Justin Chambers
Encyclopedia
Justin W. Chambers is an American actor and former Calvin Klein
male fashion model
. As of 2005, he is starring in the ABC
drama series Grey's Anatomy
as Dr. Alex Karev.
He is also known for his role in the first season of the CBS
crime drama series Cold Case.
, the son of Pam and John Chambers. He has a fraternal twin brother named Jason, one older brother John Jr. (Chip), and two older sisters, Mia and Susan. He and his twin brother visited hospitals often as children due to frequent bouts with pneumonia. He attended Southeastern High School in South Charleston, Ohio, and later Springfield Clark JVS. In 1993, he married Keisha, a former model agency booker. The couple has five children: Isabella (b. December 1994), twins Maya and Kaila (b. June 1997), Eva (b. March 1999) and Jackson (b. 2002). His wife and children have recently moved from their home in a suburb just outside of New York City to Los Angeles.
In late January 2008, Chambers admitted that he suffered from biological sleep disorder. The actor checked himself into Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center to treat exhaustion due to the sleep disorder after a period of getting only two hours of sleep each week.
and went on to represent Calvin Klein
in a fragrance campaign. He worked throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States for CK, Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana
1. After deciding on an acting career, he moved to New York, where he studied at H.B. Studios for four years. That landed him a few television roles, including Another World
and New York Undercover
. More recently, he starred in several movies, notably Liberty Heights
(1999, as Trey, alongside Adrien Brody
),The Wedding Planner
(2001, as Massimo, alongside Jennifer Lopez
), The Musketeer
(2001) Southern Belles
(2005), The Zodiac
(2005),and the HBO original movie Hysterical Blindness (2002). Chambers was cast as one of the leads in the CBS crime drama Cold Case but left after appearing in only four episodes. Now he plays resident Alex Karev
on the hit ABC medical show Grey's Anatomy
. In 2006, he was awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award along with his fellow cast members for an "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series".
He guest-starred on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice, for the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover event.
His first major acting role came in the music video for "Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band, in 1994.
Chambers appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, helping build a home for the Almquest family.
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
male fashion model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. As of 2005, he is starring in the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
drama series Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
as Dr. Alex Karev.
He is also known for his role in the first season of the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
crime drama series Cold Case.
Personal life
Chambers was born in Springfield, OhioSpringfield, Ohio
Springfield is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Clark County. The municipality is located in southwestern Ohio and is situated on the Mad River, Buck Creek and Beaver Creek, approximately west of Columbus and northeast of Dayton. Springfield is home to Wittenberg...
, the son of Pam and John Chambers. He has a fraternal twin brother named Jason, one older brother John Jr. (Chip), and two older sisters, Mia and Susan. He and his twin brother visited hospitals often as children due to frequent bouts with pneumonia. He attended Southeastern High School in South Charleston, Ohio, and later Springfield Clark JVS. In 1993, he married Keisha, a former model agency booker. The couple has five children: Isabella (b. December 1994), twins Maya and Kaila (b. June 1997), Eva (b. March 1999) and Jackson (b. 2002). His wife and children have recently moved from their home in a suburb just outside of New York City to Los Angeles.
In late January 2008, Chambers admitted that he suffered from biological sleep disorder. The actor checked himself into Los Angeles' UCLA Medical Center to treat exhaustion due to the sleep disorder after a period of getting only two hours of sleep each week.
Career
Chambers was discovered by a modeling scout on the Paris MetroParis Métro
The Paris Métro or Métropolitain is the rapid transit metro system in Paris, France. It has become a symbol of the city, noted for its density within the city limits and its uniform architecture influenced by Art Nouveau. The network's sixteen lines are mostly underground and run to 214 km ...
and went on to represent Calvin Klein
Calvin Klein
Calvin Richard Klein is an American fashion designer who launched the company that would later become Calvin Klein Inc. in 1968. In addition to clothing, Klein has also given his name to a range of perfumes, watches, and jewelry....
in a fragrance campaign. He worked throughout Europe, Japan, and the United States for CK, Armani, and Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana
Dolce & Gabbana is an Italian luxury industry fashion house. The company was started by the Italian designers Domenico Dolce and Stefano Gabbana in Milan, Italy. By 2005 their turnover was €597 million....
1. After deciding on an acting career, he moved to New York, where he studied at H.B. Studios for four years. That landed him a few television roles, including Another World
Another World (TV series)
Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
and New York Undercover
New York Undercover
New York Undercover is an American police drama that aired on the FOX television network from 1994 to 1998. The series starred Malik Yoba as Detective J.C. Williams and Michael DeLorenzo as Detective Eddie Torres, two undercover detectives in New York City's 4th Precinct who were assigned to...
. More recently, he starred in several movies, notably Liberty Heights
Liberty Heights
Liberty Heights is a 1999 comedy-drama film by writer-director Barry Levinson. It is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. It marked the last appearance of Ralph Tabakin, who appeared in cameo roles in every Levinson movie since his first, Diner , a...
(1999, as Trey, alongside Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody
Adrien Brody is an American actor and film producer. He received widespread recognition and acclaim after starring in Roman Polanski's The Pianist . Winning the Academy Award for Best Actor in 2003 at age 29, he is the youngest actor to do so...
),The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner
The Wedding Planner is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, and starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.-Plot:...
