Chuck Wagner

Born in the murder capital of the United States, Chuck Wagner often mixes his real life experience into the surreal world of film. True gang life was a reality in the Chicago neighborhood of Englewood and in the subsequent places Wagner lived. Few people have ever experienced the reality of living, "the bloody life" [life inside and outside the gangs of Chi-town], as Wagner calls it. Wagner did just that. (Growing up in such an atmosphere led to his proficiency in the martial arts; his lifelong passion for collecting swords and weapons; and his interest in the history of most Conquerors, especially the Greeks and Romans.) Knowing the risk involved in raising a son in such a high crime area; Chuck's father, Robert Wagner, was quick to get his son involved in motocross. Racing every weekend and intense training sessions along with upkeep on the equipment, left little time for trouble making. Wagner raced motocross for fifteen years with the final two years spent as a professional. He gave up that life with the birth of his first son, in order to devote his time to fatherhood. For the next eleven years, Wagner was a Chicago firefighter, working in the downtown high rise district. His battalion encountered more firefighter deaths than any other in Chicago history. His first encounter with acting was in the movie, "Back Draft", written and produced by Ron Howard and starring Robert Deniro.