Rob Lowe Interview On Ellen Show

Posted on 19. Jan, 2010 by quynhgiao in Featured

About Rob Lowe

Robert Hepler “Rob” Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor. He became known after appearing in 1980s movies such as The Outsiders and St. Elmo’s Fire, which included other members of the Brat Pack. Lowe is also known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and as Senator Robert McCallister on Brothers & Sisters.

Early film and television career

Rob Lowe at the Governor’s Ball party after the 1989 Academy Awards

One of Lowe’s earliest roles came in the 1983 TV movie Thursday’s Child, for which he received his first Golden Globe nomination for “Best Actor in a TV Movie/Miniseries”. Lowe made his film debut in Schoolboy Father, followed by Class. His breakthrough came in 1983, when he and Estevez were cast in The Outsiders, which remains one of his most famous roles. Lowe played the role of Sodapop, the brother of the main character Ponyboy (C. Thomas Howell) in the movie. Lowe and Estevez reunited in St. Elmo’s Fire, making them the two more popular boys of the Brat Pack. He followed it up with About Last Night. He also received a second Golden Globe nomination for “Best Supporting Actor” for his role as the mentally disabled Rory in Square Dance (1987).

Lowe is infamously remembered for performing a duet with an actress playing the part of Snow White at the 61st Academy Awards opening montage in March 1989.

Lowe is also known for playing Sam Seaborn in the television series The West Wing from 1999 to 2003. His performance in the show garnered Lowe an Emmy and two Golden Globe Award Nominations for Best Actor in a Drama Series. When the show premiered, Seaborn was considered the lead, and the pilot centered on the character. But the acclaimed cast of the show—including Allison Janney, Richard Schiff, Dulé Hill, John Spencer, Bradley Whitford, Martin Sheen (whose President Bartlet was initially scripted as a small role) and Stockard Channing (whose First Lady was initially scripted as a guest role)—meant that Sam Seaborn could no longer be considered the lead character.

While he reluctantly accepted his demotion, Lowe and series creator Aaron Sorkin soon found themselves at odds over the network’s meddling with the show, most notably the network demanding changes in the Sam Seaborn character. Eventually, Lowe left the series, not long before Sorkin and director/executive producer Thomas Schlamme unceremoniously quit over a dispute with NBC. During the final season of The West Wing, Lowe returned to his role of Sam Seaborn, appearing in two of the final four episodes.

After leaving the show, Lowe was star and executive producer of a failed NBC drama, The Lyon’s Den (2003). In 2004, he tried again in a series entitled Dr. Vegas, but it also was quickly canceled. In 2005, he starred as Lieutenant Daniel Kaffee in a London West End production of Sorkin’s play A Few Good Men, the first time the two had worked together since The West Wing. Although Lowe had expressed unhappiness about his decreased role on that show at the time of his departure, he has now repeatedly said that any animosity between them is over and that he was pleased to be working once more with Sorkin, whose talents as a writer Lowe highly regards. Lowe passed on the role of Dr. Derek Shepherd of Grey’s Anatomy, which eventually went to Patrick Dempsey.