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Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles that include Private Joker in Full Metal Jacket, high school wrestler Louden Swain in Vision Quest, Sullivan Groff on Weeds and Dr. Martin Brenner in the first, second, and fourth seasons of the Netflix original series, Stranger Things.

Modine has been acting since his graduation and he is also the nephew of stage actress Nola Fairbanks. After his graduation, Modine moved to New York City to pursue his dream of art and theater.

Biography[]

Early Life[]

Modine was born in Loma Linda, California, and was the youngest of seven children. He was the son of Dolores, a bookkeeper, and Mark Alexander Modine, who managed a few Drive-In Theaters. He was also the nephew of a stage actress Nola Modine Fairbanks and the great-grandson of the prospector and pioneer Ralph Jacobus Fairbanks. Modine had lived in Utah for several years, moving every 1 or 2 years. The drive-in theaters his father had managed were being torn down because the land beneath them had exceeded the value of the theaters. The Modine Family had returned to Imperial Beach, California. There, Matthew had attended and graduated from Mar Vista High School in 1977.

Career[]

His first film role was in John Sayles' film, Baby It's You. Modine's performance in that film caught the eye of director Harold Becker, who cast him in the film, Vision Quest, which was based on Terry Davis' novel of the same name. Modine also appeared in the sex comedy, Private School, the film co-stared Phoebe Gates and Betsy Russell.

Filmography[]

Film[]

Year Title Roles
1983 Baby It's You Steve
Private School Jim Green
Streamers Billy
1984 The Hotel New Hampshire Chip Dove / Ernst
Birdy "Birdy"
Mrs. Soffel Jack Biddle
1985 Vision Quest Louden Swain
1987 Full Metal Jacket Private/Sergeant J.T. "Joker" Davis
Orphans Treat
1988 Married to the Mob FBI Agent Mike Downey
The Gamble Francesco Sacredo
1989 Gross Anatomy Joe Slovak
1990 Memphis Belle Captain Dennis Dearborn
Pacific Heights Drake Goodman
1992 Equinox Henry Petosa / Freddy 'Ace'
Wind Will Parker
1993 When I Was a Boy Co-writer, co-director and co-producer
The Tree Boy as Middle-Aged Man / Boy as Old Man
Short Cuts Dr. Ralph Wyman
1994 The Browning Version Frank Hunter
Smoking Director and producer
1995 Bye Bye Love Dave Goldman
Fluke Thomas P. Johnson / Voice of Fluke
Cutthroat Island William Shaw
1997 Ecce Pirate Writer, director and producer
The Blackout Matty
The Maker Walter Schmeiss
The Real Blonde Joe
1999 Notting Hill Movie-Within-Movie Actor (uncredited)
If... Dog... Rabbit... Johnnie Cooper
Any Given Sunday Dr. Ollie Powers
2000 Very Mean Men Bartender
Bamboozled Himself
2001 Nobody's Baby "Sonny"
In the Shadows Eric O'Byrne
The Shipment Mitch Garrett
2003 Overnight Himself
Le Divorce Tellman
Hollywood North Bobby Myers
2004 Funky Monkey Alec McCall
2005 Transporter 2 Senator Jeff Billings
Mary Tony Childress / Jesus
Opa! Eric
2006 Kettle of Fish Mel
2007 Go Go Tales Johnie Ruby
Have Dreams, Will Travel Ben's Father
The Neighbor Jeff
2008 I Think I Thought Joe
To Kill an American Movie writer, director and producer
Cowboy Cowboy
Mia and the Migoo Mr. Houston / Godfrey (voice, English dub)
The Garden of Eden David's Father
Santa, the Fascist Years Narrator
2009 Little Fish, Strange Pond Mr. Jack
2010 The Trial Mac
A Cat in Paris Lucas (voice, English dub)
2011 Jesus Was a Commie John Doe
Sunchasers Movie producer
Wrinkles Juan (voice, English dub)
The Flying House "Bertie"
2012 Somebody Writer, director and producer
Plastic Jesus
Girl in Progress Dr. Harford
The Dark Knight Rises Peter Foley
2013 Jobs John Sculley
Family Weekend Duncan Dungy
Cheatin' Executive producer
2014 Hyperion Associate producer
Altar Alec Hamilton
Guests Theodore Foster
2015 The Brainwashing of My Dad Narrator
The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards Theodore Foster
Last Days of Coney Island Executive producer
Merry Xmas Abe
Unity Narrator
2016 The Confirmation Kyle
Alex & Co: How to Grow Up Despite Your Parents Bob Riley
Revengeance Sid (uncredited, also executive producer)
Super Sex Short film writer, director and producer
Army of One Dr. Ross
Stars in Shorts: No Ordinary Love Abe
2017 The Hippopotamus Michael Logan
47 Meters Down Captain Taylor
2018 Sicario: Day of the Soldado James Riley
Speed Kills George H. W. Bush
An Actor Prepares Charlie
Backtrace MacDonald
2019 Keepers of the Wild
Foster Boy Michael Trainer
Miss Virginia Congressman Cliff Williams
2020 Guardians of Life Senior Physician
Chance Mike
2021 The Martini Shot Steve
Breaking News in Yuba County Carl Buttons
Wrong Turn Scott Shaw
Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal Rick Singer
2022 My Love Affair with Marriage Bo (voice)
2023 Oppenheimer Vannevar Bush
Retribution Anders Muller
Hard Miles Greg Townsend

