Creed Bratton

Creed Bratton, born on 8th February 1943 in Los Angeles, is a notable actor and an ex-member of the American rock band The Grass Roots. His most famous performance was on the NBC show The Office The Office is an Indian television sitcom streamin >> Read More... , his character being an embellished version of himself with the same name. He was born as William Charles Schneider, being brought up by his mother all on her own in Coarsegold, CA. After the untimely demise of his father in World War II World War II is a Malayalam information TV show on >> Read More... , his mother remarried and was forced into changing his name to Chuck Ertmoed. Chuck was raised by his grandparents. They performed for a band known as “The Happy Timers,” mainly playing western music. It was here that his inclination towards music started. He learned how to play the trumpet in grammar school and played in the first chair by his fresher year in high school. His grandfather shifted his interest toward the guitar. He would try to perfect the guitar in the barn by practicing late into the night, and even attended various functions to see what professional guitarists did at the bandstands. He got his first guitar at the age of 13, and he joined a band called “The Tourquays” four years after that. He studied at the College of the Sequoias and later Sacramento State College as well. Right after finishing college, he boarded a cargo ship with five others and traveled in the seawaters for 28 days. He continued his adventure further into Europe as a nomad. While he was spending his time in Germany, he met Greg Fitzpatrick and Lee Zimmerman and showed them his feats on the guitar. They were impressed, and they asked him to come on their trip to Africa. They formed a band together which came to be known as the “The Young Californians”. They played in streets, clubs and restaurants, and mostly had to sleep on the roads. Ultimately, Lee returned to LA and Greg relocated to Sweden, and Chuck had to resort to theft for food. He tried his hand at a film. There, he had an affair with the movie director’s daughter, and they fled together; their romance ending with the girl abandoning him in the city of Athens. After the incident, he changed his name to Creed Bratton and returned to America. He started a band known as “The Thirteenth Floor”, along with Warren Entner.

They were later joined by music producers and lyricists, P.F.Sloan and Steve Barri. They renamed their band to “The Grass Roots” and Bratton performed in their first four albums: Let’s live for Today, Feelings, Golden Grass, and Lovin’ Things. They later played at various concerts and music festivals, including Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival and San Francisco Music Festival, among others. As time passed, their quality deteriorated and after an awful show at Filmore West, he was fired from the band. During the early months of 1972, he traveled with his family to Europe and North Africa, later returning to California to start his formal training in acting. He started his acting career in 1979. He acted alongside Charles Conrad on the show The Meisner Method for a time span exceeding four years. Soon, he also starred in major movies like “Heart like a Wheel” and “ Mask Click to look into! >> Read More... ”. He also quipped on the movie sets as a spot boy and boom man. While he starred on “ Bernie Mac Bernie Mac is an American actor, stand-up comedian >> Read More... ” as a stand in, he came in close contact with Ken Kwapis who was going to direct “The Office”. Ken, being a fan of the Grass Roots, took him as a background although all the roles on the show were filled. After acting in numerous episodes, he became a regular on the show and became an instant hit worldwide for portraying himself, as a former rock star, on the show. The show has won various awards, including an Emmy and an SAG Award. During his years on the show, he appeared in numerous short and independent films as well, which found acceptance in numerous film festivals. He married Josephine Fitzpatrick in 1967, who he divorced in 1974. They had a daughter together. He later married Claudia Anderson in 1976. Currently, he resides in Los Angeles and still performs in clubs as a solo performer.