Owen Harper
Born 14th February 1980 (TW: Exit Wounds), Owen Harper had a difficult relationship with his mother, so much so that, on his tenth birthday, his mother declared that she did not have to like him, only love him. (TW: Adam) He did not appear to have been close to his father though both parents were still alive at the time of Owen's death.
In his early twenties and already a doctor, Owen was engaged to Katie Russell, who unknown to both them had an alien parasite in her brain. Though Owen did not understand this, both knew that she had a degenerative neurological condition. Before Jack Harkness arrived on the scene, the alien inside had killed the surgical team which had removed the top of her skull in surgery. Jack Harkness appeared, explained and left the scene with Katie's body, then, after which time Owen had told a disbelieved story about aliens, re-appeared and offered him a job with Torchwood Three. Owen reluctantly accepted.
At around age 26, Owen's personal life appeared to mostly revolve around the pursuit of casual sex, which he was happy to use alien technology to facilitate. (TW: Everything Changes) He also had an affair with Gwen Cooper that lasted several months which he enjoyed, according to him Gwen was capable of many techniques that caused him extreme sexual pleasure. Also the thought of Gwen's body or various ways she would pleasure him caused him to become aroused. (TW: Greeks Bearing Gifts) However, later her skills began to bore him. (TW: Combat) The closest he ever appeared to come to a serious relationship was with Diane Holmes, a pilot from 1953 whose aircraft the Sky Gypsy, fell through the Cardiff Rift.
Owen was shot and killed by Aaron Copley, the director of the Pharm, who was in turn killed by Jack. (TW: Reset) Prior to his autopsy by Martha, Jack used the second resurrection gauntlet to temporarily restore Owen to life so that he could say goodbye to his friends (and, ostensibly, so Jack could obtain the passcode to the morgue). Although it was assumed that he would only regain consciousness for two minutes before dying forever (per how the first gauntlet worked), for reasons unknown Owen remained conscious, having been returned to a state of partial life. A consequence of Owen's resurrection was the manifestation of an old entity known as "Durac", which Owen vanquished. (TW: Dead Man Walking)
Although once again conscious and sentient, Owen Harper, post-death, found he had limited bodily functions. His wounds would not heal, he could not breathe (or blow air) and he couldn't sleep. He could ingest liquids and food, but he had no sense of taste and this material did not digest and needed to be removed or somehow expelled from his body; at one point, after an unsuccessful attempt at getting drunk, Owen had to stand on his head to allow gravity to drain fluids from his system. His lack of blood flow also rendered it impossible for Owen to achieve an erection. He was encouraged to maintain regular physical exercise to prevent rigor mortis from setting in (otherwise there's no indication such actions had any effect on weight or muscle condition). Apparently painful stimuli did not hurt. He injured his left hand twice by cutting it and then by deliberately breaking a finger; as these injuries did not heal, he was forced to wear a bandage/splint on the hand thereafter, which permanently limited his ability to use certain objects to the extent that he had to recruit Rhys Williams to use the singularity scalpel at one point.
Several weeks after his death, Owen was tasked with trying to stop a nuclear reactor near Cardiff from going into meltdown during events precipitated by the arrival of Jack's brother, Gray. Being unfamiliar with nuclear reactors, Owen kept in communication with Tosh back in the Hub, who talked him through the shutdown procedure (unknown to Owen, however, Tosh had just suffered a mortal injury and Tosh tried to keep this from him). During the shutdown process, the control room was locked down, and Tosh and Owen realized the radioactive waste would be vented through the room, destroying Owen's body. Owen became defiant and angry and said he wasn't going to die quietly, which upset Toshiko, who was herself dying. After Tosh cried that he was breaking her heart, he relented and asked what was going to happen. As he was "dead" and could not feel the pain, Owen expected to watch as his body fell apart. He talked over the com with Toshiko discussing the date they had never gone on. They also discussed the fact that several years earlier Tosh had covered for him when he was hungover and unable to assist UNIT in investigating an unusual incident involving a "space pig" (DW: Aliens of London). As the reactor went critical, he appeared philosophical and reassured Tosh with the words "It's alright." A few moments later, the waste entered the room and the comm signal from Owen was snuffed out.
In his early twenties and already a doctor, Owen was engaged to Katie Russell, who unknown to both them had an alien parasite in her brain. Though Owen did not understand this, both knew that she had a degenerative neurological condition. Before Jack Harkness arrived on the scene, the alien inside had killed the surgical team which had removed the top of her skull in surgery. Jack Harkness appeared, explained and left the scene with Katie's body, then, after which time Owen had told a disbelieved story about aliens, re-appeared and offered him a job with Torchwood Three. Owen reluctantly accepted.
