An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as an Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards (for film), the Tony Award (for theatre), and the Grammy Awards (for music).^[1][2]

A majority of Emmys are presented in various sectors of the American television industry. As such, the awards are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the year. The two ceremonies that usually receive the most media coverage are the Primetime Emmys and the Daytime Emmys, primarily recognizing excellence in American primetime and daytime entertainment programming, respectively. Other notable Emmy Award ceremonies include those honoring national sports programming, national news and documentary shows, national business and financial reporting, and technological and engineering achievements in television. Regional Emmy Awards are also presented throughout the country at various times through the year, recognizing excellence in local and state-to-state television. In addition, International Emmys are awarded to recognize excellence in TV programming produced and initially aired outside the United States.

Three related but separate organizations present the Emmy Awards: the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS), and the International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.^[3] Each is responsible for administering a particular set of Emmy award shows.^[4]

History[link]

TV producer Bruce Kennedy holding an Emmy

The Los Angeles-based Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS) established the Emmy Awards as part of an image-building and public relations opportunity.^[4] The first Emmy Awards were presented on January 25, 1949 at the Hollywood Athletic Club, but solely to honor shows produced and aired locally in the Los Angeles area. Shirley Dinsdale has the distinction of receiving the very first Emmy, for Most Outstanding Television Personality, during that first awards ceremony.^[4]

In the 1950s, the ATAS expanded the Emmys into a national event, presenting the awards to shows broadcast nationwide. In 1955, the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS) was formed in New York as a sister organization to serve members on the East Coast, and help to also supervise the Emmys. The NATAS also established regional chapters throughout the United States, with each one developing their own local Emmy awards show for local programming.^[4] The ATAS still however maintained its separate regional ceremony honoring local programming in the Los Angeles Area.^[5]

Originally there was only one Emmy Awards ceremony held per year to honor shows nationally broadcast in the United States. That changed when the Daytime Emmy Awards, a separate awards show specifically just for daytime programming, was first held in 1974. Other area-specific Emmy Awards ceremonies soon followed. Also, the International Emmy Awards, honoring television programs produced and initially aired outside the U.S., was established in the early 1970s.^[4] Meanwhile, all Emmys awarded prior to the emergence of these separate, area-specific ceremonies are listed along with the Primetime Emmy Awards in the ATAS' official records.^[6]

In 1977, due to various conflicts, the ATAS and the NATAS agreed to split ties. However, they also agreed to share ownership of the Emmy statue and trademark, with each responsible for administering a specific set of award shows.^[4]

Emmy statuette[link]

The Emmy statuette, depicting a winged woman holding an atom, was designed by television engineer Louis McManus, who used his wife as the model. The TV Academy rejected a total of forty-seven proposals before settling on McManus' design in 1948. The statuette "has since become the symbol of the TV Academy's goal of supporting and uplifting the art and science of television: The wings represent the muse of art; the atom the electron of science."^[7]

When deciding a name for the award, Academy founder Syd Cassyd originally suggested "Ike", the nickname for the television iconoscope tube. However, "Ike" was also the popular nickname of World War II hero and future U.S. President Dwight D. Eisenhower, and therefore Academy members wanted something more unique. Finally, television engineer and the third academy president, Harry Lubcke, suggested the name "Immy", a term commonly used for the image orthicon tube used in the early cameras.^[7] After "Immy" was chosen, it was later feminized to Emmy to match their female statuette.^[7]

Each Primetime Emmy statuette weighs six pounds, twelve-and-a-half ounces (3.08kg), and is made of copper, nickel, silver and gold. The statue stands 15.5 inches (39 cm) tall with a base diameter of 7.5 inches (19 cm) and weight of 88 oz (2.5 kg). The Regional Emmy Award statuette is 11.5 inches (29 cm) tall with a base diameter of 5.5 inches (14 cm) and weight of 48 oz (1.4 kg). Each takes five-and-one-half hours to make and is handled with white gloves to prevent fingerprints. The statues are manufactured by R.S. Owens Company based out of Chicago, Illinois who is also charged with manufacturing the Academy Award statues.^[8][9]

