Todd Lowe

Lowe was born in Humble, TX, a suburb of Houston. A drama kid at heart, Lowe first started acting in high school plays and continued his pursuit, earning a BFA in Acting from the University of Texas in Austin in 1999. Austin's creative community kept Lowe busy for the next ten years, while he performed in local theater and worked part-time as a substitute teacher. Lowe made his first foray into television with a guest-starring role on "Walker: Texas Ranger" (CBS 1993-2001) in 1997. He made his big-screen debut shortly after in the film "A Texas Funeral" (1999) starring Martin Sheen and followed it up with another Texas-set film, the campy horror thriller "Natural Selection" (1999) starring the late David Carradine. While a girlfriend initially brought him out to Hollywood, Lowe eventually stayed, landing bit parts in feel-good films such as "Where the Heart Is" (2000) and "The Princess Diaries" (2001) before going head-first back into television with a recurring role on the coming-of-age series "Gilmore Girls" (WB 2000-07). Lowe first joined the show in 2002, as Zack Van Gerbig, lead singer of the band for which Rory Gilmore's best friend Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) played drums. Lowe's musical abilities and general likability lead to his minor role being expanded from Lane's band mate to love interest and then husband, becoming a regular character in the show's later seasons. Following the end of "Gilmore Girls," the Southern gothic vampire series "True Blood" hit the cultural consciousness, marking a life- and career-changing event for Lowe. Using his natural Southern accent, he initially auditioned for the part of Hoyt Fortenberry, but ended up snagging the part of ex-Marine Terry Bellefleur, a recurring character on the show's first season. Lowe joined the cast full-time during the second season and quickly gained a devoted fan base as "True Blood" evolved into a water cooler hit with massive pop culture buzz. During breaks from shooting "True Blood," Lowe appeared in the web-series "Ave 43" (2009-2012), a soap opera parody created by his friend, playwright Justin Tanner, about gentrified East L.A. The pair met when Tanner was a staff writer on "Gilmore Girls," and Lowe appeared in over 20 of Tanner's plays and other works. Lowe also played guitar and sang with his LA-based country-rock band, the Pilbilly Knights, and made a guest appearance on the show "Bunheads" (ABC Family 2012-13), from "Gilmore Girls" creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, who populated the show's supporting cast with Gilmore alumni.