Charlie Schlatter was born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, on May 1st, 1966. 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 didn`t 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 his wife Colleen, who works as a publicist, and they were married on May 7th of 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.