Matthew Chandler Fox
(born July 14, 1966) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Charlie Salinger on ''
Party of Five'' (1994–2000) and
Jack Shephard on the
drama series ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
* Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
*Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' (2004–2010), the latter of which earned him
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
and
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
nominations. Fox has also performed in ten feature films, including ''
We Are Marshall'' (2006), ''
Vantage Point
Vantage Point (formerly Archway Tower) is a 195-foot (59m) 17-storey residential apartment building above Archway Underground station, designed by Grid Architects, and owned and operated by Essential Living.
History
Archway Tower was built ...
'' (2008), ''
Alex Cross'' (2012), ''
Emperor
An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife ( empress consort), mother ( ...
'' (2012) and ''
Bone Tomahawk'' (2015).
Early life
Fox was born in
Abington, Pennsylvania,
the son of Loretta B. (née Eagono) and Francis G. Fox. One of his paternal great-great-great-grandfathers was Union General
George Meade.
His father was from a "very blue-blood" Pennsylvania family of mostly English descent, while his mother was of half
Italian and half British ancestry. The second of three boys, Fox moved to Wyoming when he was a year old with his parents and brothers, Francis, Jr. (b. 1961) and Bayard (b. 1969). They settled in
Crowheart, Wyoming
Crowheart is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 141 at the 2010 census. Nearby Crowheart Butte was the site of a battle between the Crow and Shoshone American Indian tribes in 1866. A ...
, on the
Wind River Indian Reservation. His mother was a teacher, and his father, who had been a consultant for an oil company, raised
longhorn cattle and horses, and grew
barley
Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...
for
Coors beer.
Matthew attended
Wind River High School in Pavillon, Wyoming and transferred to
Deerfield Academy
Deerfield Academy is an elite coeducational preparatory school in Deerfield, Massachusetts. Founded in 1797, it is one of the oldest secondary schools in the United States. It is a member of the Eight Schools Association, the Ten Schools Admissi ...
during his senior year and graduated in 1985. He graduated from
Columbia University
Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
with a B.A. in economics in 1989.
Career
At the age of 25, Fox made his debut on an episode of ''
Wings''. That same year, he also starred on a short-lived
drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
tic series, ''Freshman Dorm''. Still not a familiar face on the small screen, he continued to be cast in supporting roles, including the role of Charlie in the
CBS Schoolbreak Special series ''If I Die Before I Wake'', before he made his big-screen debut in ''
My Boyfriend's Back'' (1993).
In 1994, Fox was cast in a starring role as
Charlie Salinger, the eldest of five siblings who lose both parents in a car accident on the 1994–2000
teen drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance: a play, opera, mime, ballet, etc., performed in a theatre, or on radio or television.Elam (1980, 98). Considered as a genre of poetry in general, the dramatic mode has b ...
''
Party of Five'', co-starring with
Scott Wolf,
Neve Campbell,
Jennifer Love Hewitt
Jennifer Love Hewitt (born February 21, 1979) is an American actress and singer. Hewitt began her career as a child actress and singer, appearing in national television commercials before joining the cast of the Disney Channel series '' Kids I ...
, and
Lacey Chabert
Lacey Nicole Chabert ( ; born September 30, 1982) is an American actress. One of her first roles was playing Erica Kane's daughter on ''All My Children''. She was the third actress to play Bianca Montgomery, playing the part from 1992 until 1993. ...
. In 1996, ''
People Magazine'' named Fox one of the
50 Most Beautiful People in the World
''People'' is an American weekly magazine that specializes in celebrity news and human-interest stories. It is published by Dotdash Meredith, a subsidiary of IAC. With a readership of 46.6 million adults in 2009, ''People'' had the lar ...
. After ''Party of Five'' was canceled following its sixth season, Fox starred in another TV series, ''
Haunted
Haunted or The Haunted may refer to:
Books
* ''Haunted'' (Armstrong novel), by Kelley Armstrong, 2005
* ''Haunted'' (Cabot novel), by Meg Cabot, 2004
* ''Haunted'' (Palahniuk novel), by Chuck Palahniuk, 2005
* ''Haunted'' (Angel novel), a 200 ...
'', in 2002.
From September 2004 until May 2010, Fox played the role of the dedicated yet troubled surgeon,
Dr. Jack Shephard, on ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
* Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
*Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
''. He initially auditioned for the role of
James "Sawyer" Ford. However, co-creator
J. J. Abrams thought he would be better for the role of Jack, a role originally slated to be for the pilot episode only.
Fox was nominated for a
Golden Globe
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
, won the 2005
Satellite Award, and shared the 2006
Screen Actors Guild Award
Screen Actors Guild Awards (also known as SAG Awards) are accolades given by the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA). The award was founded in 1952 to recognize outstanding performances in movie an ...
for ''Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series'', for his role in ''Lost''.
On December 2, 2006, Fox hosted ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
'' with musical guests
Tenacious D
Tenacious D is an American comedy rock duo formed in Los Angeles, California in 1994. It was founded by actors Jack Black and Kyle Gass, who were members of The Actors' Gang theater company at the time. The duo's name is derived from "ten ...
