Matt Frewer
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Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is an American-Canadian actor, singer and comedian. He portrayed the 1980s icon Max Headroom in the 1985 TV movie and 1987 television series of the same names. He became prominent when playing roles in films, like Russell Thompson, Sr. in ''
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' is a 1989 American comic science fiction film. It is the first installment of a film franchise and served as the directorial debut of Joe Johnston. The film stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, and Kr ...
'' (1989), Jobe Smith in '' Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace'' (1996), Frank in '' Dawn of the Dead'' (2004), Moloch in ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...
'' (2009), Mitch in '' 50/50'' (2011) and Archibald Stanley in '' Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb'' (2014). His television credits include Dr. Mike Stratford in '' Doctor Doctor'' (1989–1991), Bob in '' Shaky Ground'' (1992–1993), Matt Prager in '' Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' (1997–1999), Dr. Jim Taggart in '' Eureka'' (2006–2012) and Doctor Leekie in the Canadian
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...
drama ''
Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...
'' (2013–2017). Frewer's more recent performances include a portrayal of "General #2" in the
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Sp ...
picture ''
The BFG ''The BFG'' (short for ''The Big Friendly Giant'') is a 1982 children's book written by British novelist Roald Dahl and illustrated by Quentin Blake. It is an expansion of a short story from Dahl's 1975 book ''Danny, the Champion of the World'' ...
'' (2016), the character Carnage in the
Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a ...
series '' Altered Carbon'' in 2018 and Logan in '' Fear the Walking Dead'' (2019). Also, he portrayed The Binder in 3 episodes of '' The Magicians'' and Peter Morton in 8 episodes of '' The Order'' (2019−2020). His voice roles include Panic in ''
Hercules Hercules (, ) is the Roman equivalent of the Greek divine hero Heracles, son of Jupiter and the mortal Alcmena. In classical mythology, Hercules is famous for his strength and for his numerous far-ranging adventures. The Romans adapted the ...
'' and its 1998 television series, Inspector 47 in '' The Magic School Bus'', the Pink Panther in the 1993 television series of the same name, Lloyd Christmas in the ''
Dumb and Dumber ''Dumb and Dumber'' is a 1994 American buddy comedy film directed by Peter Farrelly, who cowrote the screenplay with Bobby Farrelly and Bennett Yellin. It is the first installment in the ''Dumb and Dumber'' franchise. Starring Jim Carrey a ...
'' animated series, Jackal in '' Gargoyles'' and Dedgar Deadman in ''
Toonsylvania ''Toonsylvania'' is an American animated television series, which ran for two seasons in 1998 on the Fox Kids Network block (usually placed in a block called "The No Yell Motel" that contained other scary kids' shows such as ''Goosebumps'' and '' ...
''.


Early life

Frewer was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Gillian Anne (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
German) and Captain (Ret'd) Frederick Charlesley Frewer, a
Royal Canadian Navy The Royal Canadian Navy (RCN; french: Marine royale canadienne, ''MRC'') is the naval force of Canada. The RCN is one of three environmental commands within the Canadian Armed Forces. As of 2021, the RCN operates 12 frigates, four attack subma ...
officer. He was raised in
Peterborough, Ontario Peterborough ( ) is a city on the Otonabee River in Ontario, Canada, about 125 kilometres (78 miles) northeast of Toronto. According to the 2021 Census, the population of the City of Peterborough was 83,651. The population of the Peterborough ...
, where he graduated from
Lakefield College School Lakefield College School (sometimes called LCS, The Grove or simply Lakefield) is a private day and boarding school located north of the village of Lakefield, Ontario. It was the first Canadian member of Round Square, an international affiliation ...
. He went on to train at the
Bristol Old Vic Theatre School The Bristol Old Vic Theatre School is a drama school in Bristol, England. The institution provides training in acting and production for careers in film, television and theatre. BOVTS is an affiliate of the Conservatoire for Dance and Drama. ...
, graduating from its three-year acting course in 1980. His brother Frederick Barry Frewer also served in the Canadian Navy.


