We're Pining for the Actor Playing Owen's Dad on '9-1-1: Lone Star' — Who Is It?

One of life's most complicated relationships is between fathers and sons, and of course clowns. On 9-1-1: Lone Star, Owen Strand (Rob Lowe) is working through some familial trauma and believe it or not, it does in fact involve both his father and clowns. Owen is finally ready to face his fears, but will he be able to forgive their source? Confronting his father is the only way to curb his anger enthusiasm. Who could possibly play the father to eternally attractive Rob Lowe? Let's get into it.

Stepping into the large (but now clownish) shoes of Owen's dad is famed actor Robert Pine, who people of a certain age will remember from CHiPs. Why do we keep bringing up clowns? The answer is simple yet complicated, as it is with all mental health. Episode 15, hilariously titled "Down to Clown," is all about Owen getting a handle on his rage and trying to figure out what triggers it.

While in therapy, Owen tries EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is a tactic that helps patients keep their conscious mind busy (most people tap their own shoulders), while freeing up their subconscious to deal with the real issues. In Owen's case, he's watching a ball on a screen while being asked by his therapist what he sees in his mind's eye. Suddenly, a clown nose appears.

Owen insists that he has no fear of clowns and proves this by watching The Greatest Show on Earth. While sharing this update in therapy, Owen's therapist turned into a clown and asks, "Are you sure about that, Sonny boy?" It's then that Owen realizes what's actually happening. There's only one person in the world who ever called him "Sonny boy," and it is his estranged father.

Naturally, a call later comes into the fire department that involves a clown at a kid's birthday party and as Owen is having a panic attack, he's forced to admit to himself that not only is he absolutely terrified of clowns, but the source of his rage is his father. There's only one thing left to do — go find dad.

Robert Pine, who has appeared in over 400 episodes of television over his long career, is actually the father of actor Chris Pine (Star Trek). We can all agree, Chris Pine is definitely one of the top three Chris actors out there. Back in 1998, Robert Pine was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune where he spoke about how small roles can steadily add up throughout one's career.

Using residuals alone, Robert was able to "put his daughter through college," presumably after receiving checks for shows like Murder, She Wrote, Beverly Hills 90210, and of course CHiPs. He told the Chicago Tribune that it's always a treat when this happens.

"Gee, it's amazing," Robert declared. "This morning, I got a check for Good Morning Miss Bliss, which was transformed into Saved by the Bell, the Saturday morning show. It was the 27th running of this thing. I thought, 'My God, that's great.'"

You know what's also great? The fact that Robert will be able to add 9-1-1: Lone Star to that sweet residuals pile.

9-1-1: Lone Star airs on Mondays at 9 p.m. EST on FOX.