Zachary Brendan McGowan is an American film and television actor and voice-over artist. He is known for his roles in television seriesShameless as Jody, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. as Anton Ivanov/The Superior, Black Sails as Charles Vane, and The 100 as Roan. Other highlights include parts in the films Terminator Salvation, The Hunt for Eagle One, and the sequel '. He guest-starred in the television series Numbers, ', and Cold Case, with voice-over work for the Scream Awards, Animal Planet and the video games', ', and Iron Man.
Early life
McGowan was born in New York City to Brenda and Vincent McGowan. His older brothers are Doug and Matt McGowan. Although they lived in New York City most of their lives, the McGowans traveled extensively due to Brenda's employment at United Airlines. McGowan attended Ethical Culture Fieldston School from kindergarten through senior year in high school, where he was the captain of the football and ice hockey teams and a member of the drama and theater societies. He then attended Carleton College.
Career
In mid-2011, McGowan joined the cast of the ShowtimedramedyShameless, as Jody, first as a guest star and then as a series regular. Season two premiered January 8, 2012. He said that modeling for art students helped him for the role but now "nudity is just part of the job". In July 2013, McGowan joined the cast of the Universal Pictures feature film Dracula Untold, playing Shkelgim, a mysterious Romani. In January 2014, McGowan joined the cast of the Starz dramatic adventure TV seriesBlack Sails, playing a fictionalized version of the real-life 18th-century English pirate Charles Vane. The role called for an English actor, so McGowan, an American, affected an accent. Casting directors found out later that McGowan was faking but were impressed with his performance and chose him for the role. In July 2016, McGowan joined the cast of The CWscience fiction TV series The 100, playing King Roan of the Ice Nation, after having previously played the role as a guest star. In January 2017, McGowan joined the cast of the ABC TV series Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., playing the villain The Superior. McGowan was briefly part of a "whitewashing" controversy when he was cast as Hawaiian soldier Benehakaka "Ben" Kanahele in the film Enemy Within, based on the Niihau incident during World War II. When the casting was announced in May 2017, some criticized it, since Kanahele was native Hawaiian. The part was eventually recast with Joe Naufahu, and the film was released in 2019. In March 2018, McGowan joined the cast of L.A.'s Finest, a TV series based on the Bad Boys franchise alongside Jessica Alba and Gabrielle Union.
