Charles Esten

CHARLES ESTEN

Charles Esten starred on CMT’s NASHVILLE in the role of Deacon Claybourne. Born in Pittsburgh, PA, Charles “Chip” Esten grew up in Alexandria, VA. After starting his acting career in Los Angeles, he was pleased to make his theatrical debut in London, portraying Buddy Holly in the hit West End musical “Buddy.” In that role, he was honored to perform for H.R.M Queen Elizabeth and then, for President and Mrs. George H.W. Bush at both The Kennedy Center and The White House.

Esten performs in more than 100 live shows every year. He has performed at CMA Fest, Stagecoach, the C2C Festival in London, the CMC Festival in Australia, the Ryman, the Bridgestone, Carnegie Hall, the White House, the Country Music Hall of Fame, and the Grand Ole Opry — where he has performed over 120 times. In 2017, along with his NASHVILLE castmates, he sold out three shows at London’s Royal Albert Hall. He returns to the Royal Albert Hall as the headliner in October 2019.

In addition to his role on NASHVILLE, he has appeared in many films and television shows, including "Whose Line Is It Anyway?", "The Office”, and the 2017 CMT Awards, where he served as host. A singer and songwriter who began performing on stage when he was in college, Charles earned a Guinness World Record when he released 54 consecutive original songs via his #EverySingleFriday project (July 2016 - July 2017). His songs are all available on iTunes, and on Spotify, where his music has been streamed worldwide over 8 million times.

Esten and his wife have two daughters and a son. He is proud to serve as the National Light the Night Walk Honorary Chair for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.