Rob Lowe's Life & Career: 12 Iconic Photos of the Handsome Actor Through the Years

Some might think of Rob Lowe and remember him as the heartthrob who dominated the film scene of the 1980s in films like The Outsiders (1983) and St. Elmo's Fire (1985), known for his membership in a group of young actors known as the "Brat Pack." Perhaps you loved him as Sam Seaborn in the hit political drama The West Wing.

Related: ‘The West Wing’ Characters: See Where President Barlet and His Cabinet Are Today

Or maybe, you discovered Lowe in the more recent years of his career, in series such as Parks and Recreation where he played the hilarious Chris Traeger or 9-1-1: Lone Star, for his role of Owen Strand. Whichever version of Rob Lowe you've come to know, the 59-year-old actor was and always will be a dreamy in our eyes!

Rob Lowe's rise to fame

Lowe, who grew up in Dayton, Ohio, got his first acting role at the age of 12 in the Wright State University production of Sherlock Holmes. In 1979, he earned his first on-screen role on a series called A New Kind of Family.

It was a few years before he really hit the ground running, for in 1983 he earned a Golden Globe nomination for his work in a film called Thursday's Child, and he additionally made his big-screen debut in 1983's The Outsiders, alongside actors like Matt Dillon, C. Thomas Howell, Patrick Swayze, Ralph Macchio, Tom Cruise and Emilio Estevez.

MUST-READ: The Cast of ‘The Outsiders’ Then and Now: See Where the Stars of the ’80s Classic Are Today

Later came Lowe's role in another 80s hit, St. Elmo's Fire, where he once again reunited with Emilio Estevez. Other films you could find him in throughout the 80s were those such as Youngblood (1986), About Last Night (1986) and Square Dance (1987) to name a few. The 90s brought him another bout of fame and recognition when he was cast in The West Wing in 1999. He played the role of Sam Seaborn until 2003.

In the wake of The West Wing, Lowe's career slowed slightly – he actually passed on the role of Derek Shepard on Grey's Anatomy, the role eventually going to Patrick Dempsey! However, it eventually picked up again as he took on a role in the series Brothers & Sisters and films like Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming (2007).

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The 2010s and beyond

In 2010, Rob Lowe took on the role of city planner Chris Traeger, iconic for his over-the-top positive attitude and enthusiasm. Other roles that came his way were in shows and movies like Californication, You, Me and the Apocalypse, The Grinder, Code Black and Holiday in the Wild (2019).

Lowe's most recent role has been in the popular series, 9-1-1: Lone Star as firefighter captain Owen Strand. Additionally, he hosts the popular podcast, Literally! With Rob Lowe. With a career that spans across decades, Rob Lowe has made it clear that he has no intention of slowing down.

"I've never been happier, personally or professionally [and] there's not a day that goes by where I'm not thankful about it all," Lowe told PEOPLE in 2022.

Rob Lowe movies and tv shows through the years

Here, take a look at the heartthrob over the years!

1983

Rob Lowe played the role of Sodapop "Soda" Curtis in the 1983 classic film The Outsiders. The film follows a group of teens in rural Oklahoma who, at odds with the more affluent crew in their neighborhood, endure violence, struggle and tragedy throughout the film.

1984

Rob Lowe stars in Oxford Blues with fellow Brat Pack member Ally Sheedy, where he plays an American who falls in love with a wealthy British woman and follows her back to England. Thinking the only way to win her over is by enrolling in Oxford University and joining their rowing team, he endures a series of mishaps while pursuing the girl of his dreams, and also learns a few important lessons in the process.

Related: From Precocious Writer to ’80s ‘Brat Pack’ Member to Indie Movie Fixture: The Fascinating Career of Ally Sheedy

1985

Rob Lowe starred in St. Elmo's Fire in 1985 alongside some of the biggest actors and actresses of the 1980s. The film follows a group of college friends who are navigating the real world after graduation.

"You could tell we were all really good friends and we all really cared about each other, and that we were a gang," Lowe told Entertainment Tonight. "That's what we played on screen and I think it really was captured."

"It felt like we were all very much in the same place in our lives," he said of his co-stars. "All very ambitious, all looking to the future and wondering what the future would hold."

1985

Rob Lowe stars in Youngblood as an aspiring pro hockey player in this quintessential sports drama of the 80s.

1986

About Last Night chronicles the ups and downs of a relationship between Rob Lowe's character of Danny and Demi Moore's character of Debbie.

1987

Winona Ryder stars as 13-year-old Gemma Dillard, who moves in with her mother in Fort Worth from her more rural life in the Texas panhandle. It's there where she meets Rory, played by Lowe, a man with an intellectual disability that she befriends. For his role in the film, Rob Lowe earned a Golden Globe nomination.

Related: Winona Ryder 80s: Fabulous Photos of the Star Who Defined Gen-X Cool

1988

Rob Lowe starred in the 1988 film Masquerade as a yacht captain who catches the attention of a young heiress — but he's hiding a secret.

1988

Lowe acts in Illegally Yours as a college dropout selected for jury duty, only to learn that the defendant is his elementary school crush.

1991

Rob Lowe poses with Sheryl Berkoff at the 1991 premiere of Frankie and Johnny. Lowe and Berkoff married in 1991.

Lowe got candid about his successful marriage on an episode of the podcast Table for Two with Bruce Bozzi, saying, "Sheryl was and is my best friend. So if you marry for anything other than the fact that is your best friend, you're at a disadvantage from the jump, because that will sustain when the other stuff ebbs and flows."

1999

Rob Lowe starred in the political drama The West Wing from 1999 to 2006. While Lowe has since credited his departure from the show to feeling undervalued and not respected, he still has spoken fondly of the series as a whole.

"I think the comfort food element to The West Wing is one of the things that I love, as well as how people are finding solace, inspiration, protection — whatever adjective you want to use — in it. It's kind of remarkable that after 20-plus years, it still has the ability to comfort people and inspire people," he said in a 2020 interview with Entertainment Weekly.

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