Why You Should LOVE John Barrowman

A lot of people know John Barrowman from his recent role in the hit CW series, Arrow, but John has been around the scene a very long time and is a great showman in so many ways. Apart from his obvious talents, he has a real passion for equality and charity as well, which are some great reasons to love John Barrowman.

John Barrowman is a Scottish-American actor, singer, dancer, presenter and writer, born in Glasgow. He currently resides in Palm Springs with his husband, Scott. He is an amazing theater performer, having had lead roles in Miss Saigon, The Phantom of the Opera, Sunset Boulevard, Anything Goes, La Cage aux Folles, and Matador.  Keeping all these wonderful shows in mind, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone, but he can REALLY sing. 

In addition to his impressive theater past, he has been in various films and television shows. He was featured in The Producers (2005), and television shows, Titans, Central Park West, Tonight’s the Night, Dancing on Ice, and most notably and more recently, Doctor Who and the spin-off series, Torchwood as Captain Jack Harkness. Currently, he stars in Arrow, as Malcolm Merlyn, one of the show’s main antagonists. During his stint on Doctor Who and Torchwood, he was one of the first omni-sexual characters on television, at a time where it wasn’t widely presented in television. It took great courage and charisma to portray such a controversial and important character and receive the overwhelmingly positive response.

Following my stint of binge watching Doctor Who and Torchwood, I began to do what most fans do, search the show’s stars on social media. To understand what a wonderful person John Barrowman is, you should check out his social media accounts such as Facebook. He is extremely open and honest with his fans. He updates his own social media and you can really get a feel for the genuine person he is through various posts of his lovely husband, his adorable dogs and even his parents.

I had the pleasure of seeing John Barrowman at San Diego Comic Con 2015 at his panel where he just opens up to his fans and answers any questions they have and just has a wonderful time. Out of all the fandom, superhero movies, trailers and all of the other excitement, my favorite panel at Comic Con was still a simple panel with a room full of about 3,000 people and John Barrowman at the center, only there to have fun and entertain his fans. It takes a real showman and incredibly entertaining person to be able to have an hour long panel of just him and a microphone with his fans. It also takes a great deal of bravery to be so open.

John also is very active in his community and supporting issues that are important to him. In 2008, as part of the “Education for All” campaign against homophobia in schools. He went around and helped place 600 posters on billboards that read “Some people are gay. Get over it!” He was filmed for the BBC program, The Making of Me, in an episode exploring the science of homosexuality.

John supports the following charities, as shown on his site:

Sanctuary Palm Springs is a home for LGBT youth in Riverside County, California, a place of safety, creativity, education and self-responsibility. The home provides an environment of health and kindness for teens in Foster Care, creating a new family within the LGBT community.

Hearing Dogs for Deaf People is a national UK charity and centre of excellence in training hearing dogs to alert deaf people to everyday household sounds and danger signals in the home, work place and in public buildings. There are currently over 750 working partnerships in the country.

Nightstop provides free short-term emergency accommodation for homeless young people aged 16-24 in the homes of trained and approved volunteers around the New Forest.

Down’s Syndrome Scotland is currently celebrating its 30th year of providing services, support and information to people with Down’s syndrome, their families and professionals. They work to help people with Down’s syndrome reach their full potential.

Dogs Trust is the UK’s largest dog welfare charity with 17 nationwide rehoming centres. They never put a healthy dog down.

Stonewall works to achieve equality and justice for lesbians, gay men, bisexual and transexual people.

The Make A Difference Trust brings together the British entertainment community and its audiences to raise funds to support people living with HIV and AIDS, and those in the entertainment industry facing hardship as a result of long term medical conditions.

Based in South Wales, Tŷ Hafan offers comfort, care and support for life-limited children and young people and is dedicated to improving the quality of life of their whole family.

CRY is a national charity saving young lives and supporting those affected by young sudden cardiac death. Tom Reid, who was a huge fan of John’s, died from sudden arrhythmic death syndrome (SADS) in 2009. Please help to prevent further deaths by supporting CRY.

John Barrowman is such an inspiration for his work on the stage, television, personality and charity. As one of the world’s most entertaining and captivating men, I applaud John Barrowman for his openness, honesty and his apparent love for his fans while taking his enormous spotlight and shining some light on important issues and causes.