Wes 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 played Castor in The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1 and Part 2. Between 2015 and 2022, he starred as Amos Burton in The Expanse.
Early life Chatham was born on October 11, 1978 in Atlanta. At the age of 7, he got his first acting job in Tide commercials.
After graduating from high school, Chatham joined the U.S. Navy in the rating of Aviation Boatswain's Mate. He worked as an aviation firefighter on the flight deck of the , working in crash and salvage for four years, reaching the rank of Petty Officer Third Class.
Acting career 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 military action drama The Unit. Chatham was cast as new unit team member Staff 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, the brother of Emma Stone's character, 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. 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. 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. In 2013 Chatham wrapped two studio films, Broken Horses (2013) and The Town That Dreaded Sundown (2014).
Between 2015 and 2022, Chatham starred as Amos Burton in the Amazon Prime Video TV series The Expanse. In 2021, he started co-hosting Ty & That Guy Podcast with Ty Franck, discussing episodes of The Expanse, inspirations from genre culture, and occasionally inviting guests, including Thomas Jane, Daniel Abraham and .
Personal life Chatham is married to TV personality Jenn Brown. Together they have two sons, John Nash, born in 2014, and Rhett Jameson, born in 2016. Chatham missed the birth of Nash, as he was filming episode 2 of The Expanse and his son was born while Chatham was in the air, flying back from Toronto, where they filmed.
Filmography
+ Film 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 "The Philly Kid" McGuire 2013 Baby Bleed Daddy Short film 2014 This Thing with Sarah Ethan 2014 The Town That Dreaded Sundown Corporal Danny Torrens 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 Jaspar Kimbral 2020 Tenet SWAT 3 2023 Squealer Jack 2026The Fix Alex
+ Television Year Title Role Notes 2005–2006 Barbershop Isaac 10 Episodes, as John Wesley Chatham 2005 Sleeper Cell Frat Boy Episode: "Al-Faitha", as John Wesley Chatham 2009 The Unit Staff Sergeant Sam McBride 8 Episodes 2012 Political Animals Gunner Cox Episode: "Lost Boys" 2012 The Mentalist Vince Episode: "Cherry Picked" 2014–2017 Hand of God Shane Caldwell 2 Episodes 2015–2022 The Expanse Amos Burton Series Regular 2017 The Night Shift Clark Episode: "Keep the Faith" 2023NCIS: Hawaiʻi Brother Ellis Kane Episode: "Shields Up" 2023 Ahsoka Captain Enoch 3 episodes Retrieved 12 April 2026 2025-2026Sheriff Country Dawson Raines/Alec Kane Episodes: "The Sixth Man", “Out of Office”, "The Hunting Party", "The Gambler", "Compromised", "Mexico"2026CrossDonnieSeason 2 Retrieved 12 April 2026
+ Web Year Title Role Notes 2013 Armed Response Blake Morgan 4 episodes
References
External links