"No one has a perfect life... but I'm grateful for all of it," Rob Lowe said.
Rob Lowe, 58, became famous with the movies St Elmo's Fire and About Last Night. His performance in The Grinder even earned him a Golden Globe nomination. Born in 1964, to a trial lawyer, Chuck, and a retired teacher, Barbara, Lowe lived with his mother, after his parent's divorce. His mother had consecutive divorces which unsettled him. He used his acting career as an escape from these turmoils. He told PEOPLE, "I had a vast fantasy world in my head and then I found something I could focus all my energies on instead of living in the moment, which a lot of times as a kid was sad or uncomfortable."
This made him an excellent actor but reality awaited him. For years, he said he emulated his St. Elmo's character, the "loveable rogue" Billy Hicks. "I became so identified with it — the wild, fun, rock and roll, quasi-debauched with the heart of gold [guy], that's my early twenties in a nutshell," he said.
His life took a different turn in 1990 when he was 26 years old. The actor came home and realized he had several missed calls from his mother. He found out that his grandfather had suffered a heart attack. The pain became heavier when he found out that his mother had begged him to pick up her call. Lowe wanted to forget this pain through alcohol and at this point, he realized his unhealthy coping mechanism. He realized he would have to take initiative to improve his life. He went to rehab 48 hours later.
After making this courageous decision, his life would begin to change for the better. There would be a growing connection between him and Sheryl Berkoff, a then make-up artist and now jewelry designer and owner of Sheryl Lowe Jewelry. He knew he wanted to spend his life with her and not let his alcohol abuse come in the way. The couple tied the knot in 1991 and enjoyed their calm married life together.
Now, Lowe has varied interests in life, such as being a Little League coach, making hot lunches on a random Wednesday, reading books, and curving pumpkins on Halloween. In 2022, Lowe celebrated 32 years of sobriety and said that they were the best years of his life. He told PEOPLE, "Up until I turned 26, I spent all my time investing in my career." He added, "From 26 on, I've invested in myself, my spirituality, my recovery, my marriage, and my family. A lot of it has been, excuse me, f***ing hard. And no one has a perfect life... but I'm grateful for all of it."
According to Parade, he kept his promise of sobriety and lived a happy married life. He also said the secret to a long-lasting relationship is to marry your best friend. He said he and his wife are always on the same page, whether it's their finances or how to raise their children, they are always in agreement, which makes their marriage easy. When the couple celebrated their 31st wedding anniversary, Lowe shared a sweet post on Instagram. He expressed gratitude for the love he shared with his wife and said she was still as funny as when they met. "Partners for life," wrote the actor.
The couple has two sons, John and Mathew. The 58-year-old star shared a picture on Instagram, of him and his son on the boat as they posed shirtless. John even praised his father for turning his life around and being a caring father and husband. John strives to have this resilience.
References:
https://parade.com/news/rob-lowe-reveals-secret-to-long-lasting-marriage-wife-sheryl-berkoff-2022
https://people.com/tv/rob-lowe-on-his-wild-journey-from-teen-idol-to-sober-family-man/
https://www.instagram.com/roblowe/
Cover Image Source: (L) Getty Images | Pascal Le Segretain; (R) Getty Images | Jamie McCarthy
