Yan-Kay Crystal Lowe’s career in the industry started at a young age. In her early years, she played a murder victim lying on a steel table opposite two Oscar winning performers. While she didn’t know it at the time, this moment would shape her outlook as a director years later. Filmmaker Christopher Nolan treated everyone with an equal degree of respect. Every detail had significance to his vision and was considered long before stepping on set. She plans to conduct herself in the same way as she moves forward in her career.
Lowe was born in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1981 to Tom Lo and Sharon Alker, a Scottish academic with a doctorate in 18th century English literature.
At the age of five, Lowe’s mother took her to a British pantomime of Cinderella, where she witnessed the impact a story could have on its audience. Booing the villain, cheering the hero – the experience was so profound that she would not leave until she was allowed to touch the stage. At eight, Lowe relocated to Hong Kong where she was immersed in Chinese culture and as a result, speaks fluent Cantonese.
Her acting career began at 15 and she was fortunate enough to collaborate with such artists as Al Pacino, Hilary Swank, Christopher Nolan and Andrea Martin, to name a few. With many years in the industry, it wasn’t until she landed a lead role in Hallmark’s fan-favorite series Signed, Sealed, Delivered, that she really found her stride, and was able to flex her comedic muscles as the loveable Rita Haywith. Lowe will reprise her role in two new installments of the beloved franchise: Signed, Sealed, Delivered: A Tale of Three Letters and Signed, Sealed, Delivered: To the Moon and Back, set to premiere in 2024 and 2025, respectively.
After more than 20 years in front of the camera and over 80 credits in film and television, Lowe is expanding her craft and sitting in the director’s chair. She’s directed two short films which played at 35 festivals worldwide and won numerous awards including the Matrix Award at the Vancouver Women’s Film Festival and Best International Director at the Portland Film Festival. Most recently, Lowe was the inaugural participant in Hallmark Media’s Make Her Mark Women’s Directing Program. Following an extensive shadowing process, she directed her own film, Shifting Gears, which was one of the network’s top-rated films in their 2024 spring line up.