Chad Brannon was born on August 31, 1979, in Houston, Texas. Graduating from Tomball High School, he was a baseball and football jock with plans to be an attorney. A girl he was a friend with dared him to audition for a school play and after much urging, he took the dare and got the lead in the comedy, Larry Shue's The Nerd.

Brannon went on to study theatre on scholarship at Sam Houston State University. After a year and a half of intensive study, during which he filmed an episode of "Walker, Texas Ranger", an independent film and a few commercials, he grew restless and made the decision to move to Los Angeles. He realized that Hollywood offered him far more opportunities than Houston.

Initially, he planned on trying out the LA scene for only two weeks but as he continued to receive callback after callback, he felt he was in the right place.

He landed his first role in Chicken Soup for the Soul on the PAX network and in a year's time also shot episodes of JAG, Malcolm in the Middle, MTV's Undressed and Days of Our Lives. Brannon also worked at Jerry's Famous Deli (Studio City) and Sports Chalet (Beverly Center) while he continued auditioning for roles. He finally got his big break when Zander Smith on General Hospital was recast.

Originally, Brannon's stay on General Hospital was to last for only six weeks, at which point his character, Zander, would be sent to jail. However, when ABC realized the extent of his talent and star potential, they offered him a three year contract.

In 2001, he received the Soap Opera Digest award for Outstanding Male Newcomer. In 2003 he was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Younger Actor.

In his spare time, Brannon is a thrill seeker. He loves surfing (or attempting to), rock climbing, physical training, skydiving, golf, and would one day like to get his pilot's license.