As its trademark owners, the ATAS and the NATAS hold firm rules on the use of the "Emmy" image as well as its name. For example, the Emmy statuette must always appear facing left. Any copyright notice for the statue should read "©ATAS/NATAS", listing both academies. Academy members must also obtain permission to use the statue image or name for promotional uses even though they are winners of the award. Furthermore, DVDs of Emmy-winning shows may reference the fact that they received an Emmy, but cannot use the statue image unless it is capable of being removed from all copies after one year after the award is presented.^[10][11]

Area-specific ceremonies[link]

Actress Dana Delany holding an Emmy, 1992

TV producer and writer Bradley Bell accepting Daytime Emmy Awards for his work on the daytime soap opera The Bold and the Beautiful, 2010

The Emmys are presented in various area-specific ceremonies held annually throughout the calendar year, ranging from honoring nationally televised shows to regionally- and locally-produced programs. Each ceremony has their own set of nominating and voting procedures, along with different rules regarding voting committees. Also, the various ceremonies each have own set of award categories, and it is not uncommon for them to have some of the same names (e.g. Primetime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series and Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series).

A show that enters into one of the national Emmy competitions cannot also be entered into any of the others. For example, syndicated shows whose air times vary between media markets may be eligible for both the Daytime and Primetime Emmys, but cannot enter in both.^[12] In general, a show is considered national if it reaches more 50 percent of U.S. households; programs that do not reach at least 50 percent of the country may enter into the Regional Emmys instead.

Regardless of which area-specific ceremony one wins an Emmy, all winners still may be generally called an "Emmy Winner".

Primetime Emmys[link]

The Primetime Emmys are presented in recognition of excellence in American primetime television programming. Ceremonies generally are held in mid-September, on the Sunday before the official start of the fall television season, and are currently broadcast in rotation among the ABC, CBS, NBC, and Fox networks.

Some award categories presented to behind-the-scenes personnel such as art directors, costume designers, cinematographers, casting directors, and sound editors are awarded at a separate Creative Arts Emmys ceremony held a few days earlier.

Daytime Emmys[link]

The Daytime Emmy Awards, generally are held in June, are presented in recognition of excellence in American daytime television programming. The first daytime-themed Emmy Awards were given out at the primetime ceremony in 1972, but the first separate awards show made just for daytime programming was not held until 1974.

Like the Primetime Emmys, a separate Creative Arts Emmy ceremony is also held a few days earlier to honor the behind-the-scenes personnel working in daytime television.

Sports Emmys[link]

The Sports Emmy Awards are presented for excellence in sports programming. The awards ceremony takes place every Spring, usually sometime in the last two weeks in April or the first week in May, and is held on a Monday night in New York City.

News and Documentary Emmys[link]

The News & Documentary Emmy Awards are presented for excellence in national news and documentary programming. The awards ceremony takes place every Fall.

Technology and Engineering Emmys[link]

The Technology & Engineering Emmy Awards are presented to individuals, companies, or to scientific or technical organizations in recognition of significant developments and contributions to the technological and engineering aspects of television.

Regional Emmys[link]

There are 20 total regional chapters located across the United States that each conduct regional awards to recognize excellence in all the regional television markets, including state to state programming as well as local news and locally produced shows. Nineteen of the regional chapters are affiliated with the NATAS,^[13] while the Los Angeles-based ATAS acts as the regional chapter serving the Los Angeles area.^[5][14]

In general, a show is considered regional if it does not reach more 50 percent of U.S. households; programs that reach more than 50 percent of the country must enter into one of the national Emmy competitions instead.

The Regional Emmys are essential in helping NATAS and ATAS honor the works of deserving individuals in local TV through a regional outreach. Like the national awards, each region goes through their own rigorous nomination and voting procedures. Committees are formed to review entries for eligibility and high standards. Once accepted, each entry goes before different review committees, and their votes are cast to determine the final nominees. The final votes are then calculated by certified accounting firms within each region. Regardless of winning on a national or regional level, all recipients are "Emmy Award" winners.

Originally, each Regional Emmy Awards ceremony primarily focused on only honoring individuals in local news programming.^[4] The regionals have since been expanded to encompass all locally and state to state-produced shows that receive less than fifty percent of the country's viewing audience.

