Matthew Letscher is an American actor, director and playwright, known for his roles as Captain
Harrison Love in the 1998 American swashbuckler film ''
The Mask of Zorro
''The Mask of Zorro'' is a 1998 American swashbuckler film based on the character of the masked vigilante Zorro created by Johnston McCulley. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-J ...
'' and as Colonel
Adelbert Ames
Adelbert Ames (October 31, 1835 – April 13, 1933) was an American sailor, soldier, and politician who served with distinction as a Union Army general during the American Civil War. A Radical Republican, he was military governor, U.S. Senat ...
in the 2003 American film ''
Gods and Generals''. He co-starred in the 2016 Michael Bay film ''
13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi'', playing Ambassador
J. Christopher Stevens. He has also portrayed
Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash in ''
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'' and ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American time travel superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, who are also executive producers a ...
''.
Personal life
Letscher attended college at the
University of Michigan
, mottoeng = "Arts, Knowledge, Truth"
, former_names = Catholepistemiad, or University of Michigania (1817–1821)
, budget = $10.3 billion (2021)
, endowment = $17 billion (2021)As o ...
in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County. The 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all ...
, where he was a member of the
Sigma Nu
Sigma Nu () is an undergraduate college fraternity founded at the Virginia Military Institute on January 1, 1869. The fraternity was founded by James Frank Hopkins, Greenfield Quarles and James McIlvaine Riley shortly after Hopkins witnessed w ...
fraternity and a drama major. He is married to Jennifer, with two children.
Acting
Letscher got his first professional acting job with a role in ''The Tropic Pickle'', during the second season of
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...
'
Purple Rose Theatre Company
The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a Michigan not-for-profit theatre company founded in 1991 by Jeff Daniels in an old pizza parlor/garage in Chelsea. Its name comes from the 1985 film ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'', which starred Daniels and for wh ...
in
Chelsea, Michigan
Chelsea is a city in Washtenaw County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 5,467 at the 2020 census.
History
The area was first settled as early as 1820 within the Michigan Territory by settler Cyrus Beckwith. It would be organize ...
. Letscher impressed Daniels enough that the veteran arranged a meeting for Letscher with
Ron Maxwell, the director of ''
Gettysburg''. After appearing in a small role, Letscher took advice from Daniels and moved to Los Angeles. He quickly found work in guest roles on television.
In 1995, Letscher was cast as the naive television writer in the
Nancy Travis sitcom ''
Almost Perfect'', which lasted for a season and a half. He went on to appear as series regular in ''
Living in Captivity'' in 1998. The same year, he appeared in the film ''
The Mask of Zorro
''The Mask of Zorro'' is a 1998 American swashbuckler film based on the character of the masked vigilante Zorro created by Johnston McCulley. It was directed by Martin Campbell and stars Antonio Banderas, Anthony Hopkins, Catherine Zeta-J ...
'' as the villain Captain
Harrison Love. He appeared in the miniseries ''Jackie, Ethel, Joan: Women of Camelot'' and in the television films ''
King of Texas
''King of Texas'' is a 2002 American Western (genre), Western television film based on William Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' and directed by Uli Edel.
Plot
The film takes the plot of William Shakespeare's ''King Lear'' and places it in the Repub ...
'', ''
The Beach Boys: An American Family'', ''
When Billie Beat Bobby'', and ''Stolen Innocence''. He also reunited with Daniels in ''
Gods and Generals'' (the prequel of Gettysburg) and Daniels' directorial effort ''
Super Sucker''. Letscher also returned to The
Purple Rose Theatre in the world premiere of Landford Wilson's play ''
Rain Dance
Rainmaking is a weather modification ritual that attempts to invoke rain.
Among the best known examples of weather modification rituals are North American rain dances, historically performed by many Native American tribes, particularly in the ...
''.
In 2002, the comedy pilot ''
Good Morning, Miami'' was picked up by
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...
as part of
Must See TV Thursday comedy block, but
Burke Moses
Burke William Moses (born December 10, 1959, New York City) is an American actor. His older brother is actor Mark Moses.
Career
Moses attended Boston University and Carnegie Mellon University.[Mark Feuerstein
Mark Feuerstein (; born June 8, 1971) is an American actor, writer, producer and director. He had an early, recurring role in several episodes of '' Caroline in the City'', playing the title character's new boyfriend, and later gained notice in a ...]
