---
name: "Gibson Gowland"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/gibson-gowland"
fi1m_id: "gibson-gowland"
imdb_id: "nm0332998"
tmdb_id: 9097
wikidata_id: "Q731233"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "3 January 1877"
died: "9 September 1951"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 7
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 1
updated: "2026-09-25T06:10:46.879414+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Gibson Gowland

## Identity

Gibson Gowland

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/gibson-gowland
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** gibson-gowland
- **IMDb ID:** nm0332998
- **TMDB ID:** 9097
- **Wikidata ID:** Q731233
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Gowland, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q731233, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0332998/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9097

Actor. Born 3 January 1877 in Spennymoor, Durham, England, UK. Died 9 September 1951.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 3 January 1877, Spennymoor, Durham, England, UK
- **Died:** 9 September 1951
- **Also known as:** Thomas Gowland, T.H. Gowland, T.H. Gibson-Gowland, T.H. Gibson Gowland, G.H. Gowland
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 7: 1 acting, 6 other
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1920s 87 (2), 1930s 70 (1), 1940s 76 (4)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gibson_Gowland, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q731233, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0332998/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/9097

## Streaming the US now

- **Tubi:** [*Greed*](https://film.one/film/greed.md) (86)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Gibson Gowland

> Gibson Gowland often played rough, imposing men; in *Greed*, he makes one of them painfully human. We value him for keeping McTeague recognisable when the film gives us plenty of reasons to recoil.

Gibson Gowland makes the slow-thinking, physically powerful dentist in *Greed* (1924) difficult to dismiss. John McTeague becomes hard to like, but Gowland gives him enough human weight that we keep watching rather than simply waiting for him to behave badly. We rate the performance highly because it makes the character's resentment recognisable without asking us to excuse him. Erich von Stroheim can be overbearing in his judgement of these people; Gowland leaves us something to think about for ourselves.

Stroheim had already cast him as Silent Sepp, the mountain guide in *Blind Husbands* (1919), before giving him his only leading role in *Greed*. Elsewhere, he was frequently cast as rough or physically imposing supporting characters. He played Simon Buquet in *The Phantom of the Opera* (1925) and an uncredited angry driver in F.W. Murnau's *Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans* (1927). The sound years brought mostly small, uncredited parts.

The company matters. Zasu Pitts's Trina and Jean Hersholt's Marcus have resentments that feel personal, and their work is as important as Gowland's to the film's success. We found the jealousy in *Greed* oppressive because all three make it feel uncomfortably close to ordinary dissatisfaction. Understanding the feelings while recoiling from the people having them is a large part of the discomfort. Gowland is central to that effect, but treating the film as his alone would miss what the other actors contribute.

There are limits to what the cast can repair. The surviving *Greed* has awkward joins, and Stroheim sometimes insists on a point the performances have already made. Gowland's imposing presence suits McTeague, but casting a large man would not by itself have kept the character from becoming a simple villain. His smaller parts cannot tell us what a succession of leading roles might have revealed, and there is no need to invent that career for him. See *Greed* for the difficult, substantial performance he did have the chance to give.

## Biography

Gibson Gowland (1877–1951) was an English film actor. He was born in Spennymoor, County Durham, England, and came to the United States via Canada around 1913. He worked initially as a bit player in Hollywood after meeting and marrying actress Beatrice Bird.

His only starring role was as dentist John McTeague in Erich von Stroheim’s *Greed* (1924), adapted from Frank Norris’s novel and co-starring ZaSu Pitts. Von Stroheim also directed him in *Blind Husbands* (1919). He appeared as Simon Buquet in *The Phantom of the Opera* (1925) and took numerous uncredited bit parts in films through the 1940s, including *Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans* (1927), *The Wolf Man* (1941), *Mrs. Miniver* (1942) and *Gaslight* (1944). He had a son, actor and photographer Peter Gowland.

