Rose Arianna McGowan (born September 5, 1973)
is an
American actress known for her role as
Paige Matthews in
WB Network supernatural drama series
Charmed, as well as for her roles in several major
Hollywood films including
The Doom Generation,
Scream,
Jawbreaker, and
Grindhouse. She was until recently the co-host of
TCM's film-series program,
The Essentials; in the most recent season,
Alec Baldwin has replaced her as co-host. She played
Ann-Margret alongside
Jonathan Rhys Meyers as
Elvis Presley in the
CBS mini-series
Elvis.
Early life
McGowan, the second-eldest of six children (plus two half-siblings), was born in
Florence, Italy, the daughter of Terri, an American writer of
French descent, and Daniel McGowan, an artist of
Irish descent.
[Bikini (US) - March 1, 1997] Daniel McGowan ran an
Italian chapter of the
Children of God to which both he and his wife held membership until 1978.
[www.hollywood.com/celebrity/187315/Rose_McGowan] McGowan spent her early childhood amid the group's
communes, often traveling
Europe with her parents. Through her father's art contacts in
Italy, McGowan became a
child model and appeared in
Vogue Bambini and various other Italian magazines. Her parents returned to the
United States when she was 10,
[A rose is a rose is a Rose McGowan] when they divorced. She subsequently relocated to
Oregon and then to
Gig Harbor, Washington, where she also met childhood friend
Rey-Phillip Santos. McGowan did not speak
English until she moved to the U.S.
McGowan's formative years were spent with her father in
Seattle, Washington, attending
Roosevelt High School and
Nova Alternative High School. At the age of 15, she officially
emancipated herself from her parents.
[Simms, Molly (2006), "In Full Bloom", Bust Magazine, Dec05/Jan06 ] McGowan pursued a possible career in the film industry during her late teens, and also enrolled in a
beauty school as a back-up.