Tom McGowan

Tom McGowan is an American actor born on July 26, 1959, in Belmar, New Jersey, where he attended St. Rose High School, graduating in 1977. He went on to study at Hofstra University and later at the Yale School of Drama, earning a Master of Fine Arts degree in 1988. He and his wife, Cathy, have two children: a son, Mark, born May 5, 1992, and a daughter, Mary, born February 10, 1995.

McGowan made his Broadway debut in 1991 in La Bête, a performance that earned him both a Tony Award nomination for Best Actor in a Play and a Drama Desk Award nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Play. Off Broadway, he received an Obie Award for his work in Nicky Silver's The Food Chain. In 2014, he appeared in Harvey Fierstein's Casa Valentina on Broadway, a play that received a Tony Award nomination for Best Play. The 2016 Broadway revival of She Loves Me featured McGowan in the role of Ladislav Sipos, and in 2019 he appeared in the Broadway revival of Kiss Me, Kate. He also appeared on Broadway in Ivanov.

McGowan has had an extensive association with the musical Wicked, performing the role of the Wizard across multiple productions beginning in 2009. He originated the role for the Second National Tour on March 7, 2009, and subsequently played the character in the San Francisco production from December 22, 2009, through September 5, 2010. He rejoined the Second National Tour in January 2011 before joining the Broadway company from May 3, 2011, through February 5, 2012. He returned to the Broadway production for additional runs, including August 13, 2013, through February 22, 2014, and again from July 15, 2014. He also performed the role in the West End production from September 21, 2015, through March 12, 2016, and played the Wizard in the First National Tour from August 2012 through April 2013.

Beyond the stage, McGowan is widely recognized for his recurring role as Kenny Daly, the KACL station manager, on the Emmy Award-winning NBC series Frasier. His television work also includes appearances on Everybody Loves Raymond, The Practice, ER, Desperate Housewives, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Modern Family, Veep, and The Good Fight. His film credits include Sleepless in Seattle, Heavyweights, in which he played Pat Finley, The Birdcage, As Good as It Gets, True Crime, Ghost World, Bad Santa, and Twelve and Holding, in which he portrayed Patrick Fisher.