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Rose McGowan

Rose McGowan

Birthday: 1973-09-05 | Place of Birth: Certaldo, Florence, Tuscany, Italy

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.

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Known For

Acting

Year
Title

Role

2025
Scream

as    Tatum Riley

2023
The Doom Generation

as    Amy Blue

2023
Sex on Screen

as    Self

2022
Going All The Way - The Director's Edit

as    Gale Ann Thayer

2022
Body Parts

as    Self

2022
When We Speak

as    Self

2021
Mothers of the Revolution

as    Self

2019
Rose McGowan: Being Brave

as    Self

2019
Hollywood's Dark Secret

as    Self

2018
Citizen Rose

as    Herself

2017
The Sound

as    Kelly Johansen

2016
The Tell-Tale Heart

as    Ariel

2015
The Weight of Blood and Bones

as    Madeline

2013
Chosen

as    Josie Acosta

2012
Doctor Lollipop

as    Dr. Coco / Red Riding Hood (voice)

2011
Conan the Barbarian

as    Marique

2011
The Pastor's Wife

as    Mary Winkler

2011
Scream: The Inside Story

as    Self

2011
Rosewood Lane

as    Sonny Blake

2010
Dead Awake

as    Charlie

2009
Fifty Dead Men Walking

as    Grace

2007
Planet Terror

as    Cherry Darling

2007
Death Proof

as    Pam

2007
Grindhouse

as    Pam (segment "Death Proof") / Cherry (segment "Planet Terror")

2005
Elvis

as    Ann-Margret

2003
Stealing Bess

as    Debbie Dinsdale

2002
Strange Hearts

as    Moira Kennedy