John Scot Barrowman, (born 11 March 1967), is a Scottish-American actor, singer, dancer, presenter and writer who holds both British and American citizenship. Born in Glasgow, Scotland, he emigrated to the United States with his family in 1975. Encouraged by his high school teachers, Barrowman studied performing arts at the United States International University in San Diego before landing the role of Billy Crocker in Cole Porter's
Anything Goes at London's West End.
Since his debut in professional theatre, Barrowman has played lead roles in various musicals both in the West End and on Broadway, including
Miss Saigon,
The Phantom of the Opera,
Sunset Boulevard and
Matador. After appearing in Sam Mendes' production of
The Fix, he was nominated for the 1998 Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical and, in the early 2000s, returned to the role of Billy Crocker in the revival of
Anything Goes. His most recent West End credit was in the 2009 production of
La Cage aux Folles.
Aside his theatrical career, Barrowman has appeared in various films including the musical biopic
De-Lovely (2004) and musical comedy
The Producers (2005). Before venturing into British television, he featured in the American television dramas
Titans and
Central Park West but he is better known for his acting and presenting work for the BBC that includes his work for CBBC in its earlier years, his self-produced entertainment programme
Tonight's the Night, and his BAFTA Cymru-nominated role of Captain Jack Harkness in the science fiction series
Doctor Who and
Torchwood. Barrowman has also had a number of guest roles in television programmes both in the US and the UK. He appeared as a contestant on the first series of celebrity ice skating show
Dancing on Ice while his theatrical background allowed him to become a judge on Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical talent shows
How Do You Solve a Problem like Maria?,
Any Dream Will Do and
I'd Do Anything. In 2006, he was voted Stonewall's Entertainer of the Year. Starting in 2013, he hosts the BBC One quiz show
Pressure Pad. Barrowman now stars in the CW's
Arrow as Malcolm Merlyn/Dark Archer, the show's version of the DC villain Merlyn and one of the series main antagonists.
Barrowman is also featured on more than a dozen musical theatre recordings including cover tunes found on his 2007 album,
Another Side, and 2008's
Music Music Music. Both albums accrued places on the UK Albums Chart, as did his self-titled
John Barrowman (2010), which reached number 11, his highest chart placing to date. Furthermore, Barrowman has published two memoirs and autobiographies,
Anything Goes (2008) and
I Am What I Am (2009), with his sister Carole as co-author. The siblings also teamed up to write a novel,
Hollow Earth (2012). The second book in the series,
Bone Quill, has been released in the UK and was released in the US in July 2013.