Television (TV films included)[]

Year Title Role
1982 ABC Afterschool Special Randy
1988 American Playhouse Eugene O'Neill
Saturday Night Live Host of the episode: "Matthew Modine/Edie Brickell & New Bohemians"
1993 And the Band Played On Dr. Don Francis
1994 Jacob Jacob
1993 And the Band Played On Dr. Don Francis
1995–1998 The New Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Sherlock Holmes (voice)
1996 What the Deaf Man Heard Sammy Ayers
1997 What the Deaf Man Heard Sammy Ayers
1998 American Experience Lawrence Svobida
The American Christopher Newman
2000 Flowers for Algernon Charlie Gordon
2001 Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story  Jack Robinson (Johnathan William Duncan Robinson)
2002 Redeemer Paul Freeman
2003 The West Wing Marco Arlens
Hitler: The Rise of Evil Fritz Gerlich
Expert Witness
2004 The Winning Season Honus Wagner
2005 Into the West Samson Wheeler
Law and Order: Special Victims Unit Gordon Rickett
2006 The Bedford Diaries Professor Jake Macklin
2007 Weeds Sullivan Groff
Good Morning Agrestic
2008 Sex and Lies in Sin City Ted Binion
2011 Too Big to Fail John Thain
2013 CAT. 8 Dr. Michael Ranger
Anatomy of Violence Convict #3
2015 Proof Ivan Turing
2016-2017; 2022 Stranger Things Dr. Martin Brenner
2017 Idiotsitter Dr. J. Lowe
2019 Surveillance The Man in the Red Tie
Sanctuary  Dr. Fisher

Stage[]

Year Title Role Location
2004 Finishing the Picture Paul Goodman Theatre, Chicago
2006 Resurrection Blues Skip The Old Vic, London
2009 To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch Hartford Stage, Hartford
2010 The Miracle Worker Captain Keller Broadway, New York
2013 Matthew Modine Saves the Alpacas Himself Geffen Playhouse, Los Angeles
2022 To Kill a Mockingbird Atticus Finch Gielgud Theatre, London

Music Videos[]

Year Artist Title
1985 Madonna “Crazy for You”
“Gambler”
2017 Logic “1-800-273-8255”
2020 Jonas Brothers “What a Man Gotta Do”


Trivia[]

  • Matthew Modine revealed in an interview that the Duffers had always intended for Brenner to reveal Brenner's survival following the events of Season One, but it was something he himself had begun to doubt until they informed him of the character's role in Season Four.[1]
  • He is dyslexic.
  • In 1980, Matthew Modine married to wardrobe stylist Caridad Rivera.[2]
  • He's good friends with Eric Stoltz and Edward Asner.
  • He is a staunch liberal Democrat.
  • He's a horticulturist and a carpenter.
  • He is the neighbor of Liam Neeson.
  • He loves the New York Knicks and loves to paint.
  • He has a son Boman Modine (b. 8 November 1985) and a daughter Ruby Modine (b. 31 July 1990).
  • He was originally offered Tom Cruise's role in Top Gun (1986) but turned down the part because he disagreed with the film's cold-war politics.
  • Matthew became friends with Millie Bobby Brown's family during filming, and accepted an invitation to stay in their guest house for three months while filming the fourth season.
  • He is married to actress Caridad Rivera and they have two children together; Boman Mark Rivera Modine (born November 8, 1985) and Ruby Wylder Rivera Modine (born July 31, 1990).

References

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