Matt Frewer
Canadian-American actor (born 1958)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is an American-Canadian actor, voice actor and comedian.[1] He is best known for portraying the 1980s icon Max Headroom[2] in the 1985 TV film and 1987 television series of the same name.
January 4, 1958
- Actor
- comedian
- voice actor
Matt Frewer | |
|---|---|
Frewer at the 2013 FedCon | |
| Born | Matthew George Frewer January 4, 1958 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Citizenship | |
| Alma mater | Bristol Old Vic Theatre School (1980) |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
He first became prominent for film roles like Russell Thompson Sr. in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Jobe Smith in Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996), Frank in Dawn of the Dead (2004), Moloch in Watchmen (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 on Doctor Doctor (1989–91), Bob on Shaky Ground (1992–93), the Trashcan Man on The Stand (1994), Matt Prager on Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal (1997–99), Dr. Jim Taggart on Eureka (2006–12), Dr. Leekie on science fiction drama Orphan Black (2013–17), Carnage on Altered Carbon (2018), Logan on Fear the Walking Dead (2019), The Binder on The Magicians (2019–20), and Peter Morton on The Order (2019−20). He portrayed Sherlock Holmes in a series of television films for CTV/Hallmark Channel (2000−02).
His voice acting roles include Panic in the Disney animated film Hercules (1997) and its subsequent television series, the Pink Panther on the 1993 television series of the same name, Lloyd Christmas on the Dumb and Dumber animated series, Jackal on Gargoyles, Samuel Sterns / Leader on The Incredible Hulk, and Dedgar Deadman on Toonsylvania.
Early life
Frewer was born in Washington, D.C., to Canadian parents, one of five children born to Gillian Anne (née German)[3] and Captain Frederick Charlesley Frewer, a Royal Canadian Navy officer.[4][5] He was raised in Peterborough, Ontario, attending Glenlyon Norfolk School[6] and Lakefield College School.[7] He briefly attended Queen's University at Kingston,[6] before moving to England to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. He graduated in 1980.[8]
Career

Frewer portrayed the artificial intelligence character Max Headroom in the 1980s, starring in the 1985 eponymous science fiction television film; 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 film aired, titled Max Headroom (1987–88).[8] From 1993 to 1995, Frewer voiced the Pink Panther for the television series. Frewer guest-starred in the fifth-season Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "A Matter of Time". He also portrayed Max Headroom in other media, including a series of television commercials for "New Coke" and "Radio Rentals", as well as the single and music video for "Paranoimia" by Art of Noise. He reprised this role in the science fiction comedy film Pixels (2015).[9]
Frewer starred as Mike Stratford in Doctor Doctor (1989–91).[9] He also appeared as Trashcan Man in the television miniseries The Stand.[9] Frewer has also appeared in such films as The Fourth Protocol (1987), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989),[8][9] National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995), and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.[9]
Frewer was nominated for two Gemini Awards in 2000, one for a guest appearance on Da Vinci's Inquest[10] and another for his work on the series Mentors. He was a regular on Eureka during the series' first two seasons, playing Jim Taggart.[9][11] He has done voice-over work on several animated projects, including Batman: The Animated Series (1993) and The Incredible Hulk (1996–97). Frewer portrayed Matt Praeger in Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal from 1997 to 2000.[9]
In 2009, Frewer portrayed the retired villain Moloch the Mystic in Watchmen[9] and appeared as the White Knight in the December 2009 Syfy two-part miniseries Alice, based upon Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[9][8] He starred as Pestilence in two episodes of Season 5 of Supernatural.[12] He has appeared in several adaptations of Stephen King stories, such as The Stand.[9] Quicksilver Highway, Riding the Bullet, Desperation and Bag of Bones.[13]
He played Dr. Aldous Leekie in the first two seasons of Orphan Black.[9][8]
