Rob Lowe's life in pictures

Rob Lowe has been one of our favorite stars for more than three decades. The former heartthrob isn't just ridiculously handsome. (Seriously, is he like a fine wine or what?) He's also crazy-talented and has given us such diversified gems as "St. Elmo's Fire," "The West Wing" and "Parks and Recreation." In honor of his latest film, "Monster Trucks," which debuts on Jan. 13, 2017, Wonderwall.com is taking a look back at Rob's life in pictures. Keep reading to see how the 52-year-old actor has changed over the years…

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Rob Lowe made his acting debut in 1979. He portrayed teen Tony Flanagan on the short-lived ABC sitcom "A New Kind of Family," which lasted just 10 episodes and starred Eileen Brennan as a widowed mother of three co-habitating with another single mom and her daughter.

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Rob Lowe portrayed a star high school baseball player suffering from a life-threatening heart disease in 1983's "Thursday's Child." The following year, he earned his first Golden Globe Award nomination for his performance in the made-for-TV movie.

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Rob Lowe was photographed with his little brother, Chad Lowe, in 1983. The following year, Chad made his acting debut in the TV movie "Flight 90: Disaster on the Potomac." (He also had an uncredited role in his big bro's 1984 flick "Oxford Blues.")

Rob Low starred alongside fellow rising stars Emilio Estevez, C. Thomas Howell, Matt Dillon, Ralph Macchio, Patrick Swayze and Tom Cruise in 1983's "The Outsiders." The ensemble flick, which chronicles the rivalry between two economically disparate teen gangs, is often credited as the first Brat Pack film.

Rob Lowe was photographed with girlfriend Melissa Gilbert, with whom he first connected in 1980, at a party in Los Angeles on Feb. 1, 1984. The rising stars became engaged two years later in spite of the fact that they'd both been unfaithful — he with model-actress Nastassja Kinski and Princess Stephanie of Monaco and she allegedly with Tom Cruise and Scott Baio. According to Melissa, Rob called off their romance in 1988 after she discovered she was pregnant with his child. Not long after, she suffered a miscarriage.

Rob Lowe starred alongside fellow Brat Packers Andrew McCarthy, Emilio Estevez and Judd Nelson in 1985's "St. Elmo's Fire." The following year, he appeared in "About Last Night…" — his final Brat Pack film — opposite Demi Moore.

In 1987, Rob Lowe starred opposite Winona Ryder in "Square Dance." He earned his second Golden Globe nomination for his performance as a young man with an intellectual disability in the drama. The comely co-stars were romantically linked around the time they worked together, though they've never confirmed they were an item.

Rob Lowe kept close to longtime pal Marlee Matlin in an undated photo from sometime in the late '80s, around the time the duo were briefly romantically involved.

On Oct. 8, 1988, Rob Lowe took the mic during a campaign rally for presidential and vice-presidential candidates Michael Dukakis and Lloyd Bentsen at LAX Airport in Los Angeles. The heartthrob made several stops on the campaign trail with the Democratic nominees that year, but his political efforts were overshadowed by scandal. The night before the Democratic National Convention in Atlanta, Rob was videotaped engaging in sex acts with a 16-year-old girl he'd met at a nightclub. The video surfaced, becoming one of the first commercially available celebrity sex tapes.

Newlyweds Rob Lowe and Sheryl Berkoff kept close at the premiere of "Frankie and Johnny" in Los Angeles on Oct. 8, 1991. The actor and the blond beauty, who met in 1983, reconnected in 1990 when she served as his makeup artist on the set of "Bad Influence." They've since welcomed two sons: Matthew in 1993 and John in 1995.

Call it a comeback! More than a decade after his reputation took a major hit over his sex tape, Rob Lowe scored his first big post-scandal breakthrough — aside from villainous turns in "Wayne's World" and "Tommy Boy" and a small part in "Contact" — with "The West Wing," which debuted on Sept. 22, 1999. He starred as Sam Seaborn on the first four seasons of the drama and earned his first Emmy nomination, plus two more Golden Globe nominations, for his performance on the drama, which he left toward the end of Season 4 in 2003. (Rob returned for two episodes of the final season in 2006.)

Rob Lowe's sons, Matthew and John, made their red carpet debut at the premiere of "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" in Los Angeles on Nov. 14, 2001.

Rob Lowe starred as Robert McCallister opposite Calista Flockhart on ABC's critically acclaimed drama "Brothers & Sisters" from 2006 to 2010. He left the series before its final season.

Rob Lowe and his wife, Sheryl Berkoff, put on a united front during the White House Correspondents' Dinner in Washington on April 26, 2008. It was a tough year for the couple, who found themselves at the center of yet another scandal when Jessica Gibson — a former nanny for their two sons — accused them of sexual harassment and claimed the actor had inappropriately touched and exposed himself to her. The Lowes denied the accusations against them and countersued Jessica, alleging that she'd threatened to spread "malicious lies" if they didn't pay her $1.5 million. After a brutal year-long legal battle, both suits were ultimately dismissed.

In May 2010 — the same week his four-year stint on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" came to an end — Rob Lowe joined the cast of NBC's "Parks and Recreation." He proved his comedy chops while earning raves for his performance as Chris Traeger on the series, which concluded in 2015. (Rob had a downgraded role on the final season.)

He's still got it! Rob Lowe showed off his buff biceps while surfing in Hawaii on Dec. 18, 2011. More than three decades after he made his acting debut, he's still as handsome as ever!

Rob Lowe starred as Dr. Jack Startz on HBO's 2013 made-for-TV movie "Behind the Candelabra." He earned his fifth Golden Globe nomination for his performance as Liberace's plastic surgeon.

Rob Lowe starred as actor Dean Sanderson on FOX's "The Grinder" from 2015 to 2016. He earned his sixth Golden Globe nomination for his performance opposite Fred Savage on the short-lived comedy.

In 2016, Rob Lowe joined the cast of CBS's "Code Black" as Dr. Ethan Willis. The second season of the medical drama concludes on Feb. 8, 2017.

Rob Lowe's family — wife Sheryl Berkoff and their sons, John and Matthew — were on hand during the taping of his "Comedy Central Roast" in Los Angeles on Aug. 27, 2016. The trio laughed along as the actor drew heat from celebrity roasters including David Spade, Peyton Manning, Pete Davidson, Ann Coulter, Ralph Macchio, Jewel and, of course, Jeff Ross.

Rob Lowe stars as the villainous Reece Tenneson in "Monster Trucks," which debuts on Jan. 13, 2017.