 Bowen is 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.He grew up in San Francisco knowing "interesting characters — revolutionary-type people," which inspired his portrayal of Uncle Jack.