International Emmys[link]

The International Academy of Television Arts & Sciences presents the International Emmy Award to the best television programs produced, and initially aired, outside the U.S. There are fourteen program categories for the International Emmy Awards: Arts Programming; Best Performance by an Actor; Best Performance by an Actress; Children & Young People; Comedy; Current Affairs; Documentary; Drama Series; Interactive Channel; Interactive Program; Interactive TV Service; News; Non-Scripted Entertainment; Telenovela; and TV Movie/Mini-Series.

The awards are presented at the International Emmy Awards Gala. Held each year in November at the Hilton Hotel, New York City,^[15] the Gala attracts over 1,200 television professionals, who gather to celebrate excellence in television and network with their peers.

The three Interactive categories are awarded in a separate ceremony held during MIPTV in Cannes.

[edit] Student Emmys

High school and college students can submit productions to their region's charter and receive recognition in the categories of News, Arts & Entertainment, Documentary, Public Affairs/Community Service/Public Service, Sports, Technical Achievement and Writing.

The school or after-school program attached to the students then receives a plaque with the name of an adult advisor and the student film-makers. Up to one-hundred students are allowed to be attached to an award.

From there, a "blue-ribbon" panel judges the winners from each region and awards the National Student Television Award for Excellence.

However, in 2009, this program was suspended at a national level and competition went on only regionally. Per the NationalStudent.tv website: "Partly as a result of the recent severe downturn in the nation’s economy, corporate and personal grants and donations that provided National Student Television (NSTV) with funds to conduct our annual competition have not materialized. There is no money to continue our operations."

Other Emmys[link]

• Business and financial reporting
• Public Service—for public service announcements and programming to "advance the common good"
• The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award—awarded by the Academy Board of Governors
• The Governors Award honors the achievements of an individual, company or organization whose works stand out with the immediacy of current achievement. It is the highest award presented by the Academy.^[16]

See also[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Emmy Awards

Melissa Ann McCarthy (born August 26, 1970) is an American film and television actress, comedian, writer and producer.

McCarthy is known for her role as Sookie St. James on the The WB television series Gilmore Girls, where she starred from 2000 to 2007. From 2007 to 2009, she portrayed Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who?. She currently stars in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, for which she won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 2011.^[1] She is also known for her performances in the films The Nines, The Back-up Plan, Life as We Know It, and her breakthrough role in the 2011 comedy hit Bridesmaids, which garnered numerous award nominations including BAFTA and Academy Award nominations for Best Supporting Actress.^[2]

Early life[link]

Melissa Ann McCarthy was born in Plainfield, Illinois,^[3] the daughter of Sandra and Michael McCarthy.^[4][5] She is a first cousin of actress Jenny McCarthy.^[6] McCarthy was raised on a farm, in a Irish-American family.^[7] She graduated from St. Francis Academy (now Joliet Catholic Academy) in Joliet, Illinois.^[8] Her career started with stand-up comedy and includes film, television and theater.^[9] McCarthy is an alumna of The Groundlings, an improvisational and sketch comedy troupe based in Los Angeles, California,

Career[link]

In 1997 she appeared in an episode of the NBC comedy series Jenny. From 2000 to 2003 she played supporting roles in the films Disney's The Kid, Charlie's Angels, Go, The Third Wheel and The Life of David Gale. She also did voice work in three episodes of Kim Possible, where she played DNAmy.

From 2000 to 2007 she played the role of Sookie St. James, the loveable control freak and scatterbrain/klutzy best friend of Lorelai Gilmore on the The WB television series Gilmore Girls. Sookie is the executive chef at the Independence Inn and later, the co-owner and head chef at the Dragonfly Inn. In 2007, she acted opposite Ryan Reynolds in The Nines, written and directed by John August. McCarthy played Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? from 2007 to 2009. She also was a guest star in TV series Rita Rocks in 2009 and Private Practice in 2010.

In 2010, she played character roles in films The Back-Up Plan and Life as We Know It. Since 2010 McCarthy has played a leading role as Molly Flynn on the CBS hit sitcom Mike & Molly. In 2011, she received her first Emmy award^[10] for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role on Mike & Molly.

