheim upstaged by Gibson Gowland in "Blind Husbands" Peter refers to his father as "the unknown celebrity" because of his only starring role in a film that has become a classic, *Greed* directed by Erich von Stroheim in 1924. Gibson Gowland was McTeague, the lead character. While *Greed* is still shown and written about, Gibson's other 87 film roles never came up to that first burst of fame. A mild mannered man in reality, his was always cast in villainous roles; Simon Legree in Topsy and Eva, raping Joan Crawford in Rose Marie. He lived modestly on small pay checks. Originally, Gibson came to the United States from England, by way of Canada, in 1913 and there met Beatrice Bird, also from England, whom he married. Both were actors who had left their comfortable families behind to seek careers. They arrived in Hollywood by train knowing no one in 1914. At first, each worked for $2 a day as extras or bit players and lived in a $7 a month shack one-half block from the famous Sunset Blvd. In 1916, Peter was born there. He sees the irony of that beginning, with his life-style today, also just three blocks from Sunset Blvd, but at the other end, in an affluent neighborhood. After two broken marriages, Gibson returned to England in 1944, a sad and unfulfilled man. He died in London at age 74 and is buried in Golders Green. Peter has never been able to find his father's grave.

Joan Crawford with Gibby cutting her head off. "Rose Marie" 1928	Zazu Pitts with Gibson in "Greed" 1924 “Thanks, Ed Harris & eBay for these two pictures”

Gibson Gowland, 1902 in England

Gibson Gowland before a job interview

Gibson Gowland in SOS Iceberg shot in Greenland 1933

Gibson Gowland in South Africa 1902

Gibson Gowland in North Africa 1922

Peter was not forced to work until he was six weeks old. His mother, Sylvia Andrew, wrote the script, Small Magnetic Hand for a Universal film in 1916, Peter's only starring role.

link to the filmography of Sylvia Andrew

Peter Gowland's mother driving new car Universal Studio 1916

clapboard house on hill

Peter's Mother - Painting by "Edwin Earl" in 1932

age 2, Hollywood, California	age 3, Los Angeles	age 3, movie set	age 7, Ocean Park, Santa Monica

Peter's half-brother, George, age 6, married 6 times. (We call him, "Lucky George.")

Peter's mother, brother, and father had no problem growing hair. Money? Mother sold her hair to Hollywood wig-maker.
Max Factor?

Peter pulling wagon with his dog.
Gibson's camera was always cutting off left side.
That is why I went into the camera business

“A camera is only a light-tight box”

Gibson Gowland driving Peter, age 5 in 1921

Gibson and Peter Gowland
Gibby & Peter

My father raised me from age two, to my late
teens. He never hit me or told me how to live my life,
or what I should study in school.

Dora & Peter

At age eight, Peter attended Christian Science Sunday School with Dora and June Allen, walking the Boardwalk past the Ocean Park pier. On the way back, they would stop at the Waffle House or walk out onto the pier to hear Professor Seward lecture about Astrology. Dora and June were not interested, but Peter was all ears. He went often to hear Professor Seward and soon learned that he preferred Astrology to Christian Science. With it he could analyze personalities, see who was more compatible for him as well as friends. Astrology seemed logical because it was based on the movements of the planets which he could see. He still feels that most wars are fought over religion but knows of none that have been fought over Astrology. Talking about one’s Astrological sign can be less inflamatory than discussing one’s political party or religion.

To use the card, find your sign from Aries to Pisces on the left. Next, move from left to right for all your compatible signs. Virgo has 3, the least, while Leo has the most, 8. The 12 numbers on the right are the dates the signs begin. Aries starts on the 21st March, Pisces starts on 19th of February. On the far right, Aries rules the head, Pisces the feet. Peter keeps a little card like this handy. Although Virgo is the most discriminating sign, Peter finds them to be perfect workers.

Others born Peter’s birthday, April 3, include Alec Baldwin, Jean Paul Belmondo, Marlin Brando, Herb Caen, Doris Day, Robert Downey Jr, Jane Goodall, Gus Grissom, Leslie Howard, Washington Irving, George Jessel, Helmut Kohl, Herry R. Luce, Marsha Mason, Eddie Murphy, Wayne Newton, David Hyde Pierce, Richard II, Ricky Schroeder, Boss Tweed and Miyoshi Umeki.

YOUR COMPATIBLE SIGNS
Astrology - Compatible signs


BEFORE	Peter's childhood was happy.	AFTER

Under joint-custody at age eleven my mother decided I was not living a proper life-style. My clothes and general appearance to her, "were dirty." So, at age eleven,I was dropped off at British Military Academy in Hollywood. My father neglected to tell me where we were going. Hugging my toy truck, in a narrow bed, I cried myself to sleep. A few days later I was happy. They’d given me a soldier’s uniform! At age three and seven I had worn sailor suits. Now I was in the Army.

Gibson, his Graham Paige & "Malibu" house.
British Subject, Gibson parks on left side of street.

Gary Cooper with Gibson Gowland in Florida, 1929

In 1930, my father and I moved into a one bedroom house on Pacific Coast highway near Malibu. The house cost $500.and an additional $10 dollars a month was to lease the land. An outhouse served as a bathroom. There was no gas, no electricity and cold,running water only on occasion. My father added two more rooms and a bathroom but cooking was still done on a kerosene range. The living room was heated by burning newspaper in a tin stove. Beause the house was built in a canyon, heavy rains were a problem. Water would flood in the back door and exit through the front door, leaving 18" of rocks and sand down the center hall. My father and I had to shovel it into wheelbarrows and dump it into the drain under the highway.

I remember, when I was thirteen, my father bought me a 22-Rifle. I took a shot at a small bird, not thinking I could kill it, I never used the gun again and I still hate guns. A person in our present neighborhood shot a raccoon! We feed at least twelve of them every night. Another neighbor shot a rat. I couldn’t even do that.

At seventeen I was a member of the California Cavalry. At nineteen, wearing a German uniform at Universal Studios in “The Road Back.” We filmed from sunset to dawn, freezing for weeks, running over battle fields, surprise explosions under foot. A powder man was killed by concussion while firing a machine gun from inside a small building. To me, it was real war! I didn’t like it.

Peter's grandmother, 13th woman doctor in the British Isles. She had 2 doctor sons. She dressed as a man in order to vote. As a child Peter lived in a 4 doctor family in London for 2 years.

“Great Grand daughter, Camille, born 1997. She has been playing the violin since age five. Now plays with local City orchestra. She recently took up the flute. We think she is on her way to becoming our 6^th generation in show business.”

Peter's doctor-actor grandfather, Henry Marcus Bird, was the first generation in show business London. This was in the l9th century, soon after men dressed as women to act female roles in Shakespeare's time.

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Some of these pictures will appear in Peter's biography