Chad Lowe is an American actor, director, and producer who is best known for his Emmy-winning role in the television series ‘Life Goes On.’ Other television serials and telefilms in which he appeared include ‘Melrose Place,’ ‘Now and Again,’ ‘ER,’ ‘Silence of the Heart,’ ‘April Morning,’ and ‘Pretty Little Liars.’ Charles Lowe began his acting career in Hollywood following in the footsteps of his older brother Rob Lowe. He made his film début alongside Rob Lowe in ‘Oxford Blues,’ a British comedy-drama released in 1984. Soon after, he landed the lead role in the sitcom “Spencer,” as well as roles in the telefilms “Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac” and “Silence of the Heart.” In his career, landing the role of Jesse, a young man with AIDS, in the family drama TV series ‘Life Goes On’ was a watershed moment. For his role in ‘Life Goes On,’ he went on to win an Emmy Award. Many TV shows and programs featured him as a guest star, including ‘CSI: Miami,’ ‘Superman,’ ‘Touched by an Angel,’ ‘Medium,’ ‘Story Time,’ ‘The Apartment Complex,’ and ‘An Inconvenient Woman.’ ‘Unfaithful,’ ‘Floating,’ ‘Quiet Days in Hollywood,’ ‘True Blood,’ ‘Nobody’s Perfect,’ ‘Apprentice to Murder,’ and ‘Highway to Hell’ are just a few of Charles Lowe’s big screen appearances. He’s also accomplished success as a director and filmmaker, with credits like ‘Beautiful Ohio,’ ‘Bones,’ ‘Twisted,’ and ‘Pretty Little Liars.’
Childhood and Adolescence
Chad Lowe was born in Dayton, Ohio, to Charles Davis Lowe and Barbara Lynn Wilson on January 15, 1968. Charles Lowe, his father, was an appellate lawyer, and Barbara Lynn, his mother, was a teacher. Chad’s older brother is actor Rob Lowe, and his stepbrothers are Justin Lowe and Micah Dyer.
Chad spent his early years in Dayton, Ohio, growing up in a stereotypical Midwestern setting. Before coming to Malibu, California with his elder brother and mother, he attended Oakwood Junior High School in Montgomery County. Santa Monica High School was where he finished his education.
Chad’s parents divorced when he was a child. He attended Santa Monica High School with his older brother, Rob Lowe, the same school where Robert Downey, Jr., Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, and Chris Penn attended.
In the 1980s, he made his professional debut on television, appearing in a number of TV programs and telefilms.
Martin Sheen, a well-known Hollywood actor and father of famed actor Charlie Sheen, urged him to pursue acting as a vocation when he was only 15 years old. On the eve of his 16th birthday, a talent scouting agent assisted him in landing two jobs at the same time.
Career of Chad Lowe
Chad Lowe moved to New York City after finishing his education and enrolled in an acting class. One of his earliest roles was in Francis Ford Coppola’s cult film ‘The Outsiders,’ directed by the ‘Godfather’s’ Francis Ford Coppola. In the film, he appeared alongside Rob Lowe, Tom Cruise, Diane Lane, and Patrick Swayze.
In 1984, he made his television debut as the lead in the sitcom ‘Spencer.’ However, after six episodes, he left the series due to remuneration disagreements and differences of opinion. Chad made his first appearance in a telefilm, ‘Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac,’ in 1984. In the same year, he starred opposite actor and childhood friend Charlie Sheen in another broadcast drama-film, ‘The Silence of the Heart,’ produced by CBS Television.
He had screen time with Rob Lowe in the United Artists/Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer film ‘Oxford Blues’ (1984), in which he played a computer hacker. In 1986, he co-starred in the ABC television movie ‘There Must Be a Pony’ with Elizabeth Taylor as her son, Jason Sydney.
Chad portrayed Adam Cooper in the CBS telefilm “April Morning,” which depicted the battles of Lexington and Concord, which took place on the eve of the American Revolutionary War. The film included a number of renowned performers, including Robert Ulrich and Tommy Lee Jones.