*Sources: imdb.com, en.wikipedia.org.*

## On Fi1m (7)

### Performed in (1) — the average rests on these

- *Greed* (1924), Fi1m 86, as John McTeague — [page](https://film.one/film/greed.md)

### Also credited (6) — thanks, archive footage, uncredited

- *Gaslight* (1944), Fi1m 81, as Servant (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/gaslight.md)
- *Going My Way* (1944), Fi1m 74, as Parishioner (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/going-my-way.md)
- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), Fi1m 73, as Man on Boat (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-miniver.md)
- *The Wolf Man* (1941), Fi1m 78, as Villager (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man.md)
- *Arrowsmith* (1931), Fi1m 70, as Committee Member (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/arrowsmith.md)
- *Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans* (1927), Fi1m 88, as Angry Driver (uncredited) — [page](https://film.one/film/sunrise-a-song-of-two-humans.md)

## Complete filmography (75)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Gun Cargo* (1949), as Henry Morgan
- *Kitty* (1945), as Prison Guard (uncredited)
- *Gaslight* (1944), as Servant (uncredited) — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/gaslight.md)
- *It Happened Tomorrow* (1944), Actor
- *A Guy Named Joe* (1944), as Bartender (uncredited)
- *The Lodger* (1944), Actor
- *Going My Way* (1944), as Parishioner (uncredited) — Fi1m 74, [page](https://film.one/film/going-my-way.md)
- *Slightly Dangerous* (1943), as Opera patron (uncredited)
- *The Moon Is Down* (1943), as Villager (uncredited)
- *Crossroads* (1942), as Reporter (uncredited)
- *Mrs. Miniver* (1942), as Man on Boat (uncredited) — Fi1m 73, [page](https://film.one/film/mrs-miniver.md)
- *The Remarkable Andrew* (1942), as Jurist
- *The Wolf Man* (1941), as Villager (uncredited) — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-wolf-man.md)
- *Sundown* (1941), as Churchgoer in Wheelchair (uncredited)
- *Broadway Limited* (1941), as Cafe Customer (uncredited)
- *Mutiny in the Arctic* (1941), as Crewman (uncredited)
- *The Ape* (1940), as Posse Member
- *Doomed to Die* (1940), as Doctor (uncredited)
- *Northwest Passage* (1940), as MacPherson
- *Henry Goes Arizona* (1939), as Rancher (uncredited)
- *Raffles* (1939), as Villager (uncredited)
- *Cotton Queen* (1937), as Gaoler
- *The Wife of General Ling* (1937), as Mike
- *The House of the Spaniard* (1936), as 1st Captain
- *Wolves of the Sea* (1936), as Cafe Customer (edited from 'Hell's Harbor')  (uncredited)
- *King of the Damned* (1935), as Priest
- *The Mystery of the Mary Celeste* (1935), as Andy Gilling
- *The Stoker* (1935), as Steve
- *The Secret of the Loch* (1934), as Angus
- *Nordpol - Ahoi!* (1934), Actor
- *The Private Life of Don Juan* (1934), as Don Alfredo, Carmen's Poor Husband
- *S.O.S. Iceberg* (1933), as John Dragan
- *S.O.S. Iceberg* (1933), as John Dragan
- *The Doomed Battalion* (1932), as Innerhofer
- *Without Honor* (1932), as Mike Donovan
- *Arrowsmith* (1931), as Committee Member (uncredited) — Fi1m 70, [page](https://film.one/film/arrowsmith.md)
- *A House Divided* (1931), as Bartender (uncredited)
- *Land of Wanted Men* (1931), as Terry
- *Cleaning Up* (1930), as Burke
- *The Sea Bat* (1930), as Limey
- *Hell Harbor* (1930), as Henry Morgan
- *The Mysterious Island* (1929), as Dmitry
- *Rose-Marie* (1928), as Black Bastien
- *Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans* (1927), as Angry Driver (uncredited) — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/film/sunrise-a-song-of-two-humans.md)
- *The Isle of Forgotten Women* (1927), as John Stort
- *Topsy and Eva* (1927), as Simon Leegree
- *The First Auto* (1927), as The Blacksmith
- *The Land Beyond the Law* (1927), as Silent 'Oklahoma' Joe
- *The Broken Gate* (1927), as Ephraim Adamson
- *The Night of Love* (1927), as Bandit
- *Don Juan* (1926), as Gentleman of Rome (uncredited)
- *The Outsider* (1926), as Shadow
- *The Phantom of the Opera* (1925), as Simon Buquet
- *The Prairie Wife* (1925), as Ollie
- *Love and Glory* (1924), as Jules Malicorne
- *Greed* (1924), as John McTeague — Fi1m 86, [page](https://film.one/film/greed.md)
- *The Border Legion* (1924), as Gulden
- *The Red Lily* (1924), as Le Turc
- *Shifting Sands* (1923), as Samuel Thayer
- *Hutch Stirs 'em Up* (1923), as Sir Arthur Blackrose
- *The Harbour Lights* (1923), as Mark Helstone
- *Ladies Must Live* (1921), as Michael Le Prim
- *The Fighting Shepherdess* (1920), as Bowers
- *The Right of Way* (1920), as Jo Portugais
- *Behind the Door* (1919), as Gideon Blank
- *Blind Husbands* (1919), as Silent Sepp
- *The Four-Gun Bandit* (1919), as Secondary Role (uncredited)
- *The White Heather* (1919), as The Captain
- *Breakers Ahead* (1918), as Mike Burley
- *Bashful* (1917), as Musician (uncredited)
- *The Secret of Black Mountain* (1917), as Jack Rance
- *Under Handicap* (1917), as Batt Truxton
- *The Promise* (1917), as Stromberg
- *The Father of Her Child* (1916), as Rufus Strong
- *Jewel* (1915), as Dr. Ballard (as T.W. Gowland)

