Charles Esten Puskar III (born September 9, 1965), known professionally as Chip Esten, is an American comedian, actor and singer known for his appearances on the improvisation show Whose Line Is It Anyway，Esten is known by his nickname “Chip” in improv comedy shows but is always credited as “Charles Esten”Esten is currently playing the character of Deacon Claybourne on ABC’s Nashville，Esten was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and moved to Alexandria, Virginia at age 9 after his parents divorced， His late father, also named Charles, was a prominent local businessman and business partner of former Pittsburgh Steelers center Ray Mansfield， He attended TC Williams High School and the College of William and Mary, where he was a brother of Theta Delta Chi. At William and Mary, he was the lead vocalist in the band N'est Pas from 1985 until 1988, one year after his graduation (degree in economics). After graduating from college and marrying his wife, Esten moved to the United Kingdom to make his theatrical debut, playing the title role in the musical Buddy in the early 1990s.