In 2011, McCarthy's career soared to new heights with her breakout comedic performance in the hit film Bridesmaids alongside Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey and Ellie Kemper. McCarthy received critical acclaim and an Academy Award nomination for her performance. In June 2011, she hosted the Women in Film Crystal + Lucy Awards.^[11] She appeared as the host of Saturday Night Live on October 1, 2011.

McCarthy will play a role in the sequel to Judd Apatow's film Knocked Up - This is Forty.^[12] She will star in the upcoming film ID Theft with Jason Bateman.^[13][14] She will also star in the upcoming film Tammy.^[15] McCarthy is also the author and producer of an upcoming CBS pilot.^[16]

Personal life[link]

McCarthy married her longtime boyfriend, Ben Falcone, an actor and alumnus of The Groundlings, on October 8, 2005.^[17][18] They have two daughters, Vivian, born May 5, 2007, and Georgette, born in March 2010.^[19][20] McCarthy's pregnancy with Vivian was written into the last season of Gilmore Girls.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Melissa McCarthy at the Internet Movie Database
• Melissa McCarthy at AllRovi
• Melissa McCarthy at Yahoo! Movies
• Melissa McCarthy cast bio on The CW
• Melissa McCarthy's biography on filmbug
• Melissa McCarthy at Emmys.com

Joel McHale
McHale at a panel at PaleyFest 2010 for Community
Birth name	Joel Edward McHale
Born	(1971-11-20) November 20, 1971 (age 40) Rome, Italy
Medium	Film, television, stand-up
Years active	1991–present
Genres	News satire, sarcasm, observational comedy
Subject(s)	Celebrities, gossip, pop culture
Spouse	Sarah Williams (1996–present)
Notable works and roles	Host of The Soup Jeff Winger on Community
Website	http://www.joelmchaleonline.com/

Joel Edward McHale (born November 20, 1971) is an Italian-born American stand-up comedian, actor, writer, television producer, television personality, and voice artist. He is best known for hosting The Soup and for his role as Jeff Winger on the NBC comedy series Community.

McHale's role as a voice actor includes Elliot in Open Season 2, filling in for Ashton Kutcher.^[1] He also appeared in Spider-Man 2 in a cameo appearance as bank manager Mr. Jacks, CSI: Miami as Greg Welsh, and Spy Kids: All the Time in the World as Wilbur Wilson.

Early life[link]

McHale, the middle of three brothers, was born in Rome, Italy on November 20, 1971. His mother, Laurie, is from Vancouver, British Columbia, and his father, Jack, is from Chicago.^[2] McHale and his brothers were born in Rome, where their father worked for an American university. He grew up in the Seattle area, graduating from Mercer Island High School in 1991. He also participated at Youth Theatre Northwest.

He received a bachelor's degree in History from the University of Washington in 1995. While at the University of Washington, McHale briefly belonged to the Theta Chi Fraternity.^[3] He was recruited to be on the rowing team, but later walked onto the football team, playing tight end for two years.^[4][5] McHale received a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Professional Actors Training Program at the University of Washington.

Career[link]

Stand-up comedy[link]

McHale was part of the Almost Live! cast, a local sketch-comedy TV show produced by Seattle's KING-TV (Channel 5). From 1993 until 1997, McHale was a member of the improv comedy group at Unexpected Productions, participating in Theatersports! at the Market Theater located in Pike Place Market in downtown Seattle.^[6]

Acting[link]

After earning his master's degree in acting, McHale moved to Los Angeles and landed small roles in Oliver Beene, CSI: Miami, and Will & Grace. He played a TV reporter in the biopic Lords of Dogtown. He guest-starred as a cast member on the NBC improv comedy show Thank God You're Here during the pilot episode and had a guest role on an episode of Pushing Daisies. McHale also appeared in Spider-Man 2 in a small role as Mr. Jacks, a bank manager.

