Wes Chatham
John Wesley Chatham (born October 11, 1978) is an American actor. He has appeared in films such as In the Valley of Elah, W., The Help, and The Philly Kid, and plays Castor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2.[1] Since 2015, he has starred as Amos Burton in Prime Video's The Expanse.
Wes Chatham | |
---|---|
Born | John Wesley Chatham October 11, 1978 Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
Occupation | Actor |
Years active | 2003–present |
Spouse(s) | |
Children | 2 |
Military career | |
Allegiance | United States |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1997–2001 |
Rank | Petty Officer Third Class |
Unit | USS Essex (LHD-2) |
Website | www |
Early life
Chatham was born October 11, 1978 and grew up in North Georgia. Chatham's parents divorced when he was two and he spent most of his childhood with his mother, sister and brother. On a whim, Chatham's mother took his sister to an audition for a Tide commercial in Savannah, Georgia, and brought Wes along. While waiting for his sister in the lobby, Wes was spotted by the casting director and, at the age of five, he was offered a national campaign for Tide.
At the age of thirteen, Chatham moved in with his father and, without a lot of supervision and as a restless and rebellious teen, he was kicked out of high school and sent to the Give Center in Lawrenceville, Georgia, to finish school. The Give Center was a second chance school for troubled youth, offering very small classes. While he was attending classes at the Give Center, a professional theater company out of Atlanta started a mentoring program with the school, and Chatham was chosen to write a play that was later performed by his classmates. It was from this experience that he found his passion for the arts.[2]
Career
After graduating from high school, Chatham joined the U.S. Navy. He worked as an aviation firefighter on the flight deck of the USS Essex, working in crash and salvage for four years. Chatham's break into acting came just three months before his tour was finished when Denzel Washington chose his ship to shoot the movie Antwone Fisher. Chatham was amongst those selected by casting director Robi Reed while Reed was searching for authentic-looking military personnel for the movie. This was Chatham's first movie-making experience, which led to further pursuit of his lifelong dream of acting. Following Antwone Fisher, Reed convinced Chatham to move to Hollywood and shortly thereafter cast him in his first series regular role on Showtime’s Barbershop.
Chatham gained further attention when Paul Haggis cast him alongside Tommy Lee Jones as Corporal Steve Penning in In the Valley of Elah. In 2009, Chatham went on to work with Oliver Stone in W. as Frank Benedict, George W’s fraternity brother. The following year, Chatham landed another series regular role on the hit CBS TV show The Unit. Chatham was cast as new unit team member Sergeant Sam McBride (aka Whiplash), working with David Mamet and Shawn Ryan. Chatham also starred as Brian Danielson in Brett Simmons’ Husk (2011).
Chatham portrayed Carlton Phelan, Emma Stone's character’s brother, in the 2011 film The Help. The cast won a 2012 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture.[3] In 2012, Chatham landed his first title role in Joel Silver’s The Philly Kid. A fan of mixed martial arts, Chatham dove into the character of Dillion McGwire, performing all of his own stunts.[2] The film debuted in theaters May 2012. Following The Philly Kid, Chatham starred in This Thing With Sarah, which was accepted to the San Diego Film Festival in October 2013.[4] In 2013 Chatham wrapped two studio films, Broken Horses (2013) and The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014).
In November 2015, Chatham began starring as Amos Burton on the Prime Video TV series The Expanse.[5]
Personal life
Chatham is married to TV personality Jenn Brown.[6] Together they have two sons, John Nash, born in 2014, and Rhett Jameson, born in 2016.[7][8]
Filmography
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2003 | The Fighting Temptations | Cashier | |
2007 | In the Valley of Elah | Corporal Steve Penning | |
2008 | W. | Fraternity Enforcer | |
2011 | Husk | Brian | |
2011 | The Help | Carlton Phelan | |
2012 | The Philly Kid | Dillon | |
2013 | Baby Bleed | Daddy | Short film |
2014 | This Thing with Sarah | Ethan | |
2014 | The Town That Dreaded Sundown | Danny | |
2014 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 | Castor | |
2015 | Broken Horses | Ace | |
2015 | The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 | Castor | |
2016 | All I See is You | Daniel | |
2018 | Escape Plan 2: Hades | Jasper Kimbral | |
2020 | Tenet | Sammy | |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2005–06 | Barbershop | Isaac | 10 Episodes |
2005 | Sleeper Cell | Frat Boy | Episode: "Al-Faitha" |
2009 | The Unit | Staff Sergeant Sam McBride | 8 Episodes |
2012 | Political Animals | Gunner Cox | Episode: "Lost Boys" |
2012 | The Mentalist | Vince | Episode: "Cherry Picked" |
2014–17 | Hand of God | Shane Caldwell | 2 Episodes |
2015–present | The Expanse | Amos Burton | Series Regular |
2017 | The Night Shift | Clark | Episode: "Keep the Faith" |
Year | Title | Role | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | Armed Response | Blake Morgan | 4 episodes |
References
- Ford, Rebecca (September 23, 2013). "'Hunger Games: Mockingjay' Adds Wes Chatham". The Hollywood Reporter.
- "Wes Chatham - Bio". officialweschatham.com.
- THR Staff (29 January 2012). "SAG Awards 2012: The Winners List". The Hollywood Reporter.
- "This Thing With Sarah". thisthingwithsarah.com.
- Petski, Denise (October 29, 2014). "Dominique Tipper, Wes Chatham, More, Round Out The Expanse". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
- McIntyre, Jason (September 28, 2011). "ESPN's Jenn Brown is Engaged to Actor Wes Chatham". The Big Lead.
- "Wes Chatham and Jenn Brown Introduce Son John Nash". People.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
- "Wes Chatham and Jenn Brown Welcome Son Rhett Jameson". People.com. Retrieved 17 April 2018.