Why Ted Wheeler From Stranger Things Looks So Familiar

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The core cast of Netflix's "Stranger Things" have either gone on to become superstars, such as Millie Bobby Brown and David Harbour, or have seen their star power grow brighter than it's been in years, as is the case with Winona Ryder. But one of the show's foundations is the surrounding cast members who helped craft memorable characters outside of Eleven and the gang.

"Stranger Things" was originally conceived as a miniseries but became a five-season juggernaut. Across those seasons, we met everyone from Murray Bauman (Brett Gelman) to Barb (Shannon Purser). Another memorable figure from Hawkins is Ted Wheeler, the patriarch of the Wheeler family. The father of Mike and Nancy Wheeler, he was an important peripheral character throughout the show's run, appearing in every single season.

Ted Wheeler was even part of the stage play "Stranger Things: The First Shadow," which is finally coming to Netflix as well. The character was brought to life by one Mr. Joe Chrest. He's one of those actors who doesn't have a great deal of outright name recognition, but is undoubtedly recognized. There's a good reason for that. Chrest has been working steadily in Hollywood for decades, appearing in major motion pictures and popular TV shows along the way. He has well over 100 acting credits to his name on IMDb. 

But where else (other than "Stranger Things") might one recognize Chrest from, specifically? That's a difficult question to answer but there are abundant options. Chrest started his career in the early/mid-'90s with his first official credit coming in an episode season 3 episode of "Law & Order." He did one-off appearances on popular shows in those early years. 

Some examples of Joe Chrest's one-offs include "Family Matters," "Nash Bridges," and "Chicago Hope" among others. During this period leading up to the 2000s, Chrest also had smaller parts in several notable movies, including "The Pelican Brief" and "Out of Sight."

One of his first truly noteworthy movie credits came in Gore Verbinski's 2002 hit horror remake "The Ring" as a doctor. But a role of any size in a movie that big benefits an actor. He also appeared in "Runaway Jury" the following year, as well as an episode of HBO's "Deadwood."

Chrest also had a turn in "Home," considered one of the worst episodes of "Star Trek: Enterprise." Trekkies may know him as a bar patron from that episode. His career started taking off in the mid-2000s after working steadily with bit parts. He appeared in "Ocean's Thirteen" as Fender Road's manager, and appeared in other movies such as "Miracle at St. Anna" and "I Love You Phillip Morris" around that time.

Chrest has been "that guy" in so many movies. "The Informant," "The Blind Side," "Red," "Secretariat," "Battle Los Angeles," "Drive Angry," "21 Jump Street," "Now You See Me," and the box office bomb that was "Battleship" all feature him in roles of varying sizes.

Other notable roles for Chrest include "True Detective" season 1 as Detective Demma, Marvel's "Ant-Man," "The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 2," "Free State of Jones," "Deepwater Horizon," "The Dirt," and "Killers of the Flower Moon," among many others. He's been everywhere and done so many things. He's a truly reliable character actor whose work is a little unsung.

You can pre-order "Stranger Things: The Complete Series" on Blu-ray from Amazon.