Rob Lowe Went to Liza Minnelli’s Hotel Room at Age 10 to Pursue an Acting Career: ‘I Was Bold’
Wow! Rob Lowe knew he wanted to get into acting at a young age, but the beloved star never imagined how he’d get his big break in Hollywood showbiz. While stopping by The Kelly Clarkson Show, the St. Elmo’s Fire actor revealed how actress Liza Minnelli was a key part of reaching international fame and superstardom.
“I was bold — still am. I’m 10 years old, wanting to be a child actor and I’m living in Dayton, Ohio,” the 55-year-old recalled during his appearance on the “Because of U” singer’s talk show on Tuesday, January 14. “There is nothing happening, and it’s the mid ’70s.”
It wasn’t until Rob was sitting in a hotel lobby and noticed a set of luggage with the Cabaret star’s name on the tag. “I go to the front desk and I ask, ‘What room is Liza Minnelli in?’ And they tell me! What were they thinking? I was a 10-year-old boy!” he hilariously explained. “I just flat-out asked, and I went up and knocked on the door in the middle of the day.”
Funny enough, the West Wing actor had the surprise of his life when Liza, 73, answered the door wearing only a robe. Rob said, in retrospect, he probably shouldn’t have been so bold considering he most likely disturbed the legendary singer’s alone time with then-husband Jack Haley Jr.
“It was the middle of the day and they were in robes and eating chocolate and drinking red wine,” he shared with Kelly, 37. Liza must have been interested in the little boy’s inquiry considering Rob said she couldn’t have been any more accommodating.
“[I said,] ‘Hi, I’m Rob Lowe and I want to be an actor,'” he recalled. “She was awesome. She invited me into the room. … She was so nice to me, and Liza was fascinated and wanted to know why I wanted to be an actor. She was awesome!”
Looking back on his start in showbiz, the handsome hunk — who ended up making his Hollywood debut at age 15 in ABC’s sitcom A New Kind of Family — couldn’t feel more grateful. Rob even gushed over being able to watch Liza perform at the Hollywood Bowl in 2012. “Now we are friends,” he said. “She’s the best.”
When Rob isn’t showing off his acting chops in hit movies or TV shows, you can usually catch the Golden Globe winner with his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, and their two sons, Matthew, 27, and John, 25. A source close to the doting dad even explained why family is so important.
“Family means absolutely everything to Rob,” the insider exclusively shared with Closer Weekly in 2017. “It’s what’s kept him grounded and sober now for nearly 26 years. It helped Rob organize the priorities in
his life.”