(2001, as Massimo, alongside Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lopez
Jennifer Lynn Lopez is an American actress, singer, record producer, dancer, television personality, and fashion designer. Lopez began her career as a dancer on the television comedy program In Living Color. Subsequently venturing into acting, she gained recognition in the 1995 action-thriller...
), The Musketeer
The Musketeer
The Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(2001) Southern Belles
Southern Belles
Southern Belles is a 2005 film directed by Paul S. Myers and Brennan Shroff.This is a story of two best friends who live in a trailer park located in the town of Johnson's Mark in Georgia. Dreaming of a fresh start in Atlanta they soon learn it will be very difficult to make their way there on...
(2005), The Zodiac
The Zodiac (film)
The Zodiac is a 2006 American criminal psychological thriller film based on the true events associated with the Zodiac: a serial killer who was active in and around northern California in the 1960s and who has never been captured...
(2005),and the HBO original movie Hysterical Blindness (2002). Chambers was cast as one of the leads in the CBS crime drama Cold Case but left after appearing in only four episodes. Now he plays resident Alex Karev
Alex Karev
Alexander "Alex" Michael Karev, is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. The character was not included in the original pilot script, but was added in after the pilot was shot, meaning initial scenes with him were either reshoots or...
on the hit ABC medical show Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy
Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in...
. In 2006, he was awarded a Screen Actors Guild Award along with his fellow cast members for an "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series".
He guest-starred on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice, for the Grey's Anatomy/Private Practice crossover event.
His first major acting role came in the music video for "Ants Marching" by Dave Matthews Band, in 1994.
Chambers appeared on an episode of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, helping build a home for the Almquest family.
Filmography
- 1995: Another WorldAnother World (TV series)Another World is an American television soap opera that ran on NBC from May 4, 1964 to June 25, 1999. It ran for a total of 35 years. It was created by Irna Phillips along with William J...
- 1996: Harvest of FireHarvest of FireHarvest of Fire is an American television movie that aired on CBS on April 21, 1996. Directed by Arthur Allan Seidelman, the film stars stars Lolita Davidovich, J.A...
- 1997: Rose HillRose Hill (film)Rose Hill is a 1997 Hallmark Hall of Fame film starring Jennifer Garner based on Julie Garwood's novel For the Roses.-Plot:Four Boston street urchins adopt a young infant that they discovered in a wagon when they made their escape from the police. They named the baby girl Mary Rose. As they grow...
- 1998: Four CornersFour Corners (US TV series)Four Corners is an American prime time television drama that ran from February 24, 1998 to March 3, 1998 on CBS. It was produced by David Jacobs of Dallas and Knots Landing fame.- Synopsis :...
- 1999: Liberty HeightsLiberty HeightsLiberty Heights is a 1999 comedy-drama film by writer-director Barry Levinson. It is a semi-autobiographical account of his childhood growing up in Baltimore in the 1950s. It marked the last appearance of Ralph Tabakin, who appeared in cameo roles in every Levinson movie since his first, Diner , a...
- 1999: Seasons of LoveSeasons of Love"Seasons of Love" is a song from the Broadway musical Rent, written and composed by Jonathan Larson. The song starts with an ostinato piano motif, which provides the harmonic framework for the cast to sing "Five hundred twenty-five thousand six hundred minutes"...
- 2001: The Wedding PlannerThe Wedding PlannerThe Wedding Planner is a 2001 romantic comedy film directed by Adam Shankman, written by Michael Ellis and Pamela Falk, and starring Jennifer Lopez and Matthew McConaughey.-Plot:...
(as Massimo) - 2001: The MusketeerThe MusketeerThe Musketeer is a 2001 American film very loosely based on Alexandre Dumas, père's classic novel The Three Musketeers, directed by Peter Hyams and starring Catherine Deneuve, Tim Roth, Mena Suvari, Stephen Rea, Nick Moran, Bill Treacher and Justin Chambers.The film features Tsui Hark's regular...
(as D'Artagnan) - 2002: Leo
- 2002: Hysterical Blindness
- 2003: Cold Case
- 2005-Present: Grey’s Anatomy (as Alex KarevAlex KarevAlexander "Alex" Michael Karev, is a fictional surgeon on the ABC television series Grey's Anatomy, portrayed by actor Justin Chambers. The character was not included in the original pilot script, but was added in after the pilot was shot, meaning initial scenes with him were either reshoots or...
) - 2005: Southern BellesSouthern BellesSouthern Belles is a 2005 film directed by Paul S. Myers and Brennan Shroff.This is a story of two best friends who live in a trailer park located in the town of Johnson's Mark in Georgia. Dreaming of a fresh start in Atlanta they soon learn it will be very difficult to make their way there on...
- 2005: The ZodiacThe Zodiac (film)The Zodiac is a 2006 American criminal psychological thriller film based on the true events associated with the Zodiac: a serial killer who was active in and around northern California in the 1960s and who has never been captured...
- 2008: Lakeview TerraceLakeview TerraceLakeview Terrace is a 2008 American thriller film directed by Neil LaBute, co-produced by Will Smith, written by David Loughery and Howard Korder, and starring Samuel L. Jackson, Patrick Wilson and Kerry Washington. Jackson plays a racist LAPD sergeant who terrorizes his new next-door neighbors...
- 2009: Private Practice - episode "Ex-life" (s2e16)
- 2010: The Happiest Man AliveThe Happiest Man AliveThe Happiest Man Alive was the fourth of five albums of home-made recordings, released by Stephen Jones under the name Baby Bird in 1995....
(as Sherman)