Career

Frewer portrayed the
artificial intelligence Artificial intelligence (AI) is intelligence—perceiving, synthesizing, and inferring information—demonstrated by machines, as opposed to intelligence displayed by animals and humans. Example tasks in which this is done include speech ...
character Max Headroom in the 1980s, starring in the 1985 eponymous science fiction television movie; Frewer also played award-winning Network 23 journalist Edison Carter in the film. This led to a series on the UK Channel 4 network with the Max Headroom character as a video jockey and interviewer. This ran for two seasons, the second of which featured a studio audience with whom Max interacted. In 1987, an American series based upon the 1985 movie aired, titled '' Max Headroom'' (1987–1988). Frewer guest-starred in the fifth-season ''Star Trek: The Next Generation'' episode “A Matter of Time”. He also portrayed the character in other media, including a series of television commercials for "
New Coke New Coke was the unofficial name of a reformulation of the soft drink Coca-Cola, introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in April 1985. It was renamed Coke II in 1990 and discontinued in July 2002. By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to ...
" and "
Radio Rentals Radio Rentals was formed in 1930Radio Rentals Staff Handbook in Brighton, Sussex, UK to rent out radio sets by Percy Perring-Thoms with a turnover in the first year of £780 (). It later offered televisions and ultimately video recorders for re ...
", as well as the single and music video for " Paranoimia" by
Art of Noise Art of Noise (also The Art of Noise) were an English avant-garde synth-pop group formed in early 1983 by engineer/producer Gary Langan and programmer J. J. Jeczalik, along with keyboardist/arranger Anne Dudley, producer Trevor Horn, and mus ...
. He reprised this role in the science fiction comedy film ''
Pixels In digital imaging, a pixel (abbreviated px), pel, or picture element is the smallest addressable element in a raster image, or the smallest point in an all points addressable display device. In most digital display devices, pixels are the sm ...
'' (2015). Frewer starred as Mike Stratford in '' Doctor Doctor'' (1989–1991). He also appeared as Trashcan Man in the television miniseries ''
The Stand ''The Stand'' is a post-apocalyptic dark fantasy novel written by American author Stephen King and first published in 1978 by Doubleday. The plot centers on a deadly pandemic of weaponized influenza and its aftermath, in which the few survivin ...
''. Frewer has also appeared in such films as ''
The Fourth Protocol ''The Fourth Protocol'' is a thriller novel by British writer Frederick Forsyth, published in August 1984. Etymology The title refers to the 1968 Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which (at least in the world of the novel) contained four secr ...
'' (1987), ''
Honey, I Shrunk the Kids ''Honey, I Shrunk the Kids'' is a 1989 American comic science fiction film. It is the first installment of a film franchise and served as the directorial debut of Joe Johnston. The film stars Rick Moranis, Matt Frewer, Marcia Strassman, and Kr ...
'' (1989), ''
National Lampoon's Senior Trip ''National Lampoon's Senior Trip'' is a 1995 American comedy film for the National Lampoon magazine franchise, directed by Kelly Makin. It marked Jeremy Renner's film debut. Plot At Fairmount High School, Ohio in the suburbs of Dayton, a gro ...
'' (1995), and the 2004 remake of ''Dawn of the Dead''. Frewer was nominated for two
Gemini Award The Gemini Awards were awards given by the Academy of Canadian Cinema & Television between 1986–2011 to recognize the achievements of Canada's television industry. The Gemini Awards are analogous to the Emmy Awards given in the United States ...
s in 2000, one for a guest appearance on ''
Da Vinci's Inquest ''Da Vinci's Inquest'' is a Canadian dramatic television series which originally aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. While never a ratings blockbuster, the critically acclaimed show did attract a loyal following, and ultimately seven seaso ...
'' and another for his work on the series ''Mentors''. He was a regular on '' Eureka'' during the series' first two seasons, playing Jim Taggart. He has done voice-over work on several animated projects, including ''Batman: The Animated Series'' (1993) and ''The Incredible Hulk'' (1996–1997). Frewer portrayed Matt Praeger in '' Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal'' from 1997–2000. In 2009, Frewer portrayed the retired villain Moloch the Mystic in ''