In 2018, Frewer portrayed Carnage in the Netflix series Altered Carbon.[14] In the same year, Frewer was cast in the Netflix horror-drama series The Order.[15]
Personal life
Frewer has been married to Amanda Hillwood since 1984 and the couple have a daughter.[16][17] In 1989, they bought a house in Marina del Rey, California.[18]
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Lords of Discipline | Senior Cadet | |
| Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | Very Big Corporation of America Yuppie | Segment: "The Crimson Permanent Assurance" | |
| 1984 | Supergirl | Eddie | |
| 1985 | Spies Like Us | Soldier | |
| 1987 | The Fourth Protocol | Tom McWhirter | |
| Ishtar | CIA Agent | ||
| 1989 | Speed Zone | Alec Stewart | |
| Honey, I Shrunk the Kids | Russell 'Russ' Thompson, Sr. | ||
| Far from Home | Charlie Cox | ||
| 1990 | Short Time | Ernie Dills | |
| 1991 | The Taking of Beverly Hills | Ed Kelvin | |
| 1993 | Twenty Bucks | Receding Bingo Winner | |
| 1995 | Return to Two Moon Junction | Cleo, Leo | Uncredited |
| Driving Mr. Pink | The Pink Panther (voice) | Short film | |
| National Lampoon's Senior Trip | Principal Todd Moss | ||
| BugHunt | Edward Schulze (voice) | ||
| 1996 | Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace | Jobe Smith | |
| 1997 | Hercules | Panic (voice) | [19] |
| 1998 | Heartwood | Frank Burris (voice) | Uncredited |
| 1999 | 6ix | Satan, Nathan, Lucy, Mother, Father | Short film |
| Hercules: Zero to Hero | Panic (voice) | ||
| 2000 | Cyberworld | Frazzled (voice) | Short film |
| 2004 | Dawn of the Dead | Frank | |
| A Home at the End of the World | Ned Glover | ||
| Going the Distance | Farmer Joseph | ||
| Intern Academy | Dr. Anton Keller | ||
| Geraldine's Fortune | Cameron Geary | ||
| Riding the Bullet | Mr. Clarkson | ||
| 2007 | Weirdsville | Jason Taylor | |
| 2009 | Watchmen | Edgar Jacobi / Moloch | |
| Rampage | Mr. Williamson | ||
| Darfur | Ted Duncan | ||
| 2010 | Frankie and Alice | Dr. Strassfield | |
| 2011 | Wushu Warrior | Lord Edward Lindsey | |
| 50/50 | Mitch | ||
| Foreverland | Mr. Steadman | ||
| 2014 | Rampage: Capital Punishment | Mr. Williamson (voice) | Uncredited |
| Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb | Archibald Stanley | ||
| 2015 | Pixels | Max Headroom (voice) | |
| 2016 | The BFG | General | |
| 2017 | Residue | Mr. Fairweather | |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Robin of Sherwood | Roger de Carnac | Episode "The Betrayal" |
| 1987 | St. Elsewhere | Pee-Wee, Walter Sandler | Episode: "No Chemo, Sabe?" |
| 1987–88 | Max Headroom | Max Headroom, Edison Carter | 14 episodes |
| 1988 | Miami Vice | Cliff King | Episodes: "Hostile Takeover" and "Redemption in Blood" |
| Sesame Street | Max Headroom | 2 episodes | |
| 1989–91 | Doctor Doctor | Dr. Mike Stratford | Lead role, 40 episodes |
| 1991 | Star Trek: The Next Generation | Berlinghoff Rasmussen | Episode: "A Matter of Time" |
| 1992 | Tiny Toon Adventures | Mac Duff (voice) | 2 episodes[19] |
| 1992–93 | Shaky Ground | Bob Moody | 17 episodes |
| 1992 | Eerie, Indiana | Howard Paymer | Episode: "Tornado Days" |
| 1993 | Batman: The Animated Series | Sid the Squid / Sidney Debris (voice) | Episode: "The Man Who Killed Batman"[19] |
| Bonkers | Peter Blaine (voice) | Episode: "Trains, Toons, and Toon Trains" | |
| 1993–96 | The Pink Panther | The Pink Panther (voice) | Main role[19] |
| 1994 | American Playhouse | Ambassador Edwin Reischauer | Episode: "Long Shadows" |
| 1994–96 | Gargoyles | Jackal (voice) | 7 episodes[19] |
| Itsy Bitsy Spider | The Exterminator (voice) | 26 episodes | |
| 1994 | Aladdin | Chaos (voice) | Episode: "When Chaos Comes Calling" |
| 1995 | Captain Planet and the Planeteers | Adolf Hitler (voice) | Episode: "A Good Bomb Is Hard To Find"[20] |
| 1995–96 | Dumb and Dumber | Lloyd Christmas (voice) | 13 episodes[19] |
| 1996–97 | The Incredible Hulk | The Leader (voice)[19] | 10 episodes |
| 1996 | Iron Man | Episode: "Hulk Buster" | |
| Bruno the Kid | Bobby Vicious (voice) | Episode: "Searching for Bobby Vicious" | |
| Quack Pack | Additional voices | Episode: "Tasty Paste" | |
| Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series | Dr. Wally Pretorius (voice) | Episode: "The Human Factor" | |
| The Outer Limits | Norman Glass | Episode: "First Anniversary" | |
| The Magic School Bus | Inspector 47 (voice) | Episode: "In the Rainforest"[19] | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | 1 Episode | |
