Rob Lowe has been in Hollywood so long that there is hardly any American movie fan who doesn’t know him. He joined the industry as a teenager and gained wide popularity in the ’80s, buying his way into the heart of many with his superlative performances in movies such as The Outsiders (1983), St. Elmo’s Fire (1985), About Last Night… (1986) and Square Dance (1987), to mention a few.
His role in the 1983 television film, Thursday’s Child, earned him his first Golden Globe Award nomination which eventually opened up more acting doors for the smart actor. Although his flourishing career was nearly destroyed by a sex tape scandal in 1988; Rob was able to pick up the pieces of his acting career and patch things up. He finally bounced back to the limelight following his brilliant performance in the NBC political drama, The West Wing where he starred as Sam Seaborn from 1999 to 2003. Learn more about his bio and other interesting facts below.
Rob Lowe’s Early Life
Born Robert Hepler Lowe on the 17th of March 1964, in Charlottesville, Virginia, the actor was baptized into the Episcopal church. He was raised in Dayton, Ohio, where he studied at Oakwood Junior High School before he moved with his mother and younger brother to the Point Dume area of Malibu, California. Upon their relocation, he enrolled and later graduated from Santa Monica High School.
The actor kicked off his acting career in 1979 while portraying the role of Tony Flannagan in the ABC sitcom, A New Kind of Family. Soon after that, he made his big screen debut in 1983 with roles two films – The Outsiders and Class. Since then, Rob has continued to play prominent roles in blockbuster and thriller movies to date. For his exceptional performances, the actor has equally received lots of award nominations out of which he has recorded a few in his name.
What to know about his Wife, Sons, and Brother
Rob is happily married to a lady named Sheryl Lynn Berkoff. The couple tied the knot on July 22, 1991, and has been married ever since. Three years Rob’s senior, Sheryl was born on 20 June 1961, in Los Angeles, California. She is a makeup artist best known for her work on the set of blockbuster movies such as Glengarry Glen Ross, Frankie and Johnny, Eve of Destruction and The Vanishing.
They met the first time at a speed dating session in 1983 and after the first date, they had a few more dates but because they were both not ready for a relationship, they parted ways. Amazingly, 7 years later, the pair met again on the set of Rob Lowe’s movie, Bad Influence, where Sheryl worked as his makeup artist. However, after their marriage, Sheryl decided to shelve her job in order to take good care of her young family.
Apart from being a good mother to their sons, Sheryl has also stood beside her husband through the good and bad times and Rob gives her all the credits for every good thing in his life. According to the actor, the bedrock of their marriage is friendship, which also is its sustaining force.
Sheryl and Rob’s union has produced two sons, Edward Matthew Lowe born in 1993 and John Owen Lowe born in 1995. In 2017, the actor and his sons started appearing on the A&E reality series, The Lowe Files. While Matthew is a graduate of Standford University, John is still studying at Duke University.
Rob Lowe is the first of son of Barbara Lynn Wilson, a teacher and Charles Davis Lowe, a trial lawyer. His parents’ marriage lasted for just a few years before it crashed when Rob was four years old. Consequently, his mother raised him and his younger brother, Chad Lowe, alone.
Like Rob, his brother Chad is also a popular figure in Hollywood. He has a lot of television series and films to his credit both as an actor and a producer. For his supporting role on the ABC series, Life Goes On, Chad won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Viewers for Quality Television award in 1993. He has played recurring roles in different series, including Melrose Place, Pretty Little Liars, Popular, Now and Again, and ER, among others.
Is He Gay?
The actor has never made any comment about being gay and there has never been any reason for his sexuality to be questioned even though he once revealed that he has kissed a man before. He made the revelation in his 2014 memoir, Love Life, saying that the incident in which his character kissed the character of Evan Handler, happened while he was filming a scene for the fourth season of Californication.
According to Rob, even though the kiss was not in the script as none of the characters were gay, they still kissed anyway, just for the sake of comedy. The issue of being gay is majorly out of the equation for Rob considering the fact that he has been married to his wife for more than 20 years.
Net Worth
Rob Lowe has been in the acting business for more than 30 years with an ever-increasing relevance, thanks to his rare talent. He has featured in more than one hundred and fifty movies, series, and television films and currently boasts of an estimated net worth of $30 million.
Although a large chunk of his net worth comes from acting, a fraction of it also comes from his 2 best-selling memoirs and his line of men’s skincare products which he launched in 2015. The following year, he also launched a perfume line known as “18 Amber Wood”.
Height
Shortly after his marriage, Rob Lowe made some lifestyle changes which included quitting alcohol and adding exercise to his daily schedule. As a result of this and of course due to his good genes too, the actor looks very much younger despite being over 50. He stands at 5 feet 11 inches and weighs 77 kg. The actor also has dark brown hair, blue eyes, and a tattoo on his left shoulder.