. In 2006, he co-starred with
Matthew McConaughey in the sports drama ''
We Are Marshall''. He also played a bit part in the action film ''
Smokin' Aces
''Smokin' Aces'' is a 2006 American action comedy film written and directed by Joe Carnahan. The film centers on the chase for Las Vegas magician turned mafia informant Robert 'Buddy Aces' Israel ( Jeremy Piven), on whom a one-million-dollar boun ...
'' (along with Lost's co-star
Néstor Carbonell
Néstor Gastón Carbonell (; born December 1, 1967) is an American actor, director, and screenwriter. He came to prominence for his role as Luis Rivera in the NBC sitcom ''Suddenly Susan''. He is known for his roles as Richard Alpert in the ABC ...
and future cast member
Kevin Durand) and starred in the 2008 thriller ''
Vantage Point
Vantage Point (formerly Archway Tower) is a 195-foot (59m) 17-storey residential apartment building above Archway Underground station, designed by Grid Architects, and owned and operated by Essential Living.
History
Archway Tower was built ...
''. In May 2008, Fox starred as
Racer X in the movie ''
Speed Racer''.
Fox has repeatedly stated that he is "done with television" after ''Lost''.
In 2011, he starred in the stage play ''
In a Forest, Dark and Deep'' with
Olivia Williams in London's
West End.
Fox co-starred in ''
Alex Cross'' (2012), as the villain, Michael "The Butcher" Sullivan, nicknamed "Picasso". For the role, Fox developed an extremely muscular physique and shed most of his body fat. The film was a critical and commercial failure but Fox was praised for his transformation and credibility in a vastly different role from Lost's Jack Shephard.
He appeared very briefly in the 2013 film ''
World War Z'' which starred
Brad Pitt
William Bradley Pitt (born December 18, 1963) is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Awar ...
.
He starred in the film ''
Extinction
Extinction is the termination of a kind of organism or of a group of kinds (taxon), usually a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the Endling, last individual of the species, although the Functional ext ...
'' released in July 2015, directed by
Miguel Ángel Vivas
Miguel Ángel Vivas (born 1974) is a Spanish director, and screenwriter.
He has directed films such as ''Extinction'' (2015), and '' Your Son'' (2018).
Filmography
As director
* '' Asedio'' (2023)
* ''Desaparecidos'' (2020)
* '' Unauthorized ...
, an adaptation of Juan de Dios Garduño's bestselling book ''Y pese a todo.''
That same year, Fox also co-starred in the critically acclaimed American
horror Western ''
Bone Tomahawk''. He had always wanted to act in a Western.
After six years of inactivity, Fox was cast in the lead role of a limited series ''Last Light'', which will be released on
Peacock
Peafowl is a common name for three bird species in the genera '' Pavo'' and '' Afropavo'' within the tribe Pavonini of the family Phasianidae, the pheasants and their allies. Male peafowl are referred to as peacocks, and female peafowl are r ...
.
Personal life
In 1992, Fox married his long-time girlfriend, Margherita Ronchi, a native of Italy. The couple met while Fox was a student at Columbia. The couple later had two children, Kyle Allison and Byron. Fox is also a photographer. A bonus disc released with The Complete First Series of ''
Lost
Lost may refer to getting lost, or to:
Geography
* Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland
*Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US
History
*Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
'' includes features "The Art of Matthew Fox", showing pictures he took of the cast and crew while on set.
Fox has a passion for flying airplanes, and owns a
Bonanza G36. "To be up there by yourself, and it's all up to you whether it's gonna be an amazing flight or it's not gonna go as beautiful
y I feel like I'm hyper-prepared when I fly. There is so much you don't have control over."
On August 28, 2011, Fox was accused of assaulting a female bus driver in Cleveland, Ohio. Prosecutors decided not to charge Fox. In May 2012, the bus driver withdrew a civil suit, after her lawyer withdrew and revealed that she "intentionally failed and refused to provide full and timely cooperation and information". In October 2012, Fox appeared on ''
The Ellen DeGeneres Show'' and dismissed all accusations as false, stating he could not refute them at the time due to the ongoing trial. He proclaimed he was punched in the face by a man and retaliated, and that the bus driver tried to extort money from him through her version of events; he said the prosecutors in the criminal case determined her accusations a "hoax".
In May 2012, his ''Lost'' co-star
Dominic Monaghan tweeted about Fox, "He beats women. Not isolated incidents. Often." Fox denied the claims, saying "the Monaghan situation -- was a pile of bullshit, and I'm not gonna waste too much breath on that."
He also told ''
Men's Journal
''Men's Journal'' is an American monthly men's lifestyle magazine focused on outdoor recreation and comprising editorials on the outdoors, environmental issues, health and fitness, style and fashion, and gear. It was founded in 1992 by Jann Wenne ...
'' in 2012, "I have never hit a woman before. Never have, never will. But I think there's still gonna be a lot of people out there who'll think it's true no matter what."
Filmography
Film
Television
Video games
Director
Awards and nominations
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fox, Matthew
1966 births
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
Male actors from Pennsylvania
Male actors from Wyoming
American male film actors
American people of English descent
American people of Italian descent
American male television actors
Deerfield Academy alumni
Living people
People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
People from Fremont County, Wyoming
Columbia Lions football players
Columbia College (New York) alumni
Meade family