Bowen is the only son of Beat painter Michael Bowen Sr. and actress Sonia Sorel (née Henius; 1921–2004) who was Bowen's first wife. His maternal great-grandfather was biochemist Max Henius, a Danish immigrant to America who himself was of Polish-Jewish descent, and his maternal great-grandmother was the sister of historian Johan Ludvig Heiberg.[2] He grew up in San Francisco knowing "interesting characters—revolutionary-type people," which inspired his portrayal of Uncle Jack on the AMC series Breaking Bad.[3] Through his mother's other marriage he is the half-brother of actors Robert and Keith Carradine of the Carradine family.[4] He is the half-uncle of actresses Martha Plimpton and Ever Carradine.[4]