At around age 26, Owen's personal life appeared to mostly revolve around the pursuit of casual sex, which he was happy to use alien technology to facilitate. (TW: Everything Changes) He also had an affair with Gwen Cooper that lasted several months which he enjoyed, according to him Gwen was capable of many techniques that caused him extreme sexual pleasure. Also the thought of Gwen's body or various ways she would pleasure him caused him to become aroused. (TW: Greeks Bearing Gifts) However, later her skills began to bore him. (TW: Combat) The closest he ever appeared to come to a serious relationship was with Diane Holmes, a pilot from 1953 whose aircraft the Sky Gypsy, fell through the Cardiff Rift.
Owen was shot and killed by Aaron Copley, the director of the Pharm, who was in turn killed by Jack. (TW: Reset) Prior to his autopsy by Martha, Jack used the second resurrection gauntlet to temporarily restore Owen to life so that he could say goodbye to his friends (and, ostensibly, so Jack could obtain the passcode to the morgue). Although it was assumed that he would only regain consciousness for two minutes before dying forever (per how the first gauntlet worked), for reasons unknown Owen remained conscious, having been returned to a state of partial life. A consequence of Owen's resurrection was the manifestation of an old entity known as "Durac", which Owen vanquished. (TW: Dead Man Walking)
Although once again conscious and sentient, Owen Harper, post-death, found he had limited bodily functions. His wounds would not heal, he could not breathe (or blow air) and he couldn't sleep. He could ingest liquids and food, but he had no sense of taste and this material did not digest and needed to be removed or somehow expelled from his body; at one point, after an unsuccessful attempt at getting drunk, Owen had to stand on his head to allow gravity to drain fluids from his system. His lack of blood flow also rendered it impossible for Owen to achieve an erection. He was encouraged to maintain regular physical exercise to prevent rigor mortis from setting in (otherwise there's no indication such actions had any effect on weight or muscle condition). Apparently painful stimuli did not hurt. He injured his left hand twice by cutting it and then by deliberately breaking a finger; as these injuries did not heal, he was forced to wear a bandage/splint on the hand thereafter, which permanently limited his ability to use certain objects to the extent that he had to recruit Rhys Williams to use the singularity scalpel at one point.
Several weeks after his death, Owen was tasked with trying to stop a nuclear reactor near Cardiff from going into meltdown during events precipitated by the arrival of Jack's brother, Gray. Being unfamiliar with nuclear reactors, Owen kept in communication with Tosh back in the Hub, who talked him through the shutdown procedure (unknown to Owen, however, Tosh had just suffered a mortal injury and Tosh tried to keep this from him). During the shutdown process, the control room was locked down, and Tosh and Owen realized the radioactive waste would be vented through the room, destroying Owen's body. Owen became defiant and angry and said he wasn't going to die quietly, which upset Toshiko, who was herself dying. After Tosh cried that he was breaking her heart, he relented and asked what was going to happen. As he was "dead" and could not feel the pain, Owen expected to watch as his body fell apart. He talked over the com with Toshiko discussing the date they had never gone on. They also discussed the fact that several years earlier Tosh had covered for him when he was hungover and unable to assist UNIT in investigating an unusual incident involving a "space pig" (DW: Aliens of London). As the reactor went critical, he appeared philosophical and reassured Tosh with the words "It's alright." A few moments later, the waste entered the room and the comm signal from Owen was snuffed out.
Burn Gorman
Burn Hugh Gorman (born 1 September 1974) is an American-born English actor and musician. Burn is best known for his roles as Owen Harper in Torchwood and as William Guppy in Bleak House.
Gorman was born in Hollywood, California, where his father worked as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. At the age of seven he moved to London, England.
Gorman trained at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre.
Gorman appeared in the first two seasons of the BAFTA Cymru winning science-fiction/crime drama Torchwood as Owen Harper. Other television includes Sex, The City and Me, "Funland", "Bonekickers" and other projects for the BBC.
Gorman appeared in the BAFTA and EMMY winning BBC One adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House as William Guppy, and the BAFTA nominated political thriller Low Winter Sun (Tiger Aspect/Channel 4) the same year. He played scriptwriter Ray Galton in the BAFTA nominated and RTS winning BBC Four television play, The Curse of Steptoe.
Other television includes Funland (BBC Three), A Good Thief (Granada), Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC One), Casualty, Merseybeat (TV series) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (BBC). He played a guest role in EastEnders on 9 March 2007 as Jed. Gorman has recently starred in the ITV adaptation of Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" as Hindley Earnshaw. He also had a small part in Cemetery Junction as one of the police officers. In 2011, he starred in Sky1's second Martina Cole adaptation, "The Runaway". It was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa and London, England in 2010.
