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"So I came to the realization: Nothing in life is unfair. It's just life." Rob Lowe is a famous actor, producer, director, and social media star. Lowe came into his own as a performer in the late 70s before becoming a true star in the early 90s. Along the way, Lowe always found himself in the headlines. Whether he was being talked about in the gossip magazines for his early bad boy persona or revered for his work on classic shows like The West Wing and Parks and Recreation, Lowe always knew how to get the medias attention.

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Despite being in the entertainment industry for over 40 years, Lowe still appears to be getting better with age. As one of the most high-profile television actors working in the industry today, Lowe doesn't look like he'll be looking for work anytime in the near future. With that being said, let's take a trip back to when Lowe was still working his way up the acting ladder. Let's go back to Charlottesville, Virginia.

Born in Charlottesville

Rob Lowe was born on March 17, 1964, in Charlottesville, Virginia. His mother was a teacher named Barbara Lowe and his father was a trial lawyer named Chuck Lowe. Rob had a brother, Chad, growing up. His parents would get divorced when he was still relatively young. Lowe has German, Irish, Welsh, Scottish, and English ancestry through both of his parents. 

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After his parents divorced, Lowe would be raised in Dayton, OH, as part of what he called a 'traditional American setting'. Lowe would attend Oakwood Junior High School before his mother and brother moved to California. In California, Lowe and his family would settle down near Point Dume in Malibu. Lowe would attend Santa Monica High School and it was there that he would meet and befriend Charlie Sheen and Sean Penn.

Joining the Brat Pack

Rob Lowe was destined for fame pretty early on in his career. After leaving school, Lowe would start working in the entertainment industry almost immediately. He would land his first role in A New Kind of Family (1979) as Tony Flanagan. Lowe would play the character for 11 episodes before leaving for other work. In 1983, Lowe would appear in The Outsiders as Sodapop Curtis. The film starred many future A-list actors including Tom Cruise, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and Tom Waits. The film was directed by Francis Ford Coppola and the cast would end up comprising a good portion of the famous Brat Pack.

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After the success of The Outsiders, Lowe would find substantial critical acclaim for his work in St. Elmo's Fire in 1985. The film starred Rob Lowe and Demi Moore and the film was directed by Joel Schumacher. The coming-of-age story has since turned into one of the most enduring films from the era. Lowe would have another hit during the 80s by way of About Last Night(1986). Now, firmly entrenched as an actor and a heartthrob, Lowe was trending toward becoming the face of the industry. All Lowe would need was a major role that would break him away from the rest of the pack.

Lowe would appear in a string of moderately successful projects leading into the early 90s. Among those projects were Wayne's World (1992), the Stephen King miniseries, The Stand (1994),  and Tommy Boy (1995). Lowe would also score a supporting role in the sci-fi classic, Contact (1997). Despite his high level of production, Lowe still wasn't landing the type of work that he felt that he deserved. Things would change in a major way in 1999.

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In 1999, Lowe would land a starring role in the classic political series, The West Wing. Lowe would portray Sam Seaborn in the series, and he would score a Primetime Emmy nomination as well as two Golden Globe nominations for the work. Lowe was a political junkie who was drawn to the role thanks to his fascination with the setting. Of course, it helped that Lowe was already good friends with Martin Sheen. While Lowe was originally cast as the lead in the program, the show soon became an ensemble where Lowe's character was becoming decreasingly important. Lowe and Sorkin famously butted heads over the direction of the show. Eventually, Lowe would end up departing from the series. Lowe would come back for two of the final episodes of the show. Lowe later revealed that he had left the show because he felt like he was not being respected for his work.

After leaving The West Wing, Lowe would have trouble re-establishing himself as a prominent performer. He would work on several failed series including The Lyon's Den (2003) and Dr. Vegas (2004). Lowe would cut his teeth on the Aaron Sorkin play, A Few Good Men in a production at the London West End. Lowe and Sorkin have since buried any lingering animosity and both have been public with their praise of the other.

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Lowe would eventually find his way back to the public spotlight with a starring role in the series, Brothers & Sisters (2006). Lowe had initially been brought onto the show as a guest star, but ratings spiked whenever his character appeared. As a result, Lowe ended up getting signed on for an extended contract, appearing in 78 episodes over four years. Lowe would carry his success into a starring role in the hit series Parks and Recreation (2010) as the loveable, if fanatic, Chris Traeger. Again, Lowe had been brought on for a guest appearance before getting signed on for an extended contract. Lowe would star in Parks and Recreation for five years, seeing the show to completion in 2015.

While Lowe has failed to garner mainstream success in feature films, he continues to be one of the finest working television actors to this day. In the aftermath of Parks and Rec going off of the air, Lowe has earned recurring roles in shows like The Grinder (2016), Code Black (2016), Wild Bill (2019) and The Lion Guard (2016). Lowe even had his own reality show on A&E titled The Lowe Files (2017). The reality show followed Rob and his son as they traveled around the country trying to solve mysteries. 

In his personal life, Lowe has been married to Sheryl Berkoff since 1991. The couple had met during a blind date in 1983 and again on the set of Lowe's film, Bad Influence. The couple is still together today, and they have two sons, Edward and John Lowe. Lowe is the creator of the Homeowner's Defense Fund which is a non-partisan foundation focused on anti-corruption and transparency in government.