Joe Chrest Biography: Wife, Age, Movies, Net Worth, Height, Children, Parents

Joe Chrest is an American actor and adjunct professor who came to wider recognition for his portrayal of Ted Wheeler on the hit Netflix series Stranger Things.

With a career that began in the early 1990s, Chrest has appeared in major films—such as 21 Jump Street, The Butler, Ant-Man, Oldboy, and Killers of the Flower Moon—bringing depth to roles ranging from comedic dads to complex side characters.

Profile

• Full name: Joseph Chrest
• Date of birth: May 26, 1963
• Age: 62 years old
• Gender: Male
• Place of birth: St. Albans, West Virginia, U.S.
• Nationality: American
• Profession: Actor, academic, adjunct professor
• Height: 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
• Weight: 179 lb (81 kg)
• Eye color: Brown
• Hair color: Brown (graying)
• Parents: Harry Chrest and Alva Chrest
• Siblings: N/A
• Spouse: Christine Chrest
• Children: Samantha Chrest, Nicolas Chrest
• Relationship status: Married to Christine Chrest since 1997
• Religion: Christian
• Ethnicity: White American
• Net worth: $5 million

Early Life and education

Joe Chrest was born on May 26, 1963 in St. Albans, West Virginia, to parents Harry Chrest and Alva Chrest and is now 62 years old.

He attended St. Albans High School and later earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Directing from Marshall University.

In the late 1980s, he completed a Master of Fine Arts in Acting at Louisiana State University (LSU) in Baton Rouge.

At LSU, he also became a founding member of the Swine Palace theater company and later founded the Ignition Film Repertory Company.

Additionally, he served in the U.S. Air Force, earning recognition for Cold War service and expert marksmanship.

Personal Life

Joe married choreographer Christine Chrest in 1997.

The couple have two children: daughter Samantha and son Nicolas.

He maintains a private personal life, with no public records of divorce or affairs.

Outside of acting, his passions include teaching and mentoring emerging performers.

Career

Chrest began his screen career in 1993 playing Ben in Steven Soderbergh’s King of the Hill.

Over the next decade, he appeared in numerous films including The Underneath (1995), Erin Brockovich (2000), The Aviator (2004), Ocean’s Thirteen (2007), The Blind Side (2009), Butter (2011), 21 Jump Street (2012), and 22 Jump Street (2014).

Additionally, he had roles in Ant-Man (2015), The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2 (2015), Free State of Jones (2016), Deepwater Horizon (2016), Gifted (2017), The Perfect Date (2019), Where the Crawdads Sing (2022), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023).

On television, he has over 16 TV credits, including roles in True Detective (2014) and his recurring role as Ted Wheeler in Stranger Things (2016–present).

He balances his acting work with teaching film acting at LSU’s School of Theatre, where he continues to shape future actors.

Awards

• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (Stranger Things) – Winner (2017)
• Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series (Stranger Things) – Nominee (2018)

Net worth

Joe Chrest net worth at the moment, is estimated approximately $5 million.

Joe has had a prolific acting career spanning over 100 film roles.

Social Media

• Instagram: @joechrestjr
• X: N/A

Filmography

• King of the Hill (1993)
• The Pelican Brief (1993)
• The Underneath (1995)
• Clockwatchers (1997)
• Yukie (1997)
• Dangerous Proposition (1998)
• Out of Sight (1998)
• Erin Brockovich (2000)
• Lush (2000)
• Auggie Rose (2000)
• Full Frontal (2002)
• The Ring (2002)
• Runaway Jury (2003)
• The Aviator (2004)
• The Skeleton Key (2005)
• Ocean’s Thirteen (2007)
• The Secret Life of Bees (2008)
• Miracle at St. Anna (2008)
• Who Do You Love? (2008)
• I Love You Phillip Morris (2009)
• Kink (2009)
• The Informant! (2009)
• The Blind Side (2009)
• Welcome to the Rileys (2010)
• Louis (2010)
• Red (2010)
• Secretariat (2010)
• Knucklehead (2010)
• Drive Angry (2011)
• Battle: Los Angeles (2011)
• Mask Maker (2011)
• That’s What I Am (2011)
• Love, Wedding, Marriage (2011)
• Seeking Justice (2011)
• Butter (2011)
• Texas Killing Fields (2011)
• Jeff, Who Lives at Home (2011)
• 21 Jump Street (2012)
• Battleship (2012)