| 1997 | Dead Man's Gun | Norbert Datry | Episode: "Fool's Gold - Pilot #2" |
| Tracey Takes On... | Bob | Episode: "Supernatural" | |
| 1997–99 | Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Matt Praeger | 49 episodes |
| 1998 | Toonsylvania | Dedgar Deadman (voice) | 14 episodes |
| 1998–99 | Hercules | Panic (voice) | 24 episodes |
| 1999 | Mentors | Frederick Banting | Episode: "A Transient, Shining Trouble" |
| Mickey Mouse Works | Toymaker (voice) | Episode: "#1.4" | |
| 2000 | Da Vinci's Inquest | Larry Williams | 2 episodes |
| 2001–02 | House of Mouse | Panic, Toymaker (voice) | 6 episodes |
| 2004 | The Eleventh Hour | Dr. Lansing | Episode: "Wonderland" |
| 2005 | Masters of Horror | Wally | Episode: "Chocolate" |
| 2006–07 | Intelligence | Ted Altman | 26 episodes |
| 2006–12 | Eureka | Dr. Jim Taggart | 18 episodes |
| 2010 | How I Met Your Mother | Carriage Driver | Uncredited Episode: "Of Course" |
| Supernatural | Pestilence, Dr. Green | 2 episodes | |
| 2012–13 | Falling Skies | General Bressler | 7 episodes |
| 2013–17 | Orphan Black | Dr. Aldous Leekie | 11 episodes |
| 2013 | Witches of East End | Vidar | 2 episodes |
| 2014 | The Knick | Dr. J.M. Christiansen | 5 episodes |
| 2014–15 | The Librarians | Dulaque, Lancelot | |
| 2015 | Olympus | Daedalus, Prometheus | 12 episodes |
| 2016 | The Art of More | Paul Rice | 6 episodes |
| 12 Monkeys | Dr. Kirschner | Episode: "Fatherland" | |
| 2016–17 | Timeless | Anthony Bruhl | 5 episodes |
| 2017–18 | Castlevania | The Bishop (voice) | 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Altered Carbon | Carnage | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | The Order | Peter Morton | 7 episodes |
| 2019–20 | The Magicians | The Binder | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Fear the Walking Dead | Logan | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Perry Mason | Judge Fred Wright | 3 episodes |
| 2025 | The Hunting Party | Dr. Henry Dulles | 4 episodes |
TV films, specials, and miniseries
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The First Olympics: Athens 1896 | Francis Lane | |
| 1985 | Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into The Future | Max Headroom, Edison Carter | |
| 1993 | The Day My Parents Ran Away | Bob Miller | |
| 1994 | In Search of Dr. Seuss | The Cat in the Hat | |
| The Stand | Trashcan Man | ||
| 1996 | Generation X | Russel Tresh | |
| Apollo 11 | Gene Kranz | ||
| 1997 | Quicksilver Highway | Dr. Charles "Charlie" George | |
| Desert's Edge | Greg | ||
| Dead Fire | Max Durbin | ||
| Breast Men | Gerald Krzemien | ||
| 2000 | Jailbait | Al Fisher | |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Sherlock Holmes | ||
| 2001 | The Sign of Four | ||
| The Royal Scandal | |||
| 2002 | The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire | ||
| Taken | Dr. Chet Wakeman | ||
| 2006 | Desperation | Ralph Carver | |
| 2009 | Alice | White Knight | |
| 2010 | Battle of the Bulbs | Stu Jones | |
| 2011 | Bag of Bones | Sid Noonan | |
| 2012 | Delete | Arthur Bowden | |
| 2016 | Love in Paradise | Dr. Frank | |
| 2018 | The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair | Reverend Kellergan |
Video games
| Year | Title | Voice role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Hercules | Panic | [19] |
| Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules | |||
| 1998 | Disney's Hades Challenge | ||
| 2012 | Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom | ||
Radio
- Tales from the Mausoleum Club: Episode 2, "Heart of Skegness"
Awards and nominations
| Award | Year | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CableACE Award | 1987 | Best Music Host | The Max Headroom Show | Won | [21] |
| 1988 | Best Program Interviewer | won | |||
| Gemini Award | 2000 | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Mentors | Won | [22] |
| 2000 | Da Vinci's Inquest | Nominated | [22] | ||
| Leo Award | 2010 | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Alice | Nominated | [23] |
| 2011 | Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Supernatural ("Two Minutes To Midnight") | Nominated | [24] | |
| 2014 | Orphan Black ("Unconscious Selection") | Nominated | [25] | ||
| 2019 | Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | The Order ("Finals: Part 1") | Nominated | [26] | |
| Satellite Award | 2014 | Best Cast – Television Series | The Knick | won | [27] |