Many fans of the American author Dean Koontz, known for his suspense thrillers with elements of horror, fantasy, and science fiction, have wondered if he is related to another Koontz in the entertainment industry: Charley Koontz, an American film and television actor who has appeared in shows like Community, CSI: Cyber, and The Boys. The two share a last name and a profession, but are they family?
Who is Charley Koontz?
Charley Koontz was born on August 10, 1987, in Concord, California. He graduated from De La Salle High School in 2005 and earned a bachelor’s degree in Theater Arts from Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles in 2009
He is best known for his recurring role as the student nicknamed ‘Fat’ Neil on the comedy series Community, which aired on NBC and Yahoo from 2009 to 2015. He also starred as FBI Agent Daniel Krmitz on the crime drama CSI: Cyber, which ran on CBS from 2015 to 2016
His first film role was in Rubber, a 2010 independent horror comedy directed by Quentin Dupieux, who also cast him in his 2011 film Wrong. He has also appeared in films like Contracted, Haunting of Cellblock 11, and Road to Juarez
He is currently dating Emily Schalick, whom he met on the set of Community
Who is Dean Koontz?
Dean Koontz was born on July 9, 1945, in Everett, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Shippensburg State College (now Shippensburg University) with a degree in English in 1967 and worked as an English teacher at Mechanicsburg High School before becoming a full-time writer
He has published over 105 novels and a number of novellas and collections of short stories under his own name and various pen names, such as David Axton, Deanna Dwyer, K.R. Dwyer, Leigh Nichols, and Brian Coffey. He has sold over 450 million copies of his work worldwide and has been translated into 38 languages
Some of his most popular books include Odd Thomas, Demon Seed, Watchers, Hideaway, Intensity, Phantoms, The Face of Fear, Lightning, and The Silent Corner. Many of his books have been adapted into films or television shows, such as Phantoms (1998), Intensity (1997), Watchers (1988), and Odd Thomas (2013)
He has been married to Gerda Ann Cerra since 1966. They live in Newport Beach, California, with their dog Anna
Are They Related?
The short answer is no. Charley Koontz and Dean Koontz are not related by blood or marriage. They just happen to share a common surname that is fairly common in the United States.
According to Ancestry.com, the name Koontz is derived from the German surname Kuntz or Kuntze, which is a short form of Konrad or Conrad. The name Konrad means “bold counsel” or “brave adviser” and was popular among German royalty and nobility in the Middle Ages.
The name Kuntz or Kuntze was brought to America by German immigrants in the 18th and 19th centuries and was anglicized to Koontz or Coontz by some of them. There are over 20,000 people with the last name Koontz living in the United States today, according to Whitepages.com.
Therefore, it is possible that Charley Koontz and Dean Koontz have some distant ancestors who came from Germany and shared the same name, but there is no evidence that they are directly related or have any contact with each other.
Conclusion
Charley Koontz and Dean Koontz are both successful artists in their respective fields of acting and writing, but they are not related to each other. They are simply two individuals who share a common last name that originated from Germany.
