Matthew George Frewer (born January 4, 1958) is a Canadian-American actor and comedian.[1] He portrayed the 1980s icon Max Headroom[2] in the 1985 TV film and 1987 television series of the same names.
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 became prominent when playing roles in films, like Russell Thompson, Sr. in Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Jobe Smith in Lawnmower Man 2: Beyond Cyberspace (1996), Sherlock Holmes in the film adaption of The Sign of Four, 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 in Doctor Doctor (1989–1991), Bob in Shaky Ground (1992–1993), Trashcan in "The Stand" (1994), 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 drama Orphan Black (2013–2017).
Frewer's more recent performances include a portrayal of "General #2" in the Steven Spielberg picture The BFG (2016), the character Carnage in the Netflix series Altered Carbon in 2018 and Logan in Fear the Walking Dead (2019). Also, he portrayed The Binder in three episodes of The Magicians and Peter Morton in eight episodes of The Order (2019−2020).
His voice roles include Panic in Hercules 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 animated series, Jackal in Gargoyles and Dedgar Deadman in Toonsylvania.
Early life
editFrewer 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, where he graduated from Lakefield College School.[6] He went on to train at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School,[7] graduating from its three-year acting course in 1980.
Career
editFrewer 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 (1987–1988).[7] 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).[8]
Frewer starred as Mike Stratford in Doctor Doctor (1989–1991).[8] He also appeared as Trashcan Man in the television miniseries The Stand.[8] Frewer has also appeared in such films as The Fourth Protocol (1987), Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989),[8][7] National Lampoon's Senior Trip (1995), and the 2004 remake of Dawn of the Dead.[8]
Frewer was nominated for two Gemini Awards in 2000, one for a guest appearance on Da Vinci's Inquest[9] and another for his work on the series Mentors. He was a regular on Eureka during the series' first two seasons, playing Jim Taggart.[8][10] 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 to 2000.[8]
In 2009, Frewer portrayed the retired villain Moloch the Mystic in Watchmen[8] and appeared as the White Knight in the December 2009 Syfy two-part miniseries Alice, based upon Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.[8][7] He starred as Pestilence in two episodes of Season 5 of Supernatural.[11] He has appeared in several adaptations of Stephen King stories, such as The Stand,[8] Quicksilver Highway, Riding the Bullet, Desperation and Bag of Bones.[12]
He played Dr. Aldous Leekie in the first two seasons of Orphan Black.[8][7]
In 2018, Frewer portrayed Carnage in the Netflix series Altered Carbon.[13] In the same year, Frewer was cast in the Netflix horror-drama series, The Order.[14]
Personal life
editFrewer has been married to Amanda Hillwood since 1984 and the couple have a daughter.[15][16] In 1989, they bought a house in Marina del Rey, California.[17]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Lords of Discipline | Senior | |
| The Crimson Permanent Assurance | Very Big Corporation of America Yuppie | Short film Segment: Monty Python's The Meaning of Life | |
| 1984 | Supergirl | Eddie the Truck Driver | |
| 1985 | Spies Like Us | Soldier #2 | |
| 1987 | The Fourth Protocol | Tom McWhirter | |
| Ishtar | CIA Agent #3 | ||
| 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[18] |
| 1998 | Heartwood | Frank Burris | Voice, uncredited |
| 1999 | 6ix | Satan, Nathan, Lucy, Mother, Father | Short film |
| Hercules: Zero to Hero | Panic | Voice, direct-to-video | |
| 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 (AKA Whitecoats) | Dr. Anton Keller | ||
| Geraldine's Fortune | Cameron Geary | ||
| Riding the Bullet | Mr. Clarkson | ||
| 2007 | Weirdsville | Jason Taylor | |
| 2009 | Watchmen | 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 | Cameo | |
| 2015 | Pixels | Max Headroom | Voice |
| 2016 | The BFG | General #2 | |
| 2017 | Residue | Mr. Fairweather |
Television
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | The First Olympics: Athens 1896 | Francis Lane | Television miniseries |