In 2004, McHale began hosting The Soup, a satirical weekly television show on the "E!" television network. Throughout the show, he takes the audience through the oddities and ridiculous happenings of the week in television. He frequently appears as a co-host on Loveline. He has also had a long association with Circle X Theatre, where he has done several plays. McHale was a weekly guest on The Adam Carolla Show and Mickey and Amelia, and occasional guest on the Opie and Anthony Show.^[7] He has been a judge on Iron Chef America. He was involved in the American version of the British TV show The IT Crowd. McHale made a guest appearance on the finale of Last Comic Standing sixth season, when he recapped the show's events in his typical format of jokes made popular on The Soup. He usually appeared in Countdown with Keith Olbermann in a humor sequence closing the show.

McHale played FBI Agent Robert Herndon in The Informant! (2009), alongside Matt Damon.

McHale at the Paley Center's 6th annual celebrity golf classic in Westlake Village, California, June 8, 2009.

He currently stars in Community,^[8] which premiered in winter 2009. He also continues to host The Soup.^[9]

Voice acting[link]

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (September 2011)

McHale provided the voice of Elliot in Open Season 2 after Ashton Kutcher declined to reprise his role.

Personal life[link]

McHale married Sarah Williams in 1996.^[10] They have two sons: Edward Roy, "Eddie" (born 2005)^[11] and Isaac Hayden (born 2008).^[12] McHale and Williams live in the Hollywood Hills.^[13]

Filmography[link]

Television work[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Joel McHale

• Official website
• Joel McHale at the Internet Movie Database
• Joel McHale on Twitter
• E! Online Biography

Peter Dinklage
Dinklage in 2012
Born	Peter Hayden Dinklage (1969-06-11) June 11, 1969 (age 43) Morristown, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present
Spouse	Erica Schmidt (2005–present)

Peter Hayden Dinklage^[1] (born June 11, 1969) is an American film, television and theatre actor.

Since his breakout role in the 2003 film The Station Agent, he has acted in Elf, Underdog, Find Me Guilty, the 2007 film Death at a Funeral and its 2010 remake, and The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian. Since 2011 he has starred in the HBO series Game of Thrones, based on George R.R. Martin's series of novels A Song of Ice and Fire, which earned him the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series as well as the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Series, Miniseries or Television Film.

Early life[link]

Dinklage was born in Morristown, New Jersey,^[2] the son of Diane, an elementary school music teacher, and John Carl Dinklage, a retired insurance salesman.^[3][4] Dinklage was born with achondroplasia.

He grew up in Mendham Township, New Jersey. Dinklage graduated from Delbarton School in Morristown in 1987, pursuing his future in acting, and graduated from Bennington College in 1991.^[5]

Career[link]

Dinklage made his feature debut in the 1995 cult art house film Living in Oblivion playing the role of a frustrated dwarf actor complaining about his clichéd part. Dinklage's breakout role was in the 2003 award-winning film The Station Agent, his first mainstream appearance.^[6] He received Independent Spirit and Screen Actors Guild Award nominations for Best Actor for his performance in that film. That same year, he appeared in the direct-to-DVD movie Tiptoes with Gary Oldman. As well as appearing in films, Dinklage has starred multiple times in off-Broadway productions.^[7]

In Elf, Dinklage played a pretentious children's author who beats up Will Ferrell's character after he is unintentionally insulted. In 2005, Dinklage starred in the short-lived CBS science fiction series Threshold and appeared in the Michael Showalter comedy The Baxter as a wedding planner. In 2006, Dinklage appeared in Sidney Lumet's courtroom drama Find Me Guilty, and in episodes of Nip/Tuck. He played himself in one episode of the HBO television series Entourage and was featured on NBC's 30 Rock.

Dinklage also had a role in the 2007 British Death at a Funeral. He plays the same role in the American remake of the film. That same year, he played the villainous Simon Bar Sinister in Underdog.

