Charles Davis Lowe II, professionally known as Chad Lowe, is a multifaceted American artist, venturing into the realms of acting, directing, and producing. Born in Dayton, Ohio, to Barbara Lynn Hepler, a school teacher, and Charles Davis Lowe, a trial lawyer, he is the younger brother of renowned actor Rob Lowe.
Chad's early career saw him share the screen with his brother in the 1984 film Oxford Blues, where he played a computer hacker. This was swiftly followed by a starring role in Silence of the Heart (1984) opposite childhood friend and fellow actor Charlie Sheen. This dark drama tackled the pressing issues teenagers often face, and the subsequent dangers of suicide, being the first film to properly address the subject.
The film featured a talented ensemble cast, including then-up-and-coming actors Sherilyn Fenn and Casey Siemaszko. Chad's subsequent projects included the drama There Must Be a Pony (1986),shot for TV, where he starred alongside Elizabeth Taylor and Robert Wagner, and the occult horror film Apprentice to Murder (1988) alongside Donald Sutherland and Mia Sara.
The 1980s came to a close with the thriller True Blood (1989),featuring Jeff Fahey, James Tolkan, and Sherilyn Fenn. In the following years, Chad collaborated with Tommy Lee Jones on the long-running Hallmark Hall of Fame anthology, in the TV Movie segment 'April Morning' (1987),based on the novel by Howard Fast, set during the American Revolution.
Throughout the 1990s, Chad continued to work steadily, appearing in both TV and film. Notable projects from this period include the TV drama So Proudly We Hail (1990),starring alongside David Soul and Edward Herrmann, and the witty drama An Inconvenient Woman (1991). He also played Charlie Sykes in the fantasy-comedy-horror road movie Highway to Hell (1991).
However, his role as AIDS victim Jesse McKenna in Life Goes On (1989) (1991-1993) is perhaps his most well-known, earning him an Emmy Award. Chad's performance alongside Bill Smitrovich and Patti LuPone in this critically acclaimed series showcased his remarkable range as an actor.
In the year 2000, Chad portrayed country and western legend John Denver in the biographical film Take Me Home: The John Denver Story (2000),based on the musician's life and book. He has since clocked up over sixty film and TV roles, including recurring roles in ER (1994) and 24 (2001) with Kiefer Sutherland.
Chad is married to Kim Painter and they have a daughter, Mabel. As of 2010, he is starring in the hit TV series Pretty Little Liars (2010).