| 1985 | Max Headroom: 20 Minutes Into The Future | Max Headroom, Edison Carter | Television film |
| 1986 | Robin of Sherwood | Roger de Carnac | Episode "The Betrayal" |
| 1987 | St. Elsewhere | Pee-Wee, Walter Sandler | Episode: "No Chemo, Sabe?" |
| 1987–1988 | 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 | |
| 1989–1991 | 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[18] |
| 1992–1993 | 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"[18] |
| Bonkers | Peter Blaine | Voice, episode: "Trains, Toons, and Toon Trains" | |
| 1993–1996 | The Pink Panther | The Pink Panther | Voice, main role[18] |
| 1993 | The Day My Parents Ran Away | Bob Miller | Television film |
| 1994 | In Search of Dr. Seuss | The Cat in the Hat | |
| American Playhouse | Ambassador Edwin Reischauer | Episode: "Long Shadows" | |
| 1994–1996 | Gargoyles | Jackal | Voice, 7 episodes[18] |
| Itsy Bitsy Spider | The Exterminator | Voice, 26 episodes | |
| 1994 | The Stand | Trashcan Man | Miniseries, 4 episodes |
| Aladdin | Chaos | Voice, episode: "When Chaos Comes Calling" | |
| 1995–1996 | Dumb and Dumber | Lloyd Christmas, various characters | Voice, 13 episodes[18] |
| 1996 | Generation X | Russel Tresh | Television film |
| 1996–1997 | The Incredible Hulk | The Leader [18] | Voice, 10 episodes |
| 1996 | Iron Man | Voice, episode: "Hulk Buster" | |
| Bruno the Kid | Bobby Vicious | Voice, episode: "Searching for Bobby Vicious" | |
| Quack Pack | Additional voices | Episode: "Tasty Paste" | |
| Mighty Ducks | Dr. Wally Pretorius | Voice, episode: "The Human Factor" | |
| The Outer Limits | Norman Glass | Episode: "First Anniversary" | |
| Apollo 11 | Gene Kranz | Television film | |
| The Magic School Bus | Inspector 47 | Voice, episode: "In the Rainforest"[18] | |
| Late Night with Conan O'Brien | Himself | 1 Episode | |
| 1997 | Quicksilver Highway | Dr. Charles "Charlie" George | Television film |
| Dead Man's Gun | Norbert Datry | Episode: "Fool's Gold - Pilot #2" | |
| Tracey Takes On... | Bob | Episode: "Supernatural" | |
| Desert's Edge | Greg | Television film | |
| 1997–1999 | Psi Factor: Chronicles of the Paranormal | Matt Praeger | 49 episodes |
| 1997 | Dead Fire | Max Durbin | Television film |
| Breast Men | Gerald Krzemien | ||
| 1998 | Toonsylvania | Dedgar Deadman | Voice, 14 episodes |
| 1998–1999 | 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 |
| Jailbait | Al Fisher | Television film | |
| The Hound of the Baskervilles | Sherlock Holmes | ||
| 2001–2002 | House of Mouse | Panic, Toymaker | Voice, 6 episodes |
| 2001 | The Sign of Four | Sherlock Holmes | Television film |
| The Royal Scandal | |||
| 2002 | The Case of the Whitechapel Vampire | ||
| Taken | Dr. Chet Wakeman | 6 episodes Television miniseries | |
| 2004 | The Eleventh Hour | Dr. Lansing | Episode: "Wonderland" |
| 2005 | Masters of Horror | Wally | Episode: "Chocolate" |
| 2006 | Desperation | Ralph Carver | Television film |
| 2006–2007 | Intelligence | Ted Altman | 26 episodes |
| 2006–2012 | Eureka | Dr. Jim Taggart | 18 episodes |
| 2009 | Alice | The White Knight | Television miniseries |
| 2010 | Battle of the Bulbs | Stu Jones | Television film |
| How I Met Your Mother | Carriage Driver | Uncredited Episode: "Of Course" | |
| Supernatural | Pestilence, Dr. Green | 2 episodes | |
| 2011 | Bag of Bones | Sid Noonan | Television miniseries |
| 2012–2013 | Falling Skies | General Bressler | 7 episodes |
| 2012 | Delete | Arthur Bowden | Television miniseries |
| 2013–2017 | Orphan Black | Dr. Aldous Leekie | 11 episodes |
| 2013 | Witches of East End | Vidar | Episodes: "Today I Am a Witch" and "A Few Good Talismen" |
| 2014 | The Knick | Dr. J.M. Christiansen | 5 episodes |
| 2014–2015 | 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" | |
| 2016–2017 | Timeless | Anthony Bruhl | 5 episodes |
| 2016 | Love in Paradise | Dr. Frank | Television film |
| 2017–2018 | Castlevania | The Bishop | Voice, 4 episodes |
| 2018 | Altered Carbon | Carnage | 3 episodes |
| The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair | Reverend Kellergan | Miniseries, 10 episodes | |
| 2019 | The Order | Peter Morton | 7 episodes |
| 2019–2020 | The Magicians | The Binder | 3 episodes |
| 2019 | Fear the Walking Dead | Logan | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | Perry Mason | Judge Fred Wright | 3 episodes |
Video games
