Dowagiac Union High School graduate Christopher Hodshire has a very interesting night job.

A consultant with Siena Heights University by day, in his spare time, the Kalamazoo man has slowly built a resume in the entertainment industry, starring as an extra in several films and documentaries, as well as lending his voice to advertisements and TV spots.

While he may not be the star of the show, his foray into acting has allowed him to rub elbows with some of Tinsel Town’s biggest names. Perhaps more importantly, though, his second career gives him plenty of stories to share with his friends and former classmates.

Hodshire’s most recent gig was on NBC’s crime procedural “Chicago Justice.” During an episode that aired several weeks ago, Hodshire appeared on screen near the beginning of the episode, playing a crime scene investigator consulting with other agents in the background.

While his screen time was brief, it was long enough that many of his friends — including some old classmates from DUHS — recognized him. His Facebook page was flooded with messages congratulating him for the appearance, Hodshire said.

“Some people even took photos of their TVs while the show was playing and posted them on them on my [Facebook] wall,” Hodshire said.

Hodshire filmed his scene during rainy December day, traveling to Chicago for the shoot, he said. He was contacted by the “Chicago Justice” production staff a few weeks earlier, who felt he would make a great CSI agent based off his headshot, Hodshire said.

Knowing that not every extra makes the final cut in the editing room, Hodshire was as anxious as anyone else when he watched the episode the Sunday evening it aired, he said.

For Hodshire, who graduated from Dowagiac Union High School in 1991, the allure of the silver screen did not come calling until later in life.

While he learned some improvisational acting skills in high school, he decided to pursue his education in psychology and social work. Hodshire studied at Southwestern Michigan College before transferring to the University of Michigan to earn his bachelor’s degree.

In 2009, Hodshire learned that a production company had begun filming a movie about an infamous Detroit crime kingpin, titled “Street Boss.” Seeing that the film was being shot on Michigan’s east coast, Hodshire decided to see if he could exercise his long neglected acting chops once more, and successfully applied as an extra in the production (he is credited as “Restaurant patron-fight scene” on his profile page on IMDB.com).

Buoyed by his experience in front of the camera, Hodshire decided to continue looking for part-time acting gigs.

“It wasn’t something I wanted to pursue as a career, but rather as something I could do as a hobby, and to make some extra cash,” he said.

He has landed gigs on several major Hollywood productions, including 2011’s Real Steel, where he shared a brief scene with lead actor Hugh Jackman. He also had a role in “This Must be the Place,” where he shared the screen with Sean Penn.

He has also lent his talents to productions closer to home, starring in several TV commercials in the Kalamazoo area with his 11-year-old son, Nathan. He once narrated a radio commercial for an area politician.

“It’s weird driving down the road and hearing your voice playing on the radio,” he said.

In spite of getting a chance to travel — and earn some pretty decent paychecks — Hodshire said he has no intention of giving up his day job to pursue a career as leading man.

However, he is leaving the door open if “Chicago Justice” ever comes knocking again.

“I’d be happy to return — maybe even for a bigger role, perhaps,” Hodshire said.