Charles Tiedje (TJ) never intended to be an actor; this career path was never on his
radar. He enlisted in the Marines at eighteen, and while completing his service, he
pinned on a badge and continued his service to others in law enforcement.
On Friday, the 13th , after years on the police force, Charles was critically injured while on
patrol when he was involved in a bizarre vehicle collision when he was hit by a hearse
speeding against another hearse following a funeral and returning to the funeral home.
Charles was airlifted from the crash, and after a month in a coma, he surprised everyone
by waking up. He was later asked by ‘Flight for Life’ to speak at an event about his
accident. He felt the need to give thanks and help raise awareness about important
topics in the Medevac field, but he hated public speaking. Charles became one of their
favorite speakers, and after much practice, he began to enjoy being in front of an
audience. The acting bug was beginning to burrow.
Charles returned to police work, but after the attack on the World Trade Center, he re-
enlisted in the Air National Guard and served two tours of duty - Kuwait and Iraq. He
continued serving until he retired from the Air Force as First Sergeant in 2019.
A few days after returning from Iraq, Charles started work as Weapons Master on set of
“Witless Protection” with his brother Timothy Tiedje, a Property Master. The
writer/director, Charles Robert Carner, knew of Charles’ background and asked him to
also play the “Hometown Hero” during films the homecoming parade scene.
Charles continues to work in film and TV in the props department. He is often asked to
jump in scenes because of his police and military training. Charles has served as a
military advisor on the independent film, “What They Had” starring Hilary Swank, Fox’s
“Proven Innocent” starring Kelsey Grammer, and Lena Waithe’s “The Chi” on Showtime.
He has worked on countless productions as a police technical advisor.
The movie “Divergent” held an open casting call with over 1500 people, but Charles was
not one of them. The extras casting director knew of Charles from the crew and tracked
him down. Charles came down for the audition and was hired that day – the stunts team
wanted people with special skills to play members of the Dauntless faction. On the first
day of filming, Charles was picked by the director, Neil Burger, to be Max’s Lieutenant, a
core role that worked the entire production.
The acting bug firmly took hold, and Charles signed up for acting classes: Green Shirt
Studio, Green Room Studio, Vagabond School of the Arts, Acting Studio Chicago and iO
Improv. He met and collaborated with directors in the independent world, and he formed
his own company, Lucky 13 Productions. Charles and his company have received
multiple awards on the festival circuit, including Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal
in “The Pride" and Best Supporting Actor for “When two Wrongs.”
Charles met his second wife, Erin Stewart Tiedje, an extras casting director on set. The
two were married on Friday, April 13, 2018. If you have not caught on yet, Charles
considers Friday, the 13th a lucky day.
Charles is a member of I.A.S.T.E. and SAG-AFTRA. His first credit was “Chicago P.D.”
and since that time has appeared in over 40 productions. He has a diverse mix of
independent and studio credits, and while he often plays police officers or heavies, he
constantly creates complex characters with raw emotions.
Trivia: Charles is related to John and Quincy Adams on his maternal side.
radar. He enlisted in the Marines at eighteen, and while completing his service, he
pinned on a badge and continued his service to others in law enforcement.
On Friday, the 13th , after years on the police force, Charles was critically injured while on
patrol when he was involved in a bizarre vehicle collision when he was hit by a hearse
speeding against another hearse following a funeral and returning to the funeral home.
Charles was airlifted from the crash, and after a month in a coma, he surprised everyone
by waking up. He was later asked by ‘Flight for Life’ to speak at an event about his
accident. He felt the need to give thanks and help raise awareness about important
topics in the Medevac field, but he hated public speaking. Charles became one of their
favorite speakers, and after much practice, he began to enjoy being in front of an
audience. The acting bug was beginning to burrow.
Charles returned to police work, but after the attack on the World Trade Center, he re-
enlisted in the Air National Guard and served two tours of duty - Kuwait and Iraq. He
continued serving until he retired from the Air Force as First Sergeant in 2019.
A few days after returning from Iraq, Charles started work as Weapons Master on set of
“Witless Protection” with his brother Timothy Tiedje, a Property Master. The
writer/director, Charles Robert Carner, knew of Charles’ background and asked him to
also play the “Hometown Hero” during films the homecoming parade scene.
Charles continues to work in film and TV in the props department. He is often asked to
jump in scenes because of his police and military training. Charles has served as a
military advisor on the independent film, “What They Had” starring Hilary Swank, Fox’s
“Proven Innocent” starring Kelsey Grammer, and Lena Waithe’s “The Chi” on Showtime.
He has worked on countless productions as a police technical advisor.
The movie “Divergent” held an open casting call with over 1500 people, but Charles was
not one of them. The extras casting director knew of Charles from the crew and tracked
him down. Charles came down for the audition and was hired that day – the stunts team
wanted people with special skills to play members of the Dauntless faction. On the first
day of filming, Charles was picked by the director, Neil Burger, to be Max’s Lieutenant, a
core role that worked the entire production.
The acting bug firmly took hold, and Charles signed up for acting classes: Green Shirt
Studio, Green Room Studio, Vagabond School of the Arts, Acting Studio Chicago and iO
Improv. He met and collaborated with directors in the independent world, and he formed
his own company, Lucky 13 Productions. Charles and his company have received
multiple awards on the festival circuit, including Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal
in “The Pride" and Best Supporting Actor for “When two Wrongs.”
Charles met his second wife, Erin Stewart Tiedje, an extras casting director on set. The
two were married on Friday, April 13, 2018. If you have not caught on yet, Charles
considers Friday, the 13th a lucky day.
Charles is a member of I.A.S.T.E. and SAG-AFTRA. His first credit was “Chicago P.D.”
and since that time has appeared in over 40 productions. He has a diverse mix of
independent and studio credits, and while he often plays police officers or heavies, he
constantly creates complex characters with raw emotions.
Trivia: Charles is related to John and Quincy Adams on his maternal side.