McGowan's parents were Major and Mrs. L. McGowan. McGowan was married to actor and director
Albert Ray in July 1919. In 1931 she wed
John M. Stahl, a noted film director. She had two children by her first marriage, Albert and Roxana. In 1949 McGowan resided in
San Francisco, California. She hosted the wedding of her daughter, Roxana Ray Stahl, when Stahl wed Daniel Steen Fletcher, Jr., in August 1949. The marriage ceremony was conducted at St. Alban's Episcopal Church in
Los Angeles, California. The wedding reception was held in
Bel Air, California at the home of John Malcolm Stahl. Roxana McGowan died in
Santa Monica, California in 1976, of chronic
arteriosclerosis. ==Selected filmography==