) for the affection of Dylan (
Ashley Williams). Despite the series receiving negative reviews, Letscher and
Constance Zimmer
Constance Zimmer (born October 11, 1970) is an American actress. She rose to prominence for playing Dana Gordon in the television series '' Entourage'' (2005–2011) and Claire Simms in the television series ''Boston Legal'' (2006–2007). Sh ...
were standouts in the series and eventually paired up as a combative couple. But the show was canceled midway though its second season due to low ratings.
His performance in ''Good Morning, Miami'' led to him being cast in the lead in the film ''
Straight-Jacket
''Straight-Jacket'' is a 2004 comedy film written and directed by Richard Day, based on his play. Done as a pastiche of the Rock Hudson-Doris Day romantic comedy films, ''Straight-Jacket'' tells the story of Guy Stone, a closeted gay actor in ...
'', opposite
Carrie Preston
Carrie Preston (born June 21, 1967) is an American actress known for her work on the television series '' True Blood'', '' Person of Interest'', ''Crowded'', '' The Good Wife'', ''The Good Fight'', and ''Claws''. Preston received critical accla ...
, about a gay Hollywood actor forced to marry a beard in the 1950s. His flair for classical farce also led to him being cast in the leading role of Capt. Jack Absolute in the Lincoln Center theater production of
Richard Brinsley Sheridan
Richard Brinsley Butler Sheridan (30 October 17517 July 1816) was an Irish satirist, a politician, a playwright, poet, and long-term owner of the London Theatre Royal, Drury Lane. He is known for his plays such as '' The Rivals'', ''The ...
's
The Rivals. Letscher was praised for his spirited performance and his costar
Robert Easton referred to Letscher as "a perfect classical actor."
Letscher was in the cast of ''
Joey
Joey may refer to:
People
*Joey (name)
Animals
* Joey (marsupial), an infant marsupial
* Joey, a Blue-fronted Amazon parrot who was one of the Blue Peter pets
Film and television
* ''Joey'' (1977 film), an American film directed by Horace ...
'', and had a recurring role on ''
The New Adventures of Old Christine
''The New Adventures of Old Christine'' (often shortened to simply ''Old Christine'') is an American sitcom television series starring Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Christine Campbell, a divorced mother doing her best to keep pace with those around her ...
'' and numerous guest starring roles. After appearing as a kind neighbor in
Alan Ball's ''
Towelhead'', Letscher was cast in ''
Eli Stone
''Eli Stone'' is an American legal comedy-drama television series, named for its title character. The series was created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who also served as executive producers alongside Ken Olin who directed the pilot, wit ...
'', as Nathan Stone, the prophet's kind-hearted older brother. Despite low ratings, the dramedy series had loyal fans and critical acclaim, earning it a second season which included a larger role for Letscher. His work on
Greg Berlanti
Gregory Berlanti (born May 24, 1972) is an American screenwriter, producer and director of film and television. He is known for his work on the television series ''Dawson's Creek'', '' Brothers & Sisters'', '' Everwood'', '' Political Animals'', ...
's ''Eli Stone'' lead to his arc on Berlanti's ''
Brothers & Sisters'' as a love interest for the married
Kitty Walker.
In 2012, Letscher starred in the series ''
Bent'' and ''
Scandal
A scandal can be broadly defined as the strong social reactions of outrage, anger, or surprise, when accusations or rumours circulate or appear for some reason, regarding a person or persons who are perceived to have transgressed in some way. Th ...
'', and was cast in the series ''
The Carrie Diaries
''The Carrie Diaries'' is a young adult novel, the first in a series of the same name by American author Candace Bushnell. The series is a prequel to Bushnell's 1997 collection ''Sex and the City'', and follows the character of Carrie Bradshaw du ...
'' as Tom Bradshaw,
Carrie Bradshaw
Caroline Marie "Carrie" Bradshaw is a fictional character from the HBO franchise ''Sex and the City'', portrayed by Sarah Jessica Parker. Candace Bushnell created Carrie as a semi-autobiographical character for her column "Sex and the City" in ...
