Early Life & Childhood
Carey Lowell was born on February 11, 1961, in Huntington, New York. Her father was a famous geologist named James Lowell.
Lowell had spent her childhood traveling across various countries, such as Libya, the Netherlands, and France, before her family finally settled in Denver, Colorado. Lowell was 12 at the time.
She attended the ‘University of Colorado Boulder,’ where she decided to major in literature. However, she dropped out a year later and moved to New York City to pursue a career in modeling. Soon, she modeled for top fashion designers such as Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, appearing in several fashion magazines.
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Career
In 1986, Carey Lowell began her film career with the action–thriller film ‘Dangerously Close,’ appearing as ‘Julie’. The same year, she also appeared in the role of a model in the comedy film ‘Club Paradise,’ opposite Robin Williams.
In 1987, Lowell appeared as ‘Maxine’ in the thriller ‘Down Twisted.’ The film was directed by popular low-budget filmmaker Albert Pyun.
In 1988, Lowell played the role of ‘Janet Anderson’ in the comedy film ‘Me and Him’. The film was a remake of a 1973 Italian film titled ‘Io e lui.’
In 1989, Lowell got her breakthrough role when she earned the role of “Bond girl” ‘Pam Bouvier’ in the ‘James Bond’ movie ‘Licence to Kill’. Her character in the movie was an ex-army pilot and a ‘CIA’ informant.
In 1990, Lowell appeared as ‘Kate Sterling’ in the horror film ‘The Guardian.’ The film was directed by William Friedkin, best known for his 1973 horror flick ‘The Exorcist.’
In 1991, Lowell made her foray into TV, appearing as model ‘Jessie Tailor’ in the romantic comedy TV film ‘Road to Ruin.’
In 1993, Lowell appeared as ‘Maggie Baldwin,’ the first wife of the character played by Tom Hanks, in the romantic comedy ‘Sleepless in Seattle.’ Her character died of cancer.
In 1994, Lowell starred as ‘Martha’ in the romantic drama ‘Love Affair.’ The film was a remake of a 1939 film of the same name.
In 1995, Lowell essayed the role of a teller in the romantic tragedy ‘Leaving Las Vegas.’ The film starred Nicolas Cage as a suicidal alcoholic.
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In 1996, Lowell appeared in another short TV film, ‘Duke of Groove.’ The same year, she earned her breakthrough TV role in the procedural and legal drama TV series ‘Law & Order’ (1996–2001). The series featured her as ‘Jamie Ross,’ one of its main characters. She also had a guest role in an episode of the series.
In 1997, Lowell appeared in the British–American farcical comedy ‘Fierce Creatures,’ playing the role of ‘Cub Felines.’ The same year, she reprised the role of ‘Jamie Ross’ in the police-procedural TV series ‘Homicide: Life on the Street.’
In 2001, Lowell appeared as ‘Deirdre Stiles’ in the TV drama ‘Big Apple.’ The two episodes featuring her were ‘Follow the Blender’ and ‘1.7.’
In 2003, Lowell essayed the titular role of ‘Joan Brock’ in the TV film ‘More than Meets the Eye: The Joan Brock Story.’
In 2005, she reprised the role of ‘Jamie Ross’ again, in the TV drama titled ‘Law & Order: Trial by Jury.’ She appeared in two of its episodes, ‘41 Shots’ and ‘Bang & Blame.’ The same year, she also appeared in the miniseries ‘Empire Falls,’ playing a 40-year-old character called ‘Francine Whiting.’
From 2006 to 2007, Lowell appeared in the recurring role of ‘Christine Caseman’ in the TV series ‘Six Degrees.’ The series was based on the idea of six degrees of separation between its characters.
In 2012, Lowell lent her voice to her “Bond girl” character, ‘Pam Bouvier,’ in the first-person shooter video game ‘007 Legends.’
In 2014, Lowell appeared in the movie ‘The Cause,’ playing the short role of ‘Edith.’
In 2016, she starred in the movie ‘C Street,’ essaying the character ‘Magnolia Fallon.’
In 2018, Lowell guest-appeared in two TV series: the police-procedural fictional drama ‘Blue Bloods’ (as ‘Janet Thompson’ in the episode ‘Tale of Two Cities’ of Season 8) and ‘Bull’ (as ‘Marina DeMarte’ in the episode ‘Fool Me Twice’ of Season 3).
Family & Personal Life
Carey Lowell has been married thrice. Her first husband, John Stember, was a fashion photographer, to whom she was married from 1984 to 1988.
Lowell’s second husband was actor and film producer Griffin Dunne, to whom she was married from 1989 to 1995. They have a daughter, Hannah.
Lowell’s third husband was famous actor Richard Gere, to whom she was married from 2002 to 2016. The couple has a son named Homer James Jigme Gere, who was born in February 2000, before their wedding. Following a highly contested legal battle in the ‘Manhattan Supreme Court,’ their divorce was finalized in October 2016. They cited irreconcilable differences in their lifestyles as the reason for the divorce, as Gere became a Buddhist wanting to lead a quiet life, while Lowell was still attached to high-profile socialites.
Lowell is currently dating former ‘Viacom’ CEO Tom Freston.
