Matt Shively is a 33-year-old American actor, possibly best known for portraying Ryan Laserbeam in the “True Jackson, VP” television series from 2008 to 2011.
Early life and education
Matthew James “Matt” Shively Jr. was born on 15 September 1990, in Hanford, Kings County, California USA. He is of primarily Irish and English descent, according to EthniCelebs. Matt’s mother is Billie Carpenter. As a child, he was obsessed with the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. He also wore a mullet and wigs for women, and frequently ate spaghetti.
Matt stated that actor Shia LaBeouf inspired his passion for acting in fourth grade; Shia was portraying the lead role of Louis Stevens in the “Even Stevens” television series. He told Cliche Mag that he wanted to be a soccer player or firefighter as a child, but never considered those professions after discovering acting.
One of his earliest acting-related memories involves him reciting lines from William Shakespeare’s plays to his parents. Matt also starred in his school’s Christmas play, “The Polar Express,” which convinced his parents. Consequently, he was cast in local theatre productions of “Dracula,” “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying,” and “Footloose.” Matt said during his “Zach Sang Show” appearance that he used to stay up until 1 a.m. while in high school to watch the “Smart Guy” sitcom, which aired for three seasons from 1997 to 1999.
Career
Matt debuted in acting in the 2005 movie “The Tomb,” in which she played Nathan. He had noteworthy film roles in “Paranormal Activity 4” as Ben in 2012, “Expelled” and “How to Build a Better Boy” in 2014 as Danny and Bart Hartley, respectively, and Oscar in “Summer of 8” in 2016. However, he was consistently better recognized for his roles on TV.
Perhaps motivated by Shia’s career on Disney Channel, Matt made his television debut in 2008 in an episode of the “Zoey 101” series as Angry Guy. Almost immediately, Nickelodeon hired Matt for “True Jackson, VP,” and he played Kirby Cadworth-Bankcroft III in the “The Troop” series afterwards.
Additionally, after Matt received praise for voicing Sky in the English version of the “Winx Club 3D: Magical Adventure” movie in 2010, Nickelodeon invited him to reprise the role in the “Winx Club” animated television series the following year. He lent his voice to Sky for nearly 110 episodes until 2015. Furthermore, Matt had notable roles in television series such as “The Real O’Neals” as Jimmy O’Neal from 2016 to 2017, “Grand Hotel” as Nelson in 2019, “American Housewife” as Lonnie from 2019 to 2021, and “Players” in 2022 as Frugger.
Current work
In 2022, Matt joined the main cast of NBC’s “Lopez vs. Lopez” television comedy series about a dysfunctional working-class family. George and Mayan Lopez, father and daughter in real life, played eponymous characters, while Matt portrayed Quinten, Mayan’s boyfriend.
He told POC Culture that he went through a long, grueling process and was rejected several times. Furthermore, a friend to whom he recommended the project was apparently close to being cast as Quinten, so Matt nearly gave up hope. When the casting directors finally contacted him and asked for another audition, Matt had just landed in Florida, Miami, US, to film something else. Therefore, he had to tape his phone to the wall and rearrange the lighting in his hotel room before joining the video conference call.
Matt appeared in all first season episodes, which aired until May 2023. Shortly afterwards, NBC announced that “Lopez vs. Lopez” was renewed for the second season, scheduled to premiere in the summer of 2024, and Matt is expected to reprise his role. He used the Duolingo mobile application to learn Spanish for some lines in the series. Consequently, Matt can understand conversational Spanish and speak some common phrases. He told Daily Actor that he wants to return to acting on stage once he saves enough money, and plans to remain a stage actor for the rest of his life.
Ex-girlfriend Laura Ashley Samuels
Matt was in a relationship with a fellow American actress, Laura Ashley Samuels, in 2012. Not much is known besides pictures of Matt kissing Laura’s forehead and cheeks, which they shared via Instagram. Laura was born on 29 August 1990 in Dallas, Texas, US, and was best known for her movie roles in “The Final” as Kelli in 2010, “In Time” as Sagita in 2011, and “Kill Game” as Courtney in 2018.
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Girlfriend Ashley Newbrough
Matt started dating American actor and producer Ashley Newbrough on 26 August 2017. She was born Ashley Elizabeth Ann Newbrough on 13 October 1987 in Newport, Rhode Island, US, and was recognized for portraying Sage Baker in the “Privileged” series from 2008 to 2009. However, she became known for starring in Christmas-themed romantic TV movies in the mid-2010s after she was cast as Becca in Hallmark Channel’s “Love Under the Stars” in 2015.
The couple has mainly praised each other in social media posts for their anniversaries and Valentine’s Day and birthday celebrations. Ashley also complimented Matt’s interior decoration and event-organizing skills and stated that ‘she didn’t feel love songs until she met him.’ She has a dog named Charlie, whom Matt calls ‘Bonelander.’ Charlie is the primary reason that Matt never got a dog.
Interesting facts, favorite things
- Matt recorded roughly 18 hours of Tom Sawyer’s voice for an interactive attraction at Disneyland early in his career. Unfortunately, the theme park abandoned its plans afterwards.
- In 2010, Matt formed a band called Connecting Channels with his friend, actor Sterling Knight. However, they only released one song, a coverof “Ain’t No Rest For the Wicked” by Cage the Elephant.
- “Degrassi: The Next Generation” is his favorite television series.
- His favorite movies include “Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy,” “A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints,” and “Brick.”
- He jokingly describes himself as ‘his fans’ favorite forgettable funny guy.’
- Sports that he enjoys are bowling and roller hockey.
- Actress Sarah Hyland, whom he lovingly calls Bear and Ducky, is one of his best friends.
- Matt was sure that he wouldn’t receive a callback after his audition for “The Real O’Neals” because they wanted a muscular athlete, so he did improv comedy. The casting director later told him that his slicked-back hairand lack of nervousness made him stand out.
- The worst advicehe has received is to forego memorizing his lines for auditions and to read from the script; he cannot perform at his best while holding the paper or notebook.
- Horror is among his favorite genres, and “Halloween” and “Nightmare on Elm Street” are his favorite horror films.
- Matt was never a picky eater. However, at 23, he fell in love with salmon and yellowtail sushi, two meals that he’d despised as a kid.
- He enjoys cooking and always plays jazz music to set the ambiance.
- Before 2017, Matt’s go-to bar order was vodka mixed with Red Bull. He abandoned it for Stella Artois beer, vodka on the rocks, or High West Campfire Whiskey on the rocks, depending on his mood.
- Matt’s favorite cocktail is Screwdriver.
- He found the sound of George Lopez pretending to gag and throw uphilarious, so George sometimes did it while the cameras were rolling to throw him off guard.
- Matt knows little about baseballand goes to games to eat hot dogs and support friends who love the sport.
- Matt enjoys attending the midnight screenings of recently released movies.
Physical characteristics
Matt has dark brown hair and dark brown eyes. He is 5ft 11ins (1.8m) tall and weighs about 161lbs (73kgs). He has an athletic physique due to weight loss that he began around his 32nd birthday and called ‘his Godfather phase.’ Matt is proud of his youthful face, and assumes that he will play teenagers and young adults even at 40.
Tattoos
Matt has one tattoo on his thigh that reads, ‘Success is nothing if you have no one there left to share it with.’ Another is a miniature tattoo on his right shoulder blade, seemingly consisting of a name and years of birth and death.
Net worth
Matt has a net worth of about $1 million. He told Chilled Magazine in 2017 that he’d recently purchased a house in Oregon State, US, from his earnings as an actor, and spent his free time there.
Matt has promoted Iron Bronco Supply and EarthNutri brands via social media.
