Matt Ross (actor)


Matthew Brandon Ross is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Alby Grant on the television series Big Love and Gavin Belson on Silicon Valley, as well as his performances in the films The Last Days of Disco, American Psycho, and The Aviator. He wrote and directed the 2016 comedy-drama film Captain Fantastic.

Early life and education

Ross was born on January 3, 1970 in Greenwich, Connecticut, and grew up in Eagle Point, Oregon. His parents divorced when he was young, and Ross was raised in what he described as "alternative living situations". These experiences partly inspired his 2016 film Captain Fantastic. His mother became interested in the Waldorf education philosophy and Ross spent time in England while his mother worked towards a teaching credential in Waldorf education. He attended the Juilliard School.

Career

Ross garnered critical acclaim for his role as Alby Grant in the HBO series Big Love for five seasons. He also played Eddie Scott in the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2011 and 2015, he played Charles Montgomery in the first and fifth seasons of FX's anthology series American Horror Story.
His feature film directorial debut, 28 Hotel Rooms, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Before that, Ross made seven short films, including The Language of Love, which premiered at a prior Sundance festival. Ross subsequently wrote and directed the feature film Captain Fantastic, starring Viggo Mortensen, for which he won the Un Certain Regard Prize for Best Director at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Mortensen's performance in the film earned multiple accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Personal life

He is married to the writer Phyllis Grant, with whom he has two children: Isabel "Bella" and Dashiell "Dash" Ross.

Filmography

Film

Short film
YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
1997The Language of Love
2009Human ResourcesAlso editor and cinematographer

Feature film
YearTitleDirectorWriter
201228 Hotel Rooms
2016Captain Fantastic

Acting roles
YearTitleRole
1993Little Cory GoryLarry
1994PCURaji
199512 MonkeysBee
1996Ed's Next MoveEddie Brodsky
1997Face/OffAgent Loomis
1997Buffalo SoldiersCaptain Calhoun
1998You Are HereKid in Grocery Store
1998HomegrownBen Hickson
1998The Last Days of DiscoDan Powers
1999Pushing TinRon Hewitt
2000American PsychoLuis Carruthers
2000Company ManDanny
2001Just VisitingHunter Cassidy
2001DustStitch
2003Down with LoveJ.B.
2004The AviatorGlenn Odekirk
2005Good Night, and Good LuckEddie Scott
2006Last HolidayMr. Adamian
2007Turn the RiverDavid Sullivan

Television

Acting roles
YearTitleRoleNotes
1997Party of FiveAaron HughesEpisode: "Life's Too Short"
1997OzOfficer Anthony NowakowskiEpisode: "A Game of Checkers"
1997A Deadly VisionThe KillerTelevision film
1999Third WatchLeonardEpisode: "History of the World"
2002Stephen King's Rose RedEmery Waterman3 episodes
2003Touched by an AngelPeteEpisode: "The Root of All Evil"
2003Six Feet UnderDaniel ShowalterEpisode: "You Never Know"
2003Just Shoot Me!AdamEpisode: "My Fair Finchy"
2005BonesNeil MeredithEpisode: "The Girl in the Fridge"
2006CSI: MiamiPaul BurtonEpisode: "Silencer"
2006InvasionVinceEpisode: "The Fittest"
2006Numb3rsJoel HellmanEpisode: "Provenance"
2006–2011Big LoveAlby Grant49 episodes
2010CSI: Crime Scene InvestigationCharlie DiMasaEpisodes: "Irradiator" and "Meat Jekyll"
2011American Horror Story: Murder HouseCharles Montgomery6 episodes
2012–2013Magic CityJack Klein14 episodes
2013RevolutionTitus Andover4 episodes
2013Ring of FireJohnny CashTelevision film
2014–2019Silicon ValleyGavin Belson37 episodes
2015American Horror Story: HotelCharles MontgomeryEpisode: "Room 33"