Rob Estes

A handsome leading man with piercing blue eyes, Rob Estes was launched into the sex symbol stratosphere in the early 1990’s with his roles as slick Palm Beach homicide detective, Chris Lorenzo on the cult favorite "Silk Stalkings" (USA 1991-99) and as restaurateur Kyle McBride on the hit primetime soap, “Melrose Place” (Fox 1992-99). Included in the attractive “Melrose” cast was Estes’ wife Josie Bissett, with whom he had fallen in love and married after meeting in 1991. Although the couple was together for more than a decade, their 2005 split paved the way for Estes to refocus his energies as an actor. Post-divorce, Estes would join the cast of one of TV’s biggest hits, “C.S.I.: Miami” (CBS, 2002- ).

Born in Norfolk, VA on July 22, 1963, Estes moved to L.A. to attend USC – graduating in 1987 with a BFA in drama. Initially considering a career as a stuntman, Estes switched gears to the less dangerous field of acting. In 1986, he landed his on first on screen role in "Have You Tried Talking to Patty?” a CBS Schoolbreak Special. As the boyfriend of the heroine’s best friend, he had only one line, but it was enough to put him on the right path.

From 1986-87, Estes appeared as Glen Gallagher on the long running daytime soap “Days of Our Lives” (NBC, 1965- ). At first, his character was in the midst of a non-intimate romance with Melissa Reeves’ character of Jennifer Horton, scion of the core family, but things did heat up between the two eventually. He followed up with roles in the ABC movie-of-the-week, "Student Exchange,” followed by the series "The Young Riders" (ABC 1989-1992) and "Simon and Simon" (CBS 1981-1988). While keeping busy with numerous television roles, Estes also attempted to ignite a big screen career with a small role in "Uninvited" (1988), before graduating to the lead in the independent drama "Trapper County War" (1989). Other credits included a terrorized teen in "Phantom of the Mall: Eric's Revenge" (1989) and "Aces: Iron Eagle III" (1992), as a flyer under the tutelage of Louis Gossett Jr.

In 1991, Estes landed the star-making role of his career up until that point – that of Det. Chris Lorenzo on “Silk Stalkings.” A nineties TV crime drama originally shown on CBS in 1991 as part of the network's late-night “Crimetime after Primetime” programming package, the show was later rebroadcast on the lower-profile USA Network. Alongside fellow detective Cassandra "Cassy" St. John (Mitzi Kapture), Estes as Lorenzo helped track down Palm Beach sex crime murderers – all under the watchful eye of the show’s creator, prolific hit-maker, Stephen J. Cannell. A success with diehard fans, the couple portrayed ex-partners, who after having been married and then divorced, are partnered together again to solve crime. The on-again, off-again flirtation between Lorenzo and St. John – who nicknamed one another "Sam" (an homage to their favorite golfer, Sam Snead) – reminded many viewers of the banter heard on the earlier hit series, “Moonlighting” (ABC, 1985-89) and helped nurture a cult following that the show enjoyed during run and past its 1999 cancellation.

CBS executives, taken with Estes’ talent and good looks and happy with his performance on “Stalkings,” cast the actor as the new "noir detective" Mike Hammer in "Come Die with Me: A Mickey Spillane’s Mike Hammer Mystery" (1994), but they abandoned their plans to make additional Mike Hammer movies. Still, there was no shortage of small screen roles for Estes. In 1996, he played the younger boyfriend of Beverly D'Angelo who also has an affair with her teenage daughter in "Sweet Temptation" (CBS). That same year he was promoted from guest star to regular cast member on “Melrose Place,” where his wife of four years, Josie Bissett held court as the show’s resident victim, Jane Mancini. Having met at a 1991 casting call, the sparks between the tall, dark, handsome hunk and the pixie blonde star had resulted in a May, 1992 wedding. Estes’ permanent move to the popular soap delighted fans, who found it difficult to determine just which half of the famous couple was more attractive. The Estes would go on to have two children, son Mason True, born in 1999 and daughter Maya Rose in 2002.

Estes’ good looks continued to make him an in demand romantic lead. In 2000, he did double duty with a regular role on “Suddenly Susan” (NBC 1996-2000) as Oliver, the object of Brooke Shields’ desire, while also appearing in several episodes of “Providence” (NBC, 1999-2002) as the irresistible love interest of Dr. Sydney Hansen (Melina Kanakaredes). He found time to star opposite Jason Alexander and Kimberly Williams in the independent feature film, “How to Date in Queens.” Though the film was shot in 2000, it was not released until 2006.

Around 2003, Estes began maintaining a relatively low profile, following a move to Seattle, WA, with Bissett and their two children en tow. Though, the couple co-starred in “I Do, They Don’t” (ABC Family Channel, 2005) as two people who impulsively tie the knot in Vegas to the dismay of their respective children from previous relationships, it was not enough to save the faltering real-life marriage. In January of 2006, Estes and Bissett announced plans to end their 13 year marriage, following Bissett’s request that he move out of their home.

With his marriage over, Estes returned to television full-time, starring as San Francisco detective Sean Cole in the police drama “The Evidence” (ABC 2006- ). The series lasted only seven episodes, but Estes was not out of work for long. One of television’s biggest hits, “CSI Miami” (CBS, 2002- ) recruited Estes as guest star for several episodes, with the actor taking a rare turn toward the dark side with his portrayal of Nick Townsend, a brooding convicted felon and ex-husband of Natalia Boa Vista (Eva La Rue) who suddenly reappears in her life.