Charles Gardner

Born and raised on Chicago's south side, SAG-AFTRA Chicago local president Charles Andrew Gardner is an actor, educator and filmmaker with a passion for illuminating the stories of the underrepresented.

On-camera credits include The Chi, Chicago PD; films Long Ride Home, Olympia, Noise and Color, Every 21 Seconds, and Holding On; as well as multiple national commercials for brands including Hyundai, Liberty Mutual, Ford, and AT&T. Voice-over credits include Pepsi Co. McDonald’s, Comcast, Walmart, and Dunkin' Donuts. Charles is a company member with TimeLine Theatre Company where he appeared in Kill Move Paradise (Jeff nomination for Best Ensemble, BTAA nomination for Best Ensemble) Paradise Blue (BTAA nomination for Best Featured Actor) and My Kind of Town (BTAA nomination for Best Actor) for which Chris Jones of the Chicago Tribune named him one of 2012s “Hot New Faces to Watch”. Other Chicago theatre credits include His Shadow (Jeff nomination for Best Actor) at 16th Street Theatre; Objects in the Mirror, Stop.Reset.(us), and Buzzer(us) at Goodman Theatre; How Long Will I Cry at Steppenwolf Theatre; Macbeth and Othello at The Suitcase Shakespeare Company; The Great Fire(us) at Lookingglass Theatre Company and Spectacle Lunatique at Redmoon Theater.

Charles studied under the watchful eye of Katherine Gately at Northern Illinois University and is a proud member of SAG-AFTRA and Actors’ Equity Association. In addition to his work on stage and in front of the camera, Charles is an on-camera acting professor at DePaul University, a faculty member at The Acting Studio Chicago, as well as a teaching artist at TimeLine Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre and Goodman Theatre.

Charles sits on the Associate Producer board at the Gene Siskel Film Center and is an advisory board member of Creative Cypher.