Born September 5, 1973, to Terri and Daniel McGowan (both of French and Irish origin, respectively), Rose Arianna McGowan is the second eldest of six siblings. She was raised, until the age of nine, within the Italian chapter of the Children of God; an extremist Christian, anti-American cult. During the early 80s, her family severed ties with the community and migrated to Eugene, Oregon, USA. Following her parents divorce, Rose relocated to Gig Harbour, Washington, to live with her grandmother. At age 14, McGowan was falsely accused of drug abuse by a family friend and committed to drug rehabilitation. She has consistently maintained that the decision was unjustified, and detrimental to her mental health. Upon release, she spent a year as a disadvantaged youth before legally declaring independence from her family at age 15. Her early formal education includes attendance at Roosevelt High School, and Nova Alternative High School. Further education includes a stint at UCLA, and qualifications as a licensed beauty operator.

McGowan's career as an actor sincerely began in 1995, with a leading role in The Doom Generation (1995). Originally intended for Jordan Ladd, the character of "Amy Blue" was awarded to McGowan, whose presence outside a gym captured the eye of an associate of director Gregg Araki. For her performance, she was nominated at the 1995 Independant Spirit Awards for Best Debut Performance. Subsequently cast in Wes Craven's _Scream(1996/I)_, she experienced further success when the project defied expectations to became one of the highest grossing films of the year.

The innovative, yet soft-sounding, career of McGowan was overshadowed throughout much of the 90s by her high-profile relationship with musician Brian Warner (aka Marilyn Manson. Strong performances in Going All the Way (1997), Lewis & Clark & George (1997), Southie (1998), and Jawbreaker (1999) were largely unseen by the general public, who favored mean-spirited tabloid blurbs over her creative exploits. When the relationship ended between the two in 2001, she remarked; "There is great love, but our lifestyle difference is, unfortunately, even greater." Immediately, the quality of McGowan's roles further improved. She performed solidly alongside Alan Alda in The Killing Yard (2001) (TV), shone with Robert Forster in Strange Hearts (2001), and was appropriately demure in "Stealing Bess" (aka Vacuums (2002)). She was introduced to the mainstream as "Paige Matthews" in Aaron Spelling's "Charmed" (1998), a popular television show for which she devoted five consecutive years. When "Charmed" finished its run in 2006, McGowan emerged in top form. Critics praised her efforts in Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (2007), Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (2007), and her turn as "Grace Sterrin" in Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) exemplified her potential as a leading dramatic actress. At the time of writing, McGowan and director Robert Rodriguez are due to be wed. Her upcoming projects include the fantasy epic Red Sonja (2009).

• Black Oasis (2009) (in production) .... Susan Cabot
  ... aka Susan Cabot's Life (UK)
• Sin City 2 (2010) (pre-production) (rumored) .... Ava Lord
• Red Sonja (2009) (pre-production) .... Red Sonja
• "Nip/Tuck" .... Dr. Theodora 'Teddy' Lowe (3 episodes, 2009)
       - Abigail Sullivan (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Theodora 'Teddy' Lowe
       - Alexis Stone II (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Theodora 'Teddy' Lowe
       - Lola Wagner (2009) TV episode .... Dr. Theodora 'Teddy' Lowe
• Fifty Dead Men Walking (2008) .... Grace
• Planet Terror (2007) .... Cherry
  ... aka Grindhouse Presents: Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (USA: DVD title)
  ... aka Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror (USA: complete title)
• Death Proof (2007) .... Pam
  ... aka Grindhouse Presents: Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (USA: DVD title)
  ... aka Grindhouse: Death Proof (International: English title)
  ... aka Quentin Tarantino's Death Proof (USA: complete title)
  ... aka Quentin Tarantino's Thunder Bolt (USA: informal alternative title)
• Grindhouse (2007) .... Cherry Darling (segment "Planet Terror") / Pam (segment "Death Proof")
• The Black Dahlia (2006) .... Sheryl Saddon
  ... aka Black Dahlia (Germany)
  ... aka Die Schwarze Dahlie (Germany: TV title)
• "Charmed" .... Paige Matthews (112 episodes, 2001-2006)
       - Forever Charmed (2006) TV episode .... Paige Matthews
       - Kill Billie: Vol. 2 (2006) TV episode .... Paige Matthews
       - Gone with the Witches (2006) TV episode .... Paige Matthews
       - The Jung and the Restless (2006) TV episode .... Paige Matthews
       - The Torn Identity (2006) TV episode .... Paige Matthews
        (107 more)
• Elvis (2005) (TV) .... Ann-Margret
• Darkwatch: Curse of the West (2005) (VG) (voice) .... Tala
• Vacuums (2002) .... Debbie Dinsdale
  ... aka Stealing Bess (USA: video title)
• The Killing Yard (2001) (TV) .... Linda Borus