Dinklage was chosen by director Andrew Adamson for the role of Trumpkin in the 2008 film Prince Caspian^[8] although film critic Bill Gibron described his role as a "cutesy stereotype [Dinklage] has tried to avoid."^[9]

Dinklage starred in the horror comedy Knights of Badassdom,^[10] directed by Joe Lynch.^[11]

Dinklage plays Tyrion Lannister in HBO's Game of Thrones, an adaptation of author George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. His performance has received widespread praise,^[12][13] highlighted by his receipt of the Emmy Award^[14] for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series in 2011, as well as the 2012 Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film. As a result, Dinklage was given top billing in season 2 of Game of Thrones.^[15]

Personal life[link]

Dinklage married Erica Schmidt, a theatre director, in 2005. In 2011, they had their first child, a daughter.^[16]

He is of German and Irish descent.^[17] For high school he attended Delbarton, a prestigious prep-school in Northern New Jersey. When asked about his height in a 2003 interview, he said: "When I was younger, definitely, I let it get to me. As an adolescent, I was bitter and angry and I definitely put up these walls. But the older you get, you realize you just have to have a sense of humor. You just know that it's not your problem. It's theirs."^[7]

Dinklage is a vegetarian and lives with his wife and daughter in upstate New York.^[18]

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

• Interview with Peter Dinklage in Delbarton Today

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Peter Dinklage

• Peter Dinklage at the Internet Movie Database
• Peter Dinklage at the Internet Off-Broadway Database
• Interview with Peter Dinklage about The Station Agent
• BBC Movies Interview about The Station Agent
• Peter Dinklage at Emmys.com
• Dan Kois (March 29, 2012). "Peter Dinklage Was Smart to Say No". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/01/magazine/peter-dinklage-was-smart-to-say-no.html. 

Rob Lowe
Lowe at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival premiere of Knife Fight
Born	Robert Hepler Lowe (1964-03-17) March 17, 1964 (age 48) Charlottesville, Virginia, U.S.
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1979–present
Spouse	Sheryl Berkoff (1991–present; 2 children)

Robert Hepler "Rob" Lowe (/ˈrɒb ˈloʊ/; born March 17, 1964) is an American actor. Lowe came to prominence after appearing in films such as The Outsiders, Oxford Blues, About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, and Wayne's World. On television, Lowe is known for his role as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing and his role as Senator Robert McCallister on Brothers & Sisters. He is currently a main cast member of Parks and Recreation, playing the role of Chris Traeger. Early in his career Lowe gained notoriety as a life-in-the-fast-lane playboy, ending up in the spotlight for various personal indiscretions and tabloid scandals, including one of the first "sex tape" scandals to hit Hollywood.

Early life[link]

Lowe was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, the son of Barbara Lynn (née Hepler), a teacher, and Charles Davis Lowe, a trial lawyer.^[1] His parents divorced when Lowe was young. He has a brother, actor Chad Lowe, and two half brothers. Because of a virus during infancy, he is deaf in his right ear (he later played a deaf character in Stephen King's The Stand). Lowe was baptized into the Episcopal church.^[2] His father is of German , English and Irish ancestry and his mother was of German,^[3] English, Welsh, and Scottish descent. He was raised in a "traditional midwestern setting"^[2] in Dayton, Ohio, attending Oakwood Junior High School, before moving to the Point Dume area of Malibu, California with his mother and brother.^[4][5] He attended Santa Monica High School, the same high school as fellow actors Emilio Estevez, Charlie Sheen, Sean Penn, Chris Penn, and Robert Downey, Jr.^[6][7]

Early career[link]

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 Supporting Actor in a TV Movie/Miniseries". Lowe made his film debut in Schoolboy Father, followed by Class with Andrew McCarthy. His breakthrough came in 1983, when he and Emilio Estevez were cast in Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders. Lowe played the role of Sodapop Curtis, the brother of the main character Ponyboy Curtis (C. Thomas Howell) and Darrel Curtis (Patrick Swayze). Lowe and Estevez reunited in St. Elmo's Fire, making them the two more prominent actors from the group known as the Brat Pack. About Last Night... followed, with Demi Moore (who had starred with Lowe in St. Elmo's Fire). He then received his second Golden Globe nomination for "Best Supporting Actor" for his role as the mentally disabled Rory in Square Dance (1987).