Film work includes Love is Not Enough, Layer Cake, Colour Me Kubrick, The Best Man, Penelope, Claus, The Oxford Murders and Cemetery Junction.
His London theatre credits include Ladybird (Royal Court), Flush (Soho Theatre),"Oliver" (Theatre Royal), The Green Man and Gong Donkeys (Bush Theatre), of which Michael Billington of The Guardian wrote "Burn Gorman proves that he is one of the best young actors in Britain."
Gorman has also worked with acclaimed actress and director Kathryn Hunter, Marcello Magni of Complicite, Mike Hodges (of Get Carter and Croupier fame), Artistic Director of NT of Scotland Vicky Featherstone, Mark Ravenhill, Frantic Assembly, and with the English National Opera (in Morning To Midnight with Richard Jones). He has performed in readings, workshops and development initiatives with the National Theatre Studio, Young Vic, Royal Court, Oxford Stage Company, Paines Plough, and Soho Theatre.
Outside of London, Gorman has worked with the Nottingham Playhouse, Plymouth Theatre Royal, and Manchester's Royal Exchange Studio and Library and Contact Theatres, where he was nominated for a Manchester Evening News Best Newcomer Award.
From December 2008 through October 2009, he played Bill Sikes in Cameron Mackintosh's West End revival of the musical Oliver!. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical in the 2010 Whatsonstage Theatre Awards for his performance.
As a musician, Gorman has played in clubs and on stages all over the world, appearing alongside Neneh Cherry, Rodney P and Groove Armada amongst others, and has worked on videos and visuals with The Streets. He was also BBC 1Xtra Human Beatbox Champion.
Gorman was born in Hollywood, California, where his father worked as a professor at the University of California, Los Angeles. At the age of seven he moved to London, England.
Gorman trained at the Manchester Metropolitan School of Theatre.
Gorman appeared in the first two seasons of the BAFTA Cymru winning science-fiction/crime drama Torchwood as Owen Harper. Other television includes Sex, The City and Me, "Funland", "Bonekickers" and other projects for the BBC.
Gorman appeared in the BAFTA and EMMY winning BBC One adaptation of Charles Dickens' Bleak House as William Guppy, and the BAFTA nominated political thriller Low Winter Sun (Tiger Aspect/Channel 4) the same year. He played scriptwriter Ray Galton in the BAFTA nominated and RTS winning BBC Four television play, The Curse of Steptoe.
Other television includes Funland (BBC Three), A Good Thief (Granada), Dalziel and Pascoe (BBC One), Casualty, Merseybeat (TV series) and The Inspector Lynley Mysteries (BBC). He played a guest role in EastEnders on 9 March 2007 as Jed. Gorman has recently starred in the ITV adaptation of Emily Brontë's "Wuthering Heights" as Hindley Earnshaw. He also had a small part in Cemetery Junction as one of the police officers. In 2011, he starred in Sky1's second Martina Cole adaptation, "The Runaway". It was filmed in Cape Town, South Africa and London, England in 2010.
Film work includes Love is Not Enough, Layer Cake, Colour Me Kubrick, The Best Man, Penelope, Claus, The Oxford Murders and Cemetery Junction.
His London theatre credits include Ladybird (Royal Court), Flush (Soho Theatre),"Oliver" (Theatre Royal), The Green Man and Gong Donkeys (Bush Theatre), of which Michael Billington of The Guardian wrote "Burn Gorman proves that he is one of the best young actors in Britain."
Gorman has also worked with acclaimed actress and director Kathryn Hunter, Marcello Magni of Complicite, Mike Hodges (of Get Carter and Croupier fame), Artistic Director of NT of Scotland Vicky Featherstone, Mark Ravenhill, Frantic Assembly, and with the English National Opera (in Morning To Midnight with Richard Jones). He has performed in readings, workshops and development initiatives with the National Theatre Studio, Young Vic, Royal Court, Oxford Stage Company, Paines Plough, and Soho Theatre.
Outside of London, Gorman has worked with the Nottingham Playhouse, Plymouth Theatre Royal, and Manchester's Royal Exchange Studio and Library and Contact Theatres, where he was nominated for a Manchester Evening News Best Newcomer Award.
From December 2008 through October 2009, he played Bill Sikes in Cameron Mackintosh's West End revival of the musical Oliver!. He was nominated for Best Supporting Actor in a Musical in the 2010 Whatsonstage Theatre Awards for his performance.
As a musician, Gorman has played in clubs and on stages all over the world, appearing alongside Neneh Cherry, Rodney P and Groove Armada amongst others, and has worked on videos and visuals with The Streets. He was also BBC 1Xtra Human Beatbox Champion.