His first feature film, ‘Apprentice to Murder,’ (1988), was a horror picture in which he played Billy Kelly alongside renowned actor Donald Sutherland. In 1988, he portrayed Michael Wells in the CBS schoolbreak special television episode “No Means No.” Chad Lowe played Billy Kincaid in the 1990 film “So Proudly We Hail.” In 1991, he starred as Jeff Frost in the film ‘Captive.’ In the same year, he starred in the TV miniseries ‘An Inconvenient Woman’ as Kippie Petworth.
In 1991, he hosted the nationally syndicated television special ‘Understanding HIV: Does Teen America Know the Facts?’ Chad’s acting career took off when he landed the role of Jesse McKenna in the last two seasons of the American TV series ‘Life Goes On,’ which aired from 1991 to 1993. Tim Wood’s ex-battle manager’s with AIDS influenced him greatly in his portrayal of Jesse. He appeared in episodes of ‘Snowy River: The McGregor Saga,’ ‘ER,’ ‘Now and Again,’ and ‘Popular,’ among others.
In all of the episodes of the FOX TV teleserial ‘Melrose Place’ from 1996 to 1997, he played Carter Gallavan, a well-to-do and tech-savvy maverick. With his excellent performances in TV serials and episodes such as ‘The Apartment Complex,’ ‘Target Earth,’ ‘Fielder’s Choice,’ ‘Fighting for My Daughter,’ and ‘In a New Light,’ he has captivated small screen audiences and critics. In the 2000 telefilm ‘Take Me Home: The John Denver Story,’ he played folk musician John Denver.
Chad Lowe is known for his noteworthy roles in films such as ‘Quiet Days in Hollywood,’ ‘Nobody’s Perfect,’ ‘True Blood,’ ‘Floating,’ ‘Highway to Hell,’ ‘Candles in the Dark,’ and ‘Driven.’ He starred alongside Richard Gere and Diane Lane in the 2002 film ‘Unfaithful’ as Phil Stone.
He also appeared in films such as ‘Entourage,’ ‘Manufacturing Dissent,’ ‘Red Betsy,’ ‘Others,’ ‘Trading Favors,’ ‘Suicide: The Comedy,’ and ‘Siringo,’ among others. ‘American Housewife,’ ‘Life in Pieces,’ ‘Beautiful Ohio,’ ‘The Audition,’ ‘The Space Between,’ ‘Twisted,’ ‘The Grinder,’ ‘Stitchers,’ and ‘Notorious’ are among Chad Lowe’s directing credits. He worked on the TV show ‘Town of the Living Dead’ as an associate producer.
Chad Lowe has also acted in a number of theater performances. ‘Coming of Age in Soho,’ ‘The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,’ ‘Night of 100 Stars III,’ ‘Burning Blue,’ ‘The Exonerated,’ and ‘Blue Denim’ are just a few of his notable theater performances.
Major Projects of Chad Lowe
Chad Lowe’s moving depiction of Jesse McKenna in the television series ‘Life Goes On’ is widely regarded as his best work to date.
Achievements & Awards
In 1989, Chad Lowe was nominated for a Daytime Emmy Award for his role in the CBS Schoolbreak Special episode ‘No Means No,’ which aired in 1984. He won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Performer in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Jesse McKenna in ‘Life Goes On’ in 1993. He also won the Quality TV Award for ‘Best Supporting Actor in a Quality Drama Series’ in the same year for the same role. For the film ‘Beautiful Ohio,’ he received the Sarasota Film Festival’s ‘Special Jury Prize’ for ‘Best Debut Director’ in 2007.
Personal History and Legacy
Chad Lowe admitted to falling in love at first sight when he first spotted actress Hilary Swank in 1992 while working for the film “Quiet Days in Hollywood.” They married on September 28, 1997, after a lengthy romance that lasted years. They were married for nearly a decade until divorcing in 2007.
Following the news of their divorce, Chad began dating producer Kim Painter, whom he married in a secret ceremony on August 27, 2010. Mabel Painter Lowe, Fiona Helper Lowe, and Nixie Barbara Lowe are Chad and Kim’s three daughters.
Estimated Net Worth
Chad Lowe is a $4 million dollar actor from the United States. Chad Lowe was born in Dayton, Ohio, and began acting in the early 1980s in television movies such as “Silence of the Heart” with Charlie Sheen and “Oxford Morning.” He also made an appearance on the TV show “Spencer.”