A new act of self-expression

Wauwatosa native Chris Waters always had a feeling he was missing something.

As a student at Tosa East High School, Waters was a typical teenager focused on grades and athletics. He never once tried his hand at theater.

After graduating in 1993, he attended college at Colorado State and then spent 13 years gainfully employed in corporate America, predominantly in sales. Still, a voice inside his head kept telling him that was not the life he wanted to live.

So, he decided to take a chance on letting his passion for acting and stand-up comedy shine.

He signed up for acting classes. It was his teacher in San Diego, where Waters worked at the time, who encouraged him to be himself and pursue the career that would make him happiest.

In May 1, 2010, Waters moved to Los Angeles after he was signed by a commercial agent. "I consider myself lucky in that regard because a lot of actors send their head shots out to a million different agencies, and the first one I went to brought me on board," he said.

Getting down to show business

Waters has been moving full steam ahead into show business ever since.

Waters made his first debut on national television in Spike TV's "1,000 Ways to Die."

He recently started doing stand-up comedy at the Comedy Store in Hollywood. He as also performed improvisational comedy at The Second City in Hollywood.

Last week, Waters shot a commercial for Mercedes-Benz.

He also had the lead role in a series "Diagnosis: Dead or Alive," which aired on the Discovery Fit and Health Network this summer.

In September, Waters will start in a web series called "Fratitude," a comedy about a 26-year-old who still lives at a frat house.

Though Waters' goal is to make a living as a comedic actor, his range of interests and appearances in film is broad. He performed in the lead role in a dramatic short film called "Save Our Souls" which is now being submitted to a slew of film festivals.

Soon, Waters will be working on a short film called "Halo: The Fallen," based off the popular video game.

"I wanted to do something I was excited about and that I was passionate about," he said. "With acting, every job is a new adventure, it's always exciting. Every project is different, every month is different and every year is different, and that's what I really enjoy."

Pursuing one's dreams

If Waters could give anyone advice on pursuing their career it is to start young and, at the very least, try.

"In a way, I kind of feel like my dreams have already come true. I've been on a couple of national TV shows and it's pretty cool. Just looking at that is an accomplishment," he said. "I feel like I'm just getting warmed up out here."

For information, go online to chriswaters.net, Twitter at @chriswaters2011 or Facebook at facebook.com/chriswaters2012.