Norman MacOwan
Norman MacOwan (2 January 1877 – 31 December 1961) was a Scottish author, playwright, and actor, both on stage and in film.
History
MacOwan was born in Hope Park, St Andrews, Scotland, the son of a Presbyterian minister.[1]
He became well known as an actor, appearing as the name part in a stage adaptation of Booth Tarkington's Monsieur Beaucaire no less than 677 times.[2]
He became well known as author of plays for the stage.
In 1924 he published his first novel, The Infinite Shoeblack[a] to glowing reviews.[3]
He was a member of Dion Boucicault's company, whose members included Mary Jerrold, Hubert Harben and Mary Hinton, that toured Australia in 1926.[4][5]
Plays
- The Chalk Line with a cousin, Sir Fabian Ware.[1] Its first production was in London in 1912
- The Demagogue
- The Blue Lagoon (1921), dramatization of De Vere Stacpoole's story
- Lord o' Creation
- Jacob's Ladder
- The Infinite Shoeblack (1930), dramatization of his own book
- Glorious Morning (1938), lambasting totalitarianism and predicting a second world war
As actor
He appeared in films:
- The Dark Light (1951), also co-writer
- Valley of Eagles (1951)
- The Card (1952)
- Castle in the Air (1952)
- Footsteps in the Fog (1955)
- Where There's a Will (1955)
- X the Unknown (1956)
- Action of the Tiger (1957)
- Tread Softly Stranger (1958)
- Heart of a Child (1958)
- The Boy and the Bridge (1959)
- Kidnapped (1960)
- The City of the Dead (1960)
Other interests
MacOwan was a keen and proficient golfer.[1]
Notes
- ^ A reference to Carlyle's epigram in Sartor Resartus: "Can all the finance ministers of Europe make one shoeblack happy?"[1]
References
- ^ a b c d "In the Theatres". The Sun (Sydney). No. 1221. New South Wales, Australia. 22 August 1926. p. 32. Retrieved 10 August 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "On and Off the Stage". Table Talk (magazine). No. 1213. Victoria, Australia. 22 October 1908. p. 21. Retrieved 10 August 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "The Library". The Sydney Mail. Vol. XXVI, no. 653. New South Wales, Australia. 1 October 1924. p. 14. Retrieved 10 August 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Barrie's Plays→". The Age. No. 22, 129. Victoria, Australia. 8 March 1926. p. 11. Retrieved 10 August 2025 – via National Library of Australia.
- ^ "Who's Who in Barrie Productions". The Sunday Times (Sydney). No. 2110. New South Wales, Australia. 11 July 1926. p. 25. Retrieved 10 August 2025 – via National Library of Australia.