's widowed father. The show ran for two seasons from 2013 until 2014. He appeared in the 2013 films,
Atom Egoyan
Atom Egoyan (; hy, Աթոմ Եղոյեան, translit=Atom Yeghoyan; born July 19, 1960) is a Canadian filmmaker. He was part of a loosely-affiliated group of filmmakers to emerge in the 1980s from Toronto known as the Toronto New Wave. Egoyan m ...
's ''
Devil's Knot
''Devil's Knot: The True Story of the West Memphis Three'' is a 2002 true crime book by Mara Leveritt, about the 1993 murders of three eight-year-old children and the subsequent trials of three teenagers charged with and convicted of the crimes ...
'' (about
The West Memphis Three) and
Spike Jonze
Adam H. Spiegel (born October 22, 1969), known professionally as Spike Jonze, is an American filmmaker, actor, musician, and photographer. His work includes commercials, film, music videos, skateboard videos and television.
Jonze began his ca ...
's comedy ''
Her
Her is the objective and possessive form of the English-language feminine pronoun she.
Her, HER or H.E.R. may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment and media Music
* H.E.R. (born 1997), American singer
** ''H.E.R.'' (album), 2017
* HIM (Finnish ...
'', opposite
Amy Adams
Amy Lou Adams (born August 20, 1974) is an American actress. Known for both her comedic and dramatic roles, she has been featured three times in annual rankings of the world's highest-paid actresses. She has received various accolades, incl ...
. Since 2015, Letscher has been portraying
Eobard Thawne / Reverse-Flash, initially in a recurring role on ''
The Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
'' and reprised his role as a series regular in
season two Season 2 may refer to:
* ''Season 2'' (Infinite album)
* ''2econd Season
''2econd Season'' is the second and most recent album by Atlanta-based rapper Unk.
Release
It was released on November 4, 2008.
Guest Performers
The album features gu ...
of ''
Legends of Tomorrow
''DC's Legends of Tomorrow'', or simply ''Legends of Tomorrow'', is an American time travel superhero television series developed by Greg Berlanti, Marc Guggenheim, Andrew Kreisberg, and Phil Klemmer, who are also executive producers a ...
'', and reprised the role in two episodes of its
seventh season.
Writing
In June 2007,
Jeff Daniels
Jeffrey Warren Daniels (born February 19, 1955) is an American actor, comedian, musician, and playwright, known for his work on stage and screen playing diverse characters switching between comedy and drama. He is the recipient of several accol ...
'
Purple Rose Theatre Company
The Purple Rose Theatre Company is a Michigan not-for-profit theatre company founded in 1991 by Jeff Daniels in an old pizza parlor/garage in Chelsea. Its name comes from the 1985 film ''The Purple Rose of Cairo'', which starred Daniels and for wh ...
in Chelsea,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and t ...
, staged the world premiere of Letscher's original play ''Sea of Fools'', a farce set in
Joseph McCarthy
Joseph Raymond McCarthy (November 14, 1908 – May 2, 1957) was an American politician who served as a Republican United States Senate, U.S. Senator from the state of Wisconsin from 1947 until his death in 1957. Beginning in 1950, McCarth ...
-era
Hollywood
Hollywood usually refers to:
* Hollywood, Los Angeles, a neighborhood in California
* Hollywood, a metonym for the cinema of the United States
Hollywood may also refer to:
Places United States
* Hollywood District (disambiguation)
* Hollywoo ...
. Film director
Elia Kazan
Elia Kazan (; born Elias Kazantzoglou ( el, Ηλίας Καζαντζόγλου); September 7, 1909 – September 28, 2003) was an American film and theatre director, producer, screenwriter and actor, described by ''The New York Times'' as "one o ...
is a character in the play. Daniels initially planned to direct the play but pulled out, allowing Letscher to also direct the play.
In 2009, his play ''Gaps in the Fossil Record'' was staged at the Pacific Resident Theater, then had its world premiere production at the
Purple Rose Theatre in 2016.
In 2010, he co-wrote (with Nipper Knapp and Andrew Newberg) and starred in the comedy pilot ''Gentrification'', which won best writing at the Comedy Central New York Television Festival.
Filmography
Theater
References
External links
*
*
*
Matt Letscherinterview with Super Hero Speak
{{DEFAULTSORT:Letscher, Matt
1970 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
21st-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male film actors
American male stage actors
American male television actors
Living people
Male actors from Michigan
People from Grosse Pointe, Michigan
University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance alumni