Carey Lowell Bio
Carey Lowell (born February 11, 1961) is an American actress and former model whose work spans film and television. She is best known for portraying Pam Bouvier in the James Bond film Licence to Kill and for her role as New York Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross on the television series Law & Order.
Early Life and Background
Carey Lowell was born in Huntington, New York, the daughter of geologist James Lowell. Her childhood included significant travel and residence abroad while her father worked, and the family lived in several countries as well as in the United States.
When her family settled in Denver, Colorado, Lowell completed part of her secondary education there and later spent a year at the University of Colorado at Boulder where she considered majoring in literature. She moved to New York City to pursue modeling, working for major fashion clients including Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein, and she attended New York University.
Path to Celebrity
Lowell began her career as a model in New York City before transitioning to acting in the mid-1980s. She studied at Manhattan’s Neighborhood Playhouse School of the Theatre, which complemented her on-camera training and supported her move from modeling into film roles.
Her early screen work established a foundation that led to recurring and high-profile television roles in the 1990s and beyond. She balanced modeling and acting opportunities while exploring documentary filmmaking studies at New York University in a period when she reassessed her career direction.
Carey Lowell Career
Early Career (1986–1995)
Carey Lowell’s professional acting career began in 1986 with film appearances that included Dangerously Close and a small role in the Harold Ramis comedy Club Paradise. Those early credits marked her transition from fashion to scripted work and introduced her to feature filmmaking on both dramatic and comedic projects.
Throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s she continued to take film roles that increased her visibility while she maintained connections to the New York theatre and acting communities. Her work during this phase laid the groundwork for more significant casting opportunities that followed at the end of the decade.
Breakthrough (1989–2001)
Licence to Kill (1989)
Lowell achieved international recognition in 1989 when she co-starred as Pam Bouvier in the James Bond film Licence to Kill. The role placed her among the franchise’s most visible supporting characters and brought mainstream attention to her screen presence and action-oriented work.
Her casting in Licence to Kill followed several smaller film assignments and modeling work, and the part allowed her to demonstrate range in a major studio production. The Bond role remained one of the most widely cited credits of her film career.
Law & Order and Television Work (1996–2001, 2005, 2022)
In 1996 Carey Lowell joined the cast of the long-running television drama Law & Order as Assistant District Attorney Jamie Ross. She portrayed the character for two seasons and helped define a prosecutorial presence on the series during her tenure. Lowell later returned to the character with a guest appearance on the franchise spinoff Law & Order: Trial by Jury in 2005.
Lowell reprised Jamie Ross again when the original Law & Order series returned in 2022, underscoring the lasting association between the actress and the role. Her work on Law & Order represents a defining period in her career, showing sustained engagement with episodic drama and courtroom storytelling.
Later Screen Work and Return Appearances
After taking a hiatus from acting during the mid-2000s, Lowell lent her likeness and voice to the 2012 video game 007 Legends, reprising her Licence to Kill role for a new medium. She returned to television with guest appearances, including a 2018 appearance on Blue Bloods, demonstrating an ongoing presence in screen acting across decades.
Lowell has balanced intermittent screen work with other professional interests and creative pursuits, returning to projects selectively while maintaining the credits that define her career on both film and television platforms.
Notable Works and Milestones
Carey Lowell’s signature works include her performance as Pam Bouvier in Licence to Kill and her portrayal of Jamie Ross on Law & Order. These roles established her public profile in both international film and American network television and remain central milestones in a career that began in the mid-1980s.
Carey Lowell Family
Carey Lowell is the daughter of geologist James Lowell. She has two children: a daughter, Hannah Dunne, from her marriage to actor Griffin Dunne, and a son, Homer James Jigme Gere, from her marriage to actor Richard Gere. The name Jigme reflects a Tibetan influence and her longstanding practice of Buddhism.
Personal Life
Lowell has been married three times. Her first marriage was to photographer John Stember from 1984 to 1988. She was married to Griffin Dunne from 1989 to 1995, and she married Richard Gere in November 2002; the Gere marriage ended following legal proceedings that concluded with a settlement in 2016.
A practicing Buddhist, Lowell has incorporated Buddhist principles into her personal life and parenting. In 2021 she launched Carey Lowell Ceramics, a ceramics business that represents an extension of her creative interests outside of acting and modeling.