Later work[link]

Television[link]

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^[8] nomination 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. In 2011, Lowe appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and stated that he left the show because he did not feel he was being respected, when the other lead characters received a raise and he did not.^[9]

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.^[10]

Despite his two canceled TV series and flops like View From the Top and the made-for-TV movie Perfect Strangers during his post–West Wing run, Lowe found success in the TV miniseries genre. 2004 marked his return to this genre; he had appeared in 1994's The Stand, based on Stephen King's book of the same name. In 2004, Lowe starred in the TNT remake of the Stephen King miniseries Salem's Lot which was the highest rated cable program of that summer and the highest ratings TNT original programming had at the time. In 2005, Lowe starred in the miniseries Beach Girls on the Lifetime network, based on the Luanne Rice novel of the same name. The series premiere received the highest ratings for a movie premiere in Lifetime history. In that same year, Lowe filmed his critically acclaimed role as super movie agent in the 2006 independent film Thank You for Smoking. In 2006, he filmed The Perfect Day for TNT, in which he took a pay cut to film in New Orleans in order to help the hurricane ravaged area. That same year, Lowe filmed Stir of Echoes: The Homecoming, the "sequel" to the 1999 Kevin Bacon thriller Stir of Echoes.

In 2006, it was announced that Lowe would join the cast of Brothers & Sisters for a guest run of several episodes. In January 2007, ABC announced that Lowe would be staying on Brothers and Sisters as a "special guest star" for the rest of season 1 after Lowe's initial appearance on the show in November 2006 brought the best ratings and demographic showing for the show since its premiere. Soon after ABC announced an early season 2 renewal for Brother & Sisters in March 2007, Lowe announced he would be returning for the show's second season. He continued to appear in the series until the end of the 2009–2010 season. Unhappy with the stories and his lack of screen time in the fourth season, Lowe announced he would leave. In an episode broadcast on May 16, 2010, his character was part of a multi-vehicle crash involving a large truck and was put into a coma, the storyline was wrapped up in the first episode of the fifth season; Lowe did not appear in the episode.

In June 2006, he was the guest host for an episode in the third series of The Friday Night Project for the United Kingdom's Channel 4.

Lowe has also appeared in a televised advertisement for 'Visit California', along with other celebrities including Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. (In the advertisement campaign, he was usually pictured in a white tee-shirt printed with the California state flag.)

Lowe had a supporting role in the 2009 movie The Invention of Lying and a leading role in Too Late to Say Goodbye.

In 2010, he appeared in the biography of the Brat Packers called: Brat Pack: Where Are They Now? He also appeared on The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien.

Lowe is currently teaming up with 44 Blue to produce a reality series entitled Potomac Fever about young adults living in Washington, DC.^[11]

In July 2010, it was announced that Lowe would be providing the voice for the superhero Captain Marvel in the upcoming animated series, Young Justice.^[12] It was also announced in July 2010 that Lowe would become a series regular on the series Parks and Recreation.^[13]

In 2011, Lowe guest starred in a recurring role on Showtime's comedy Californication. Lowe featured as the troubled but in-demand actor Eddie Nero - a character based upon "about ten people", according to Lowe^[14] but somewhat contradicted by sources at Showtime itself^[15] - employed to portray Hank in a film version his book, Fucking and Punching.^[16]

Other work[link]

In 2011, Lowe wrote a memoir titled Stories I Only Tell My Friends, which was released in May 2011.^[11][17] During Lowe’s promotional tour for Stories I Only Tell My Friends, Lowe told Australian radio show The Kyle & Jackie O Show that during his 5-day press visit to Australia in 1990, he was so badly affected by the overuse of pain-killers that the only two things he remembers from the trip was being at the Sydney Zoo and getting a tattoo.^[18]

Personal life[link]

Lowe with wife Sheryl Berkoff in 2003

Rob Lowe is a fan of the NFL football team the Indianapolis Colts.^[19] On January 18, 2012 Lowe erroneously reported via Twitter that NFL quarterback Peyton Manning was retiring.^[20]

Family and relationships[link]

