John Barrowman was born on the 11th of March 1967 in Glasgow, Scotland in the United Kingdom.

When he was eight years old, he moved to Illinois in America. He was brought up in Joliet, Illinois and eventually moved back to the UK after graduating from the United States International University of San Diego.

When he returned, he starred in several musicals and stage shows. He starred in "Anything Goes", "Miss Saigon", "Matador", "Rope" and "Hair" at London's West End to name just a few. He was nominated for a 1998 Laurence Olivier Theatre Award for Best Actor in a Musical of 1997 for his performance in "The Fix".

He also nearly got the role of "Will" in "Will and Grace" when applied in 1998 while searching for a job in America, he didn't get the role because he was "too straight".

He has also worked on many presenting jobs on British TV and later starred in the 2005 Series of Doctor Who, from which he was voted best guest actor by readers of Doctor Who Magazine for the five episodes he starred in. As a result of his role, he starred in his own spin off series; "Torchwood", which is a anagram of Doctor Who.

He was joined with his long term partner, architect Scott Gill in a civil partnership in Cardiff Bay on Wednesday 27 December 2006.

John Barrowman is also a singer, and describes his voice as a "lyric baritone with a low baritone bottom and a tenor top".