## Gallery

- ![Gibson Gowland](https://film.one/media/person/459914/gallery-ceff38114a1b.jpg) Gibson Gowland — Unknown authorUnknown author, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a4/Film_actor_Gibson_Gowland_%28SAYRE_2349%29.jpg/1280px-Film_actor_Gibson_Gowland_%28SAYRE_2349%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Scenography for the movie Greed. 1924.](https://film.one/media/person/459914/gallery-ef75a46de622.jpg) Scenography for the movie Greed. 1924. — Erich von Stroheim, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/Greed%2C_1924%2C_20_epilogo.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Scenography for the movie Greed (1924); Gibson Gowland and ZaSu Pitts.](https://film.one/media/person/459914/gallery-5bdc10a78d9b.jpg) Scenography for the movie Greed (1924); Gibson Gowland and ZaSu Pitts. — Erich von Stroheim, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Greed%2C_1924%2C_01_mac_incontra_trina.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Scenography for the movie Greed (1924); ZaSu Pitts and Gibson Gowland.](https://film.one/media/person/459914/gallery-f9b5d0d9f9d0.jpg) Scenography for the movie Greed (1924); ZaSu Pitts and Gibson Gowland. — Erich von Stroheim, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/33/Greed%2C_1924%2C_03_mac_e_trina_al_primo_appuntamento.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Gibson Gowland](https://film.one/media/person/459914/gallery-c47fd3d2e1af.jpg) Gibson Gowland — Image via TMDB
- ![L. to R. : Marjorie Reynolds, Boris Karloff (seated), Gibson Gowland, and Grant Withers in Doomed to Die (1940) - cropped screenshot](https://film.one/media/person/459914/gallery-40fb0b2385a0.jpg) L. to R. : Marjorie Reynolds, Boris Karloff (seated), Gibson Gowland, and Grant Withers in Doomed to Die (1940) - cropped screenshot — film screenshot (Monogram Pictures), Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Doomed_to_Die_%281940%29_1.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/gibson-gowland