edit| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Hercules | Panic | [18] |
| Disney's Animated Storybook: Hercules | |||
| 1998 | Disney's Hades Challenge | ||
| 2012 | Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom |
Radio
edit- Tales from the Mausoleum Club: Episode 2, "Heart of Skegness"
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Film/TV Show | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1987 | CableACE Award | Best Music Host | The Max Headroom Show | Won | [19] |
| 2000 | Gemini Award | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Mentors | Won | [20] |
| 2000 | Gemini Award | Best Performance in a Children's or Youth Program or Series | Da Vinci's Inquest | Nominated | [20] |
| 2010 | Leo Award | Best Lead Performance by a Male in a Feature Length Drama | Alice | Nominated | [21] |
| 2011 | Leo Award | Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Supernatural episode: "Two Minutes To Midnight" | Nominated | [22] |
| 2014 | Leo Award | Best Guest Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | Orphan Black episode: "Unconcious Selection" | Nominated | [23] |
| 2019 | Leo Award | Best Supporting Performance by a Male in a Dramatic Series | The Order episode: "Finals: Part 1" | Nominated | [24] |
References
edit- ^ Nemecek, Larry (2003). The Star Trek: The Next Generation Companion: Revised Edition. Simon and Schuster. pp. 186–. ISBN 978-0-7434-5798-9.
- ^ Lanigan, Richard L. (April 1992). The human science of communicology: a phenomenology of discourse in Foucault and Merleau-Ponty. Duquesne University Press. p. 44. ISBN 978-0-8207-0242-1. Retrieved 9 June 2011.
- ^ Obituary: Gillian Frewer, ottawacitizen.remembering.ca. Accessed December 29, 2022.
- ^ Obituary: Frederick Frewer, ottawacitizen.remembering.ca. Accessed December 29, 2022.
- ^ "Matt Frewer Biography (1958–)". filmreference.com.
- ^ "Well Known Figures Who Are Boarding School Alumni of Lakefield College School | LCS Blog". Blog.lcs.on.ca. 21 July 2016. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e "Matt Frewer on Olympus, Max Headroom, Orphan Black, and working with giant ants". SyfyWire. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Matt Frewer on The Knick, Max Headroom, and his Australian accent on Eureka". avclub.com. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ "DVD Review: Da Vinci's Inquest – Season Two". Blogcritics. 25 February 2008. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ "Matt Frewer Talks About His Return to Eureka". movieweb.com. 11 September 2009. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ "Matt Frewer Cast as Pestilence on Supernatural / Season 5 Episode 15 Preview". Dread Central. 10 August 2012.
- ^ Stuever, Hank (2 December 2011). "'Bag of Bones': Must be recycling day". The Washington Post. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ "'Altered Carbon': 15 Shocking Moments From Netflix's Violent Sci-Fi Drama". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2018-02-25.
- ^ Nellie Andreeva (April 16, 2018). "Netflix Picks Up 'The Order' Horror Drama Series Starring Jake Manley & Sarah Grey". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 27, 2019.
- ^ "Max heads for the Hills: Matt Frewer brings hearth, home and family to the Gatineau Hills -- and hints he just might be ready to resurrect Max Headroom" by Tony Atherton, The Hamilton Spectator (7 Feb, 1998) [Final Edition] Retrieved from ProQuest 269889992
- ^ "Horror to the Max; Creator of legendary mid-'80s cyber-character tackles the awful drama of Darfur" by Michael D Reid, The Times Colonist (4 Feb, 2010) Retrieved from ProQuest 348339432
- ^ "With Max Headroom Behind Him, Matt Frewer Mad-Libs Through Doctor, Doctor and a Smash Film – Vol. 32 No. 3". PEOPLE.com. 17 July 1989. Retrieved 26 March 2017.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "Matt Frewer (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved January 7, 2024. A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information.
- ^ "Tender Is the Night, Hitchhiker trump ACEs" The Globe and Mail (20 Jan, 1987) Retrieved from ProQuest 386174218
- ^ a b "Canceled series score numerous Gemini wins" at playbackonline.ca
- ^ Past Nominees & Winners 2010 at www.leoawards.com
- ^ Past Nominees & Winners 2011 at www.leoawards.com
- ^ Past Nominees & Winners 2014 at www.leoawards.com
- ^ "2019 Nominees & Winners by Name" at www.leoawards.com