Charlie Thomas Schlatter was born on May 1, 1966 in Fair Lawn, New Jersey. It was in high school that he fell in love with acting. He liked a girl and auditioned for a school play of "Oliver" to impress her. He once said, "The girl didn't only happen to be cute, she was also the only girl at school that was shorter than me." The audition was a success, and he got the leading part of Oliver Twist. Later on, Charlie attended Ithaca College, where he earned a B.F.A. in musical theater. He starred in numerous plays there and became a skilled musician, playing guitar, drums and piano and writing songs. He spent his summers appearing in summer stock. During another performance, he was spotted by a casting director, who asked him to audition for a movie. He did not get the part, but did get a part in Bright Lights, Big City (1988), playing the younger brother of Michael J. Fox's character. In 1992, Charlie met Colleen Gunderson, who works as a publicist, and they were married on May 7, 1994. Charlie and Colleen now live with their three children in California. Since a lot of Colleen's relatives are enthusiastic golfers, Charlie started playing and found it very pleasing.