John Chambers
John Chambers, the actor, writer, director, producer and videographer, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. While attending Shreveport's Caddo Parish Magnet High School, he took part in community theater in the Shreveport/Bossier area of North Western Louisiana.
His father and grandfather were gifted storytellers, which inculcated a love of the oral tradition and drama in the young John. His father was very supportive of John's decision to have a life in the theater, a dream that was nurtured by theatrical pros and others in the thriving Shreveport/Bossier arts community that he remains a part of.
Chambers took an associate's degree in broadcast telecommunications at Bossier Parish Community College (Bossier City, Louisiana) and degrees in broadcast journalism and theater arts from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. He developed his craft at Northwestern State, where he learned not only acting, dancing and singing, but all of the technical aspects of the theater, including directing. In addition to theater arts, John studied journalism at Northwestern.
The influences on his acting style were eclectic, midwifed in college by Dr. Jack Wann, who not only was an invaluable teacher but became a life-long friend. He was impressed by the work of the comic actors John Belushi and Danny DeVito, macho men John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, and the great Jack Lemmon, who was adept at both comedy and drama. Another influence was the Emmy Award-winning character actor Pruitt Taylor Vince, a fellow Louisianan and a friend with whom he co-starred on the Web TV series Infamous (2010).
Chambers is well established in the Shreveport/Bossier-area theatrical community, appearing in regional and community stage productions as well as in movies filmed in the state of Louisiana, which has established itself as Hollywood South.
In addition to acting, John Chambers worked as videographer for KSLA Channel 12, the CBS affiliate in Shreveport. He also freelances for CBS as a regional producer. Stories he has covered include the Columbia Shuttle Disaster and the evacuation of New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina.
John also works in the electronic press kits/behind the scenes videos for many films that are shot in Louisiana.