Chestnut was born on January 1, 1969, in Cerritos, California,[2] the son of Morris and Shirley Chestnut.[3] His mother was a teacher, while his father worked as a medical salesman.[4] He studied finance and drama at California State University, Northridge.[5][4] Chestnut worked as a bank teller prior to being an actor.[6]
In 1999, Chestnut starred in The Best Man with Taye Diggs and Nia Long, as a professional football player on the eve of his wedding.[10]The Best Man earned positive reviews from the press and did well at the box office. For his performance, Chestnut earned an NAACP Image Award nomination.[11] He again played a football player in Disney's The Game Plan (2007), co-starring opposite Dwayne Johnson.
He has worked with Steven Seagal three times: Under Siege 2: Dark Territory (1995) as his reluctant partner[16] and lead male villain in Half Past Dead (2002)[17] and Prince of Pistols (2008).
Chestnut appeared in four films in 2013: Identity Thief, The Call, Kick-Ass 2 (playing Omari Hardwick's character from the first film), and The Best Man sequel The Best Man Holiday, in which he reprised his role as Lance Sullivan, earning him another NAACP Image Award nomination.[18]
From 2015 to 2017, Chestnut played the starring role of pathologist Dr. Beaumont "Rosie" Rosewood Jr. in the Fox crime procedural Rosewood,[21] receiving another NAACP Image nomination as a result.[22]
Chestnut had main roles in the second season of Prime Video's Goliath, and NBC's The Enemy Within. He played cold-hearted neurosurgeon Barrett Cain in seasons three and four of the Fox medical drama The Resident, and appeared as Raymond Dupont in the short-lived Our Kind of People, also for Fox.[23]
Chestnut has been married to Pam Byse-Chestnut since 1995. The couple has two children, son Grant and daughter Paige.[27] Chestnut was raised in the Baptist church, and he is a practicing Christian.[28]
In 1998, Chestnut won the annual Madden Bowl video game competition.[29]
To prepare to reprise his role as professional football player Lance Sullivan in the movie The Best Man Holiday, Chestnut had to get into shape. His fitness training experience with celebrity fitness trainer Obi Obadike inspired him to become Obadike's co-author on the health and fitness book, The Cut. Published on April 18, 2017, the book contains exercise drills and recipes.[30]
People magazine named Chestnut as one of the "Sexiest Men Alive" in 2015.[31]
In March 2022, Chestnut was inducted into the Hollywood Walk of Fame with a star that was unveiled in his presence.[32]
^GRAHAM, CHANEL (January 6, 2009). "Making Marriage Work". Christianity Today. Retrieved June 6, 2019. Chestnut: I was raised in a Baptist church, so I've always been strong in my faith.
