Rob Lowe is an American film and television actor who has a net worth of $100 million. Outside of a highly successful acting career, a significant portion of Rob Lowe’s net worth has come from endorsements and, more importantly, real estate. We detail both of these contributors to his net worth later in the article below, but as just one example of his real estate wins, in October 2020, Rob sold a home in Montecito, California, for $45.5 million.
Rob Lowe began his career in the 1970s and became a household name as part of the “Brat Pack,” a group of young actors who starred in numerous coming-of-age films in the 1980s. His breakthrough role came in 1983’s “The Outsiders,” in which he played Sodapop Curtis. Lowe continued his early success with memorable roles in “St. Elmo’s Fire” (1985) and “About Last Night…” (1986).
In the 1990s, Lowe made a successful transition to television, taking on the role of Sam Seaborn in the critically acclaimed series “The West Wing” (1999-2003). His nuanced portrayal of the Deputy Communications Director earned him a Primetime Emmy nomination and two Golden Globe nominations.
Post-“West Wing,” Lowe continued to showcase his versatility and talent on the small screen, joining the cast of the satirical comedy series “Parks and Recreation” (2010-2015) as Chris Traeger, a character beloved for his relentless optimism and the catchphrase “literally.” Simultaneously, he had a notable run in the cable drama “Brothers & Sisters” (2007-2010).
Rob also made waves as a lead actor in the biographical miniseries “Behind the Candelabra” (2013) and the crime drama “Wild Bill” (2019). Additionally, he has ventured into reality TV with “The Lowe Files” (2017), a docu-series where he explores unsolved mysteries with his sons, and has had notable guest appearances on shows like “Californication” and “Fargo.” In 2023, Rob and his son John Owen Lowe began starring together on a Netflix series called “Unstable.” They are also the co-creators of the series.
Beyond acting, Lowe has published two memoirs, “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” (2011) and “Love Life” (2014), which have added author to his list of accomplishments.
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Robert Hepler Lowe was born on March 17, 1964, in Charlottesville, Virginia. His mother worked as a teacher, and his father was a trial lawyer. He has a younger brother, Chad Lowe, who would also go on to become an actor.
Rob was baptized into the Episcopal church, and he was raised in Dayton, Ohio, where he attended Oakwood Junior High School. After his parents divorced, Lowe moved with his brother and mother to the Point Dume area of Malibu, California. They attended Santa Monica High School.
One of Lowe’s earliest acting credits was in the 1983 television film “Thursday’s Child.” For his performance, he received a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries, or Television Film. However, his true breakout role was in 1983, when he made his big-screen debut alongside Emilio Estevez and Patrick Swayze in the coming-of-age drama “The Outsiders,” directed by Francis Ford Coppola. Lowe reunited with Estevez for another youth drama, “St. Elmo’s Fire” (1985), cementing their status as prominent members of the group of actors known as the Brat Pack. He then starred in “About Last Night…” (1986) with fellow Brat Pat member Demi Moore. For his portrayal of the mentally disabled Rory in “Square Dance” (1987), Rob received his second Golden Globe Award nomination, this time for Best Supporting Actor.
In August 1987, Lowe debuted on stage in a production of Chekov’s “The Three Sisters” at The Williamstown Theatre Festival. From 1999 to 2003 (and a brief appearance in 2006), he played the character Sam Seaborn in the television series “The West Wing.” During this time, he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination and two Golden Globe Award nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. After leaving the show, he both starred in and was the executive producer of the failed NBC drama “The Lyon’s Den” (2003). He tried his hand again in 2004 with the series “Dr. Vegas,” which was also unsuccessful. Rob returned to the stage in 2005, starring as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in a production of the play “A Few Good Men” on London’s West End. He continued to suffer flops after leaving “The West Wing,” like “View From the Top” and the television film “Perfect Strangers” (2004), but he had a string of successes in the TV miniseries genre, starring in TNT’s “Salem’s Lot” (2004) and Lifetime’s “Beach Girls” (2005).
Rob returned to regular television appearances as part of the cast of “Parks and Recreation” from 2010 to 2015 as the character Christ Traeger. Another series he worked on was “The Grinder” from 2015 to 2016; he was also the executive producer. Following that, he starred in the CBS drama “Code Black” as the character Ethan Willis from 2016 to 2018. Lowe has also made shorter guest appearances on shows like “Californication (2011-2014), “Frankin & Bash” (2013), “You, Me and the Apocalypse” (2015), and “The Orville” (2017). In 2017, Lowe started filming an A&E reality series with his two sons called “The Lowe Files.” It featured them on road trips where they investigated various urban myths and legends. He has gone on to appear in films like “The Invention of Lying” (2009), “Knife Fight” (2012), “Sex Tape” (2014), “Monster Trucks” (2016), and “Holiday in the Wild (2019) and the made-for-television films “Prosecuting Casey Anthony” (2013), “Killing Kennedy” (2013), “Beautiful & Twisted” (2015), and “The Bad Seed” (2018).
Lowe is a published author. He released his memoir “Stories I Only Tell My Friends” in May 2011, followed by his second book “Love Life” in 2014.
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Rob has worked as a spokesman for many brands and has starred in advertisement campaigns for DirecTV, KFC, and Atkins Nutritionals.
Lowe met Sheryl Berkoff for the first time on a blind date in 1983 and then again on the set of the film “Bad Influence.” They married in 1991 and have two sons together.
In 1988, Lowe was involved in a sex scandal. It involved a videotape of him having sex with a 16-year-old girl in Georgia, where the age of consent at the time was 14 years old. A second part of the tape was leaked, showing Lowe and a friend having sex with a young American model in a hotel room in Paris. This recording was sold, becoming one of the first commercially available celebrity sex tapes. Despite the damage to his reputation, Lowe’s career eventually rebounded, and he even made fun of himself on two appearances on the sketch comedy show “Saturday Night Live.”
His mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother all suffered from breast cancer, with his mother unfortunately passing away from the disease in late 2003. As a result, he is an advocate for breast cancer awareness and was the first male spokesman for the 2000 Lee National Demin Day fundraiser, which raises funds for breast cancer education and research.
In 2005, Rob and Sheryl sold a home in Montecito, California, for $25 million to education billionaire Peter Sterling.
That same year they paid an undisclosed amount for a 3.4-acre ocean-view property a few minutes away from their former house. They spent four years building what became a gorgeous 10,000-square-foot custom home. In June 2018, Lowe and Berkoff listed this home for $47 million. Nearby neighbors include Oprah, Ellen DeGeneres, and Jeff Bridges. Here’s a video tour of the incredible property:
On October 1, 2020, it was confirmed that Rob finally found a buyer. The purchase price was $45.5 million. The buyers were private equity tycoon Jack McGinley and his wife Julie. The McGinleys also own a 10-acre estate in Massachusetts, which they acquired just two months before their Montecito purchase for $18.9 million. Several years later, Adam Levine and his supermodel wife bought this home for $52 million.
After cashing out for $45.5 million, Rob and Sheryl went on a bit of a real estate shopping spree.
On October 30, 2020, it was revealed that they had paid $3.7 million for a mansion in Beverly Hills, California.
One month later, in November 2020, Rob and Sheryl paid $5.2 million for a home in Montecito.
Two months later, in December 2020, it was revealed that they had paid $13 million for yet another home in Montecito.
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