Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#1088
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Rob Lowe represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 44 years in, and Rob is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Rob Lowe appears in 31 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Rob. The Happy Days of Garry Marshall is the clearest case: a film rated 8.0 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for horror, thriller, comedy. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Giselle Bonilla, Andrew McCarthy, Stephen Herek and others, Rob Lowe helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall (2020) as Self · The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation (2020) as Chris Traeger · A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020) as Sam Seaborn
Career snapshot
Ranked #1088 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
31
1983–2027
Career length
44 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
8.0
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
Average Nutevio score
6.2
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
8.0
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
Most frequent director
Jay Roach
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Jay Roach
Most common genre
Comedy
17 titles
Average runtime
1h 26m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.9
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.7
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
1990s
6.5 average MV
The 1990s are where the work and the material meet. Austin Powers: The Spy Who Shagged Me, Contact, Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
1990s
6.5
Across 6 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
1990s
6.5
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1980s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. About Last Night..., St. Elmo's Fire, The Outsiders.
Most productive era
2010s
10 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1980s | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.43 films | 6.82 films | 6.42 films | — | 7.12 films |
| Action | — | — | — | 6.22 films | — |
| Thriller | — | 6.02 films | — | 7.11 film | 0.01 film |
| Comedy | 6.12 films | 6.63 films | 6.33 films | 6.27 films | 3.82 films |
| Crime | 7.11 film | 6.34 films | — | 5.91 film | — |
| Romance | 6.12 films | — | 5.92 films | 6.52 films | — |
| Horror | — | — | — | 7.11 film | 0.01 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1983The Outsiders
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Sodapop Curtis.
Highest rated performance
2020The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
8.0 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer.
Career peak
2020The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation
Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2027The Third Parent
The current state of the argument, as Mason 'Cap' Hollow.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
31 of 31 films
as David
Directed by Rob Lowe
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Chris Traeger
The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation (2020)
Performance score8.0
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Chris Traeger gives Rob Lowe a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Sam Seaborn
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
Performance score7.9
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Sam Seaborn is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Self
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall (2020)
Performance score7.8
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Self is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Chris Traeger
A Parks and Recreation Special (2020)
Performance score7.7
A Parks and Recreation Special asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Chris Traeger is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Chris Traeger
Start here. The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation is the clearest statement of what Rob Lowe does — accessible, 20 minutes, and rated 8.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Rob at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
The Bad Seed (2018)
A deliberate change of key after The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
Keeps the tv movie register of The Bad Seed but asks for a colder reading of it.
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall (2020)
Keeps the tv movie register of A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote but asks for a colder reading of it.
A Parks and Recreation Special (2020)
A deliberate change of key after The Happy Days of Garry Marshall — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Jay Roach
Director
2 films together
Notably Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
Francis Ford Coppola
Director
1 film together
Notably The Outsiders
Joel Schumacher
Director
1 film together
Notably St. Elmo's Fire
Edward Zwick
Director
1 film together
Notably About Last Night...
Curtis Hanson
Director
1 film together
Notably Bad Influence
Penelope Spheeris
Director
1 film together
Notably Wayne's World
Lee Tamahori
Director
1 film together
Notably Mulholland Falls
Robert Zemeckis
Director
1 film together
Notably Contact
Jason Reitman
Director
1 film together
Notably Thank You for Smoking
Ricky Gervais
Director
1 film together
Notably The Invention of Lying
Jake Kasdan
Director
1 film together
Notably Sex Tape
Evan Goldberg
Director
1 film together
Notably The Interview
Howy Parkins
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar
Chris Wedge
Director
1 film together
Notably Monster Trucks
Ken Marino
Director
1 film together
Notably How to Be a Latin Lover
Jay Chandrasekhar
Director
1 film together
Notably Super Troopers 2
Rob Lowe
Director
1 film together
Notably The Bad Seed
Monika Mitchell
Director
1 film together
Notably The Knight Before Christmas
Thomas Schlamme
Director
1 film together
Notably A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
Morgan Sackett
Director
1 film together
Notably A Parks and Recreation Special
Stephen Herek
Director
1 film together
Notably Dog Gone
Andrew McCarthy
Director
1 film together
Notably BRATS
Giselle Bonilla
Director
1 film together
Notably The Musical
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Jay Roach
Director
2 films together · 6.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
Austin Powers: International Man of MysteryThomas Schlamme
Director
1 film together · 7.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All VoteMorgan Sackett
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A Parks and Recreation SpecialRobert Zemeckis
Director
1 film together · 7.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
ContactJason Reitman
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Thank You for SmokingRob Lowe
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Bad SeedFrancis Ford Coppola
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The OutsidersKen Marino
Director
1 film together · 6.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
How to Be a Latin LoverHowy Parkins
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lion Guard: Return of the RoarPenelope Spheeris
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Wayne's WorldMonika Mitchell
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Knight Before ChristmasStephen Herek
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Dog GoneEvan Goldberg
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The InterviewRicky Gervais
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Invention of LyingChris Wedge
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Monster TrucksEdward Zwick
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
About Last Night...Joel Schumacher
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
St. Elmo's FireAndrew McCarthy
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
BRATSLee Tamahori
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Mulholland FallsCurtis Hanson
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Bad InfluenceJay Chandrasekhar
Director
1 film together · 5.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Super Troopers 2Jake Kasdan
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Sex TapeGiselle Bonilla
Director
1 film together · 0.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The MusicalSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
as Self
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
Dog Gone
as John Marshall
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
as Self
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
as Decapitated Henchman's Friend (uncredited)
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
The Paley Center Salutes Parks and Recreation
as Chris Traeger
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Rob Lowe has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
44 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Comedy Legend
Awarded
17 catalogue titles in comedy, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Contact
as Richard Rank
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Contact
as Richard Rank
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Dog Gone
as John Marshall
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Mulholland Falls
as Hoodlum
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
The Happy Days of Garry Marshall
as Self
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Monster Trucks
as Reece Tenneson
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
St. Elmo's Fire
as Billy Hicks
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
as Decapitated Henchman's Friend (uncredited)
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Tom Hanks
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Bonnie Hunt
Built a career in the same territory: animation and family
Al Pacino
Works with the same directors — shared collaborators
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Morgan Freeman
Built a career in the same territory: action and crime
Have your say
Community
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Our readers argue about this one. Make your case, or read the ranked debate already in progress.
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Reference
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