Rob Lowe Biography

Rob Lowe was born Robert Hepler Lowe on March 17, 1964, in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA, to Barbara Lynn and Charles Davis Lowe. Rob Lowe was raised in Dayton, Ohio where he attended ‘Oakwood Junior High School.’

After moving to California with his mother and brother Chad, Lowe attended ‘Santa Monica High School.’

At the age of eight, he decided to pursue acting after watching a production of ‘Oliver.’ He soon began appearing on local television and also worked for theaters.

In 1983, he starred for the first time in the television film ‘Thursday’s Child,’ which was about a 17-year-old boy who suffers from a heart disease. Lowe’s performance in the television film earned him his first ‘Golden Globe’ nomination. The same year, he landed his first major role in ‘The Outsiders,’ an American drama film.

In 1985, he appeared in ‘St. Elmo’s Fire,’ an American coming-of-age film, directed by Joel Schumacher.

In 1986, he starred opposite Demi Moore in the comedy-drama film ‘About Last Night,’ directed by Edward Zwick.

He rose to fame in the 1980s and became one of the hottest teenage sensations. Subsequently, he came to be known as a ‘teenage heartthrob.’

He received his second ‘Golden Globe’ nomination for his role as ‘Rory,’ a mentally disabled person, in the 1987 drama film ‘Square Dance,’ directed by Daniel Petrie.

In the 1990s, he appeared in films, such as ‘Wayne’s World,’ ‘Contact,’ and ‘Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me.’

In 1999, he acted in the ‘NBC’ television drama ‘The West Wing’ as ‘Sam Seaborn,’ one of his best-known roles to date. His performance earned him two ‘Golden Globe’ nominations and a ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ nomination.

He became successful, playing roles in several miniseries in the late-1990s.

In 2004, he starred in TNT’s miniseries ‘Salem’s Lot,’ an adaptation of Stephen King’s novel of the same title.

In 2005, he played the role of ‘Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee’ in Aaron Sorkin’s play, ‘A Few Good Men.’ The same year, he starred on the ‘Lifetime’ network’s miniseries, ‘Beach Girls.’

He earned critical acclaim and worldwide recognition with the release of the 2005 film ‘Thank You for Smoking,’ in which he played the role of ‘Jeff Megall,’ a Hollywood super movie agent.

In 2007, he acted in the television film ‘Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming’ which premiered on ‘Syfy Channel,’ an American cable television channel.

In 2009, he was cast in ‘The Invention of Lying,’ a comedy film directed by Ricky Gervais. He also played the lead role in the movie ‘Too Late To Say Goodbye.’

In 2010, he was featured in the biographical series ‘Brat Pack: Where Are They Now.’ He also made an appearance on ‘The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien.’

He was a cast member of the ‘NBC’ television series ‘Parks and Recreation’ from 2010 to 2015. He played a recurring character named ‘Eddie Nero’ in ‘Showtime’ drama series ‘Californication’ (2011-14), and the titular character in the 2012 movie ‘Drew Peterson: Untouchable.’

In the 2010s, he devoted his time to television, appearing in shows, such as ‘Moonbeam City’ (2015), ‘The Grinder’ (2015-16), ‘Code Black’ (2016-18), ‘The Orville’ (2017), and ‘Wild Bill’ (2019). He also voiced the character of ‘Simba’ in the animated series ‘The Lion Guard.’

In the meantime, he also appeared in movies and TV films, such as ‘Killing Kennedy’ (2013), ‘Sex Tape’ (2014), ‘Beautiful & Twisted’ (2015), ‘How to be a Latin Lover’ (2017), and ‘The Bad Seed’ (2018).

In 2019, it was announced that Rob Lowe would star in the spin-off version of ‘9-1-1’ titled ‘9-1-1: Lone Star.’ In 2019, he starred in the Christmas romantic comedy film ‘Holiday in the Wild.’ The film holds a 38% approval score on Rotten Tomatoes. He played the role of ‘John Marshall’ in the 2023 American biographical drama film ‘Dog Gone.’ The film received mixed reviews from critics.

He appeared in ‘The West Wing,’ a television drama that had 16 million viewers interested. It was ranked number 13 on the ‘TV Guides’ list of ‘The 50 Greatest Dramas of All Time.’ The show was received well by the critics and was also praised by political science pundits and former ‘White House’ staffers.

His 2005 miniseries ‘Beach Girls’ received the highest ratings in the history of ‘Lifetime Network.’

His 2013 biographical drama film ‘Behind the Candelabra’ premiered at the ‘Cannes Film Festival,’ and was highly appreciated by the critics. It received numerous awards and nominations, including a ‘Golden Globe’ nomination for Rob.

In 2000, ‘People’ magazine featured him on the list of ‘50 Most Beautiful People in the World.’

In 2001 and 2002, he was the recipient of the ‘Screen Actors Guild Award’ under the ‘Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series’ category for ‘The West Wing.’

He incurred unilateral deafness after contracting a viral infection during infancy.

He was romantically involved with American actor Melissa Gilbert, German actor Nastassja Kinki, and Princess Stéphanie of Monaco.

In 1991, he married Sheryl Berkoff, a makeup artist. The couple has two children.

He was the first male spokesperson for ‘Lee National Denim Day,’ a fundraiser created by ‘Lee Jeans’ to support breast cancer research.

He is the founder of ‘Homeowner's Defense Fund,’ a Santa Barbara County non-profit, non-partisan organization.

In 2011, his memoir ‘Stories I Only Tell My Friends’ was released. It is an autobiographical account of his journey from a model to a star.

Rob Lowe is an avid cook and has even released a cookbook called "Love Life" featuring his favorite recipes.

He is a big fan of the NFL team the Indianapolis Colts and has been seen at games supporting them.

Rob Lowe is a talented saxophone player and has been known to play for charity events and fundraisers.

He is a dedicated philanthropist, actively involved in various charitable organizations, including the Stand Up to Cancer campaign.

Rob Lowe is an animal lover and has three dogs that he often features on his social media accounts.