Peter Gowland

Born in 1916 into show business, Peter Gowland is the son of movie star Gibson Gowland, best known for his starring role in the 'Erich von Stroheim' classic silent Greed (1924), and lesser known actress/writer Sylvia Andrew. His parents divorced when he was just two years old and his father gained custody. However, during his childhood and teenage years he bounced from family to family, father to mother and even spent some time in the British Military Academy in Hollywood. Gowland cannot boast any great parts during his "on-camera" career of the 1930s and 1940s, having only bit parts and dancer roles. However, he can boast appearing in several major movies, including The Great Ziegfeld (1936), Cain and Mabel (1936), Wuthering Heights (1939), Citizen Kane (1941), The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (1947) and Joan of Arc (1948). Peter's true passion was photography, however and he had begun photographing actors for their portfolios. In 1941 he married Alice Adams after a two-week romance and, with her help as a writer, he became very established in his art, concentrating on the celebrity, glamor, magazine, calender, etc., scene. He has photographed many of the Hollywood elite of today and yesteryear. Peter and Alice Gowland still have a studio today in Santa Monica, California. Peter celebrated his 90th birthday in 2006.