[6] Lowe was raised in a "traditional midwestern setting"[5] in Dayton, attending Oakwood Junior High School, before moving to the Point Dume area of Malibu, California, with his mother and brother.
He attended Santa Monica High School, the same high school as fellow actors Holly Robinson Peete, Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Chris Penn, and Robert Downey Jr..[4] Lowe began his acting career in the 1980s when he appeared in a number of television films.
[3] In 1988 he co-starred with Tommy Lee Jones and Robert Urich in the made-for-TV film April Morning, which depicted the battle of Lexington in the American Revolutionary War.
[3] Lowe's feature film appearances have included roles in Nobody's Perfect, True Blood, Quiet Days in Hollywood, Floating, and Unfaithful.
[3] Lowe has directed episodes of Bones, Brothers and Sisters, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Hack, Without a Trace, and Pretty Little Liars.
[3] In April 2010, Lowe replaced Alexis Denisof as Aria's father, Byron Montgomery, in Pretty Little Liars.
[14] Swank infamously forgot to thank Lowe during her acceptance speech after winning her first Academy Award in 2000 (for Boys Don't Cry).