Watchmen ''Watchmen'' is an American comic book maxiseries by the British creative team of writer Alan Moore, artist Dave Gibbons and colorist John Higgins. It was published monthly by DC Comics in 1986 and 1987 before being collected in a single-vo ...
'' and appeared as the
White Knight A white knight is a mythological figure and literary stock character. They are portrayed alongside a black knight as diametric opposites. A white knight usually represents a heroic warrior fighting against evil, with the role in medieval literatu ...
in the December 2009
Syfy Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. La ...
two-part miniseries ''
Alice Alice may refer to: * Alice (name), most often a feminine given name, but also used as a surname Literature * Alice (''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland''), a character in books by Lewis Carroll * ''Alice'' series, children's and teen books by ...
'', based upon ''
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland ''Alice's Adventures in Wonderland'' (commonly ''Alice in Wonderland'') is an 1865 English novel by Lewis Carroll. It details the story of a young girl named Alice who falls through a rabbit hole into a fantasy world of anthropomorphic creature ...
''. He starred as Pestilence in two episodes of Season 5 of ''
Supernatural Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
''. He has appeared in several adaptations of Stephen King stories, such as ''The Stand'', ''
Quicksilver Highway ''Quicksilver Highway'' is a 1997 television comedy horror film directed by Mick Garris. It is based on Clive Barker's short story " The Body Politic" and Stephen King's 1992 short story " Chattery Teeth". The film was originally shown on televis ...
'', ''
Riding the Bullet ''Riding the Bullet'' is a horror novella by American writer Stephen King. It marked King's debut on the Internet. Simon & Schuster, with technology by SoftLock, first published ''Riding the Bullet'' in 2000 as the world's first mass-market e-bo ...
'', '' Desperation'' and ''
Bag of Bones ''Bag of Bones'' is a 1998 horror novel by American writer Stephen King. It focuses on an author who suffers severe writer's block and delusions at an isolated lake house four years after the death of his wife. It won the 1999 Bram Stoker Award ...
''. He played Dr. Aldous Leekie on the first two seasons of ''
Orphan Black ''Orphan Black'' is a Canadian science-fiction thriller television series created by screenwriter Graeme Manson and director John Fawcett and starring Tatiana Maslany. The series focuses on Sarah Manning, one of several genetically identical ...
''. In 2018, Frewer portrayed Carnage in the Netflix series '' Altered Carbon''. In the same year, Frewer was cast in the Netflix horror-
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 ...
series, '' The Order''.


Personal life

Frewer has been married to
Amanda Hillwood Amanda Hillwood (born Amanda Mary Smith; 26 February 1957) is an English actress. Biography Hillwood is the daughter of Mark and Angela Smith (née Angela Hill-Wood, granddaughter of Sir Samuel Hill-Wood, 1st Baronet). Through her mother, she ...
since 1984. In 1989, they bought a house in
Marina del Rey Marina del Rey (Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with an eponymous harbor that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The ...
, California.


Filmography


Film


Television


Video games


Radio

* ''Tales from the Mausoleum Club'': Episode 2, "Heart of Skegness"


Awards and nominations


References


External links

*
Mattblank.com interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:Frewer, Matt 1958 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 20th-century Canadian male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century Canadian male actors American emigrants to Canada American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors American male voice actors Alumni of Bristol Old Vic Theatre School CableACE Award winners Canadian male film actors Canadian male stage actors Canadian male television actors Canadian male voice actors Canadian Screen Award winners Lakefield College School alumni Male actors from Ontario People from Peterborough, Ontario Male actors from Washington, D.C. Audiobook narrators