Justin Chatwin (born October 31, 1982) is a Canadian actor. He began his career in 2001 with a brief appearance in the musical comedy Josie and the Pussycats. Following his breakthrough role as Robbie Ferrier in the blockbuster War of the Worlds (2005), Chatwin headlined studio films such as The Invisible (2007) and Dragonball Evolution (2009), an action-adventure feature based on the manga series Dragon Ball. In the 2010s, Chatwin acted in small independent films. He starred as rock star idol Bobby Shore in the sci-fi musical Bang Bang Baby (2014), which earned him a Canadian Screen Awards nomination for Best Supporting Actor, and appeared in the romantic comedy Unleashed (2016), and drama Summer Night (2019).
Throughout the 2000s, Chatwin made guest appearances in several television series including Weeds and Lost. His first regular role was on the Showtime comedy-drama Shameless, where he portrayed Jimmy Lishman between 2011 and 2015. Chatwin starred as a cartoonist in the CBS murder mystery drama American Gothic (2016), and also that year he appeared as superhero Grant Gordon / The Ghost in the Doctor Who Christmas special "The Return of Doctor Mysterio". From 2019 to 2021, Chatwin played scientist Erik Wallace in Netflix's Another Life.
Aside from acting, he has a long-time passion for motorcycles, extreme sports and travelling. Chatwin's journey from Vancouver to Patagonia on motorcycle was depicted in the documentary series No Good Reason (2020), which he also executive produced.
Early life
Chatwin was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia. He is the son of Suzanne (née Halsall), a mixed-media artist, and Brian, an engineer who founded in 1982 Chatwin Engineering, a civil engineering and construction company based in British Columbia, where he served as President and CEO. Chatwin's parents divorced in 2010. His late grandfather was of French-Canadian ancestry. Chatwin has a younger sister, Brianna, who works as a tattoo artist. They were raised Catholic.
After graduating from high school, Chatwin followed in his father's footsteps and began to study engineering at the University of British Columbia, but after one week he switched to commerce. He dropped out after one semester. Chatwin fell into acting and decided to pursue a career after he was "dared by a friend to go on an audition for a TV show in Canada", he recalls. "I took the dare, not knowing what I was getting into. I was called back and hired..."
In 2005, Chatwin moved to Los Angeles, where he rented an apartment with fellow actor Noel Fisher. Prior to this, he lived for a month in a travel trailer with a friend, stating, "We didn't have girlfriends; we were reading Kerouac and Ginsberg, driving up to the desert, walking in the dunes, and showering at 24 Hour Fitness. It was an exciting time, but would I do it again? No."
