The son of actor and theatre producer Chandler Cowles, he was born in New York City.He was first married to Kathleen Dezina, an actress, known for All My Children (1970); but the couple divorced. Since 1983 he has been married to actress Christine Baranski with whom he has two daughters, Isabel (born 1984) and Lily (born 1987). In a New York Times profile of his wife, he is described as “the black sheep member of a family with ties" to Drexel banking and the Cowles Publishing Company.He was an enthusiastic motorcycle rider.