Lowe, a little-known actor at the time, and Little House on the Prairie actress Melissa Gilbert briefly met at age 14 in 1978 in the halls of the CBS Television Studios. In 1981, when both were 17, she spotted Lowe stopped at the red light next to her car and the two began dating.^[21] The relationship was rocky and fraught with infidelity. During the filming of 1984's The Hotel New Hampshire, Lowe began an affair with Nastassja Kinski. In Gilbert's 2009 autobiography, Prairie Tale: A Memoir, she talks about sleeping with Lowe's then-best friend, John Cusack, while Lowe was away filming. According to Gilbert, she caught Lowe in Kinski's hotel room and then slept with Cusack out of revenge. Lowe broke up with Gilbert in 1986 when he began dating Princess Stéphanie of Monaco, but when the relationship with the princess ended, Gilbert and Lowe reunited. The two quickly got engaged and were to be married in the summer of 1987. But when Gilbert informed Lowe that she was pregnant, he broke up with her for good. She miscarried only days later.^[22]

Lowe married makeup artist Sheryl Berkoff in July 1991; they have two sons: Edward Matthew Lowe (b. Sept 24, 1993), and John Owen Lowe (b. Nov 6, 1995).^{[citation needed]} They live in Venice Beach, California.

Sex tape controversy[link]

In 1988, Lowe was involved in a sex scandal over a videotape of him having sex with two women, one of whom was 16 and the other being 22. She was filmed with Lowe during the night before the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta. Lowe has asserted that he did not know that the second girl was underage, and it was confirmed that the two had met at a bar.^[23] At the time, Lowe was campaigning for Michael Dukakis.^[24]

Another part of the same tape was leaked at the time, showing Lowe and his friend Justin Moritt, later the line producer, both having sexual intercourse and oral sex with a young American model named Jennifer, in a hotel room in Paris. This part of the original tape was sold as one of the first commercially available celebrity sex tapes, damaging his public image.^[25] Eventually, his career rebounded and Lowe mocked his own behavior during two post-scandal appearances as host of Saturday Night Live.

Nanny lawsuit cases[link]

Rob Lowe in 2008

In April 2008, Lowe filed separate lawsuits against three former employees accusing them of breach of contract, defamation and intentional infliction of emotional distress. Lowe accuses an ex-nanny of engaging in a scheme to hurt the couple by spreading "malicious lies". Another ex-nanny is accused of falsely claiming to have had a personal and intimate relationship with Lowe, and also repeatedly expressing romantic interest in Rob, claiming that Lowe sexually harassed her and that Sheryl Lowe was an abusive employer. Lowe claims a former chef engaged in sex on their bed with third parties when the family was out of town, stole prescription drugs from the Lowes, broke several security cameras, overcharged them for food, and allegedly made statements to various people that Sheryl was heartless, cold and unclean.^[26]

Jessica Gibson, 24-year-old former nanny for Lowe, made 12 allegations against Lowe involving sexual harassment claims and labor-code violations. On June 19, 2008, Santa Barbara, California, Superior Court Judge Denise de Bellefeuille dismissed two allegations regarding labor-code violations due to lack of legal basis.^[27]

The legal battle ended in May 2009, the press reported that court records showed that lawsuits filed by both nannies and Lowe have been dismissed in Santa Barbara. Attorneys for both women and Lowe sought the dismissals.^[28]

Charity work[link]

Lowe was the first male spokesperson for the 2000 Lee National Denim Day fundraiser, which raises millions of dollars for breast cancer research and education. His grandmother and great-grandmother both suffered from breast cancer, and his mother died of the disease in late 2003.

Lowe is a founder of the Homeowner's Defense Fund, a Santa Barbara County non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to local control of land-use planning and transparency in government. The average price of tract homes in Santa Barbara in early 2006 was $1,100,000, which motivated some to propose denser housing on existing lots. While in favor of increasing housing density, he has sought to build a 14,260-square-foot (1,325 m²) mansion for himself in Montecito, California.^[29] Lowe's protest over the appearance of the address of the empty lot in the Santa Barbara News-Press precipitated a mass resignation of senior employees at that newspaper on July 6, 2006,^[30] and was a proximate cause of the Santa Barbara News-Press controversy.

Filmography[link]

Film[link]

Television[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Rob Lowe

• Rob Lowe at the Internet Movie Database
• Rob Lowe at AllRovi
• Rob Lowe at Emmys.com