Wes Chatham

Wes Chatham (born 11 October 1978) is an American actor known for his role as Amos Burton in the science fiction series *The Expanse* (2015–2022) and as Castor in *The Hunger Games* film series (2014–2015). He was born in Atlanta and raised in North Georgia. His parents divorced when he was two, and he spent most of his childhood with his mother, sister, and brother. At age seven, he was discovered by a casting director while waiting for his sister at an audition for a Tide commercial in Savannah, Georgia, and landed his first acting job.

When he was thirteen, Chatham moved in with his father. As a restless and rebellious teen, he was expelled from high school and sent to a second-chance school in Lawrenceville to complete his education. During this time, a professional theater company from Atlanta initiated a mentoring program at the school, and Chatham was selected to write a play that was performed by his classmates. This experience sparked his interest in the arts.

After graduating high school, Chatham joined the military as an aviation firefighter on the flight deck of the USS *Essex*, where he worked in crash and salvage for four years. Three months before his tour ended, Denzel Washington selected his ship to film *Antwone Fisher*. While searching for authentic military personnel, Chatham was discovered by casting director Robi Reed and given his first movie-making experience. This encounter inspired him to pursue acting, and Reed encouraged him to move to Hollywood, where she soon cast him in a series regular role on Showtime's *Barbershop*.

Chatham gained further recognition for his role as Corporal Steve Penning in Paul Haggis's *In the Valley of Elah* (2007) and as Frank Benedict, George W. Bush's fraternity brother, in Oliver Stone's *W.* (2008). In 2009, he was cast as Staff Sergeant Sam McBride in the CBS series *The Unit*, working with showrunners David Mamet and Shawn Ryan. He also starred as Brian in the supernatural horror film *Husk* (2011).

In 2011, Chatham portrayed Carleton Phelan in *The Help*, the brother of Emma Stone's character. The film won Outstanding Ensemble at the Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2012 and received four Academy Award nominations, including Best Picture. In 2012, he played the title role in Joel Silver's *The Philly Kid*, performing all his own stunts as a fan of mixed martial arts. He gained wider recognition for his role as Castor in *The Hunger Games: Mockingjay - Part 1* (2014) and *Part 2* (2015), an adaptation of Suzanne Collins' novel, before taking on the role of Amos Burton in *The Expanse* (2015–2022).