Rose McGowan
Rósa Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973) is a filmmaker, activist and musician. Born in Italy, she was raised in the Children of God cult, before her American parents fled back to the USA when Rose was 10 amid concerns about the community.
Settling in Oregon, McGowan was bullied at school and rebelled against her family. At 15, she legally emancipated herself from her parents and lived in a squat with drag artists, before moving to Los Angeles to try her hand at acting. Commercials, extra work and a small part in 1992’s 'Encino Man' followed, but McGowan walked away from the industry, deciding to work in cosmetology instead.
In 1994, while standing outside of an LA gym with a moody demeanor, she was discovered by a casting director for Gregg Araki’s 'The Doom Generation', believing she’d be perfect for the role of Amy Blue, an apathetic gen-X femme fatale. Her performance became synonymous with 90s punk cool, and she was nominated for Best Debut Performance at the 1996 Independent Spirit Awards.
Landing an agent, McGowan quickly found further roles, among them parts in the slasher hit 'Scream' and cult indies including 'Jawbreaker', 'Going All the Way', and 'Devil in the Flesh'. With her pale white skin and blood-red lipstick, along with a relationship with controversial rock star Marilyn Manson, McGowan was promoted as a bad girl sex symbol for the 1990s, but began to struggle finding mainstream success.
On advice from her management, McGowan joined the cast of the fantasy drama 'Charmed' in its fourth season, replacing the departed Shannen Doherty as one third of a trio of sister witches. After five seasons on the series, McGowan returned to film with roles in Brian De Palma’s 'The Black Dahlia' and the Quentin Tarantino/Robert Rodriguez double bill 'Grindhouse'.
While 'Grindhouse' garnered McGowan international attention, particularly for her role as a go-go dancer with a machine gun for a leg, it was an unhappy period in her personal life. A relationship with Rodriguez imploded, a car accident forced her to undergo extensive reconstructive surgery, and her father died.
In 2015, McGowan announced that she was walking away from acting to explore other ventures, due to her own traumatic experiences in the industry and her frustration with the quality of work promoted by Hollywood.
Her filmmaking debut, the short film 'Dawn', premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews, and in the same year she released her debut single — an atmospheric slice of electronica called RM486. She has since become a prominent activist across social media, launching her own feminist movement known as Rose Army, and continues to work as an artist, filmmaker and musician.
In 2016 Rose was involved in a sex scandal when multiple sex tapes and nude images were leaked online for the world to see as well as exposing her love for recreational drugs. Some seem to think she leaked the tapes and photos herself for more public exposure and others believe it to be the evils of Hollywood who might be outraged by the fact Rose has spoke out against them.
Acting
Movie
Scream
as Tatum Riley
1996
Movie
Death Proof
as Pam
2007
TV
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
as Cassandra Davina
1999
Movie
Planet Terror
as Cherry Darling
2007
TV
Charmed
as Paige Matthews
1998
TV
Once Upon a Time
as Young Cora
2011
Movie
Conan the Barbarian
as Marique
2011
Movie
Grindhouse
as Pam (segment "Death Proof") / Cherry (segment "Planet Terror")
2007
Movie
The Black Dahlia
as Sheryl Saddon
2006
Movie
Encino Man
as Nora
1992
Movie
Jawbreaker
as Courtney Shayne
1999
TV
Nip/Tuck
as Dr. Teddy Rowe
2003
Movie
Bio-Dome
as Denise
1996
Movie
Phantoms
as Lisa Pailey
1998
Movie
Monkeybone
as Miss Kitty
2001
Movie
The Doom Generation
as Amy Blue
1995
TV
RuPaul's Drag Race
as Self - Guest Judge
2009
Movie
Class of 1999
as Girl Outside Langford's Office (uncredited)
1990
Movie
Nowhere
as Val-Chick 3
1997
TV
Jimmy Kimmel Live!
as Self
2003
Movie
Fifty Dead Men Walking
as Grace
2008
Movie
Ready to Rumble
as Sasha
2000
TV
The View
as Self
1997
Movie
Rosewood Lane
as Sonny Blake
2011