Matthew Fox (actor)

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Matthew Fox

Matthew Fox at Comic-Con 2008
Born Matthew Chandler Fox
July 14, 1966 (1966-07-14) (age 43)
Abington, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation Actor
Years active 1992–present
Spouse(s) Margherita Ronchi (1991 - present) 2 children

Matthew Chandler Fox (born July 14, 1966) is an American actor and former model. His first major role was playing an older brother and patriarch Charlie Salinger on Party of Five in the 1990s, co-starring with both Scott Wolf and Neve Campbell. More recently, he gained much greater fame for playing Jack Shephard on the hit ABC drama series Lost.

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[edit] Early life

Fox was born in Abington, Pennsylvania. He was the middle of three brothers growing up on the family’s long-horn cattle ranch. When Fox was very young, his mother Lory, father Francis, and the three boys, Francis Jr,(b.1961) Matthew and young Bayard (b.1969), moved to Wyoming where they lived on and were caretakers of the remote "Bitterroot Ranch" outside Dubois for Bayard Fox and Louise "Wendy" Fox. The families helped establish the current Bitterroot Dude Ranch along with Bayard's and Wendy's children: Sara, Kate, Carrie and Bayard William Fox, and Randy, Geoff, Brad and Kristen Houser. After a few harsh winters Matthew's family purchased the ranch in Crowheart, WY. and he was raised there. His mother, Loretta B. (née Eagono), was a teacher, and his father, Francis G. Fox, raised longhorn cattle and horses and grew barley for Coors beer.[1][2] Fox's mother was Italian descent and his father was English descent;[3] he is a descendant of Union General George Meade.[1] Following his graduation from Wind River High School in nearby Pavillion, Wyoming, Fox undertook a prep year at prestigious Deerfield Academy in Massachusetts, from which he gained admission to Columbia University. At Columbia, he played wide receiver, participating in the game that led to the end of Columbia's notorious 44-game losing streak. He was also a member of the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity. He graduated with a degree in Economics in 1988.[4] He entered the world of the television when his girlfriend's mother convinced him to do so.

Fox sought a career on Wall Street before turning to acting.[5] Upon his graduation from Columbia, he applied for a job to sell stocks at Prudential-Bache. "I didn't have a suit, so I had to borrow one from a friend. He was 5-10, and I'm 6-2, so the thing didn't fit. And I borrowed his penny loafers," he said. He described the staff as "all these mid-20s, Type A, go-getting wannabe Gordon Gekkos. There was just so much testosterone flying around, in all the wrong directions ... I'll never forget the moment as long as I live: We're saying goodbye, and they were like, 'Well, y'know, you're gonna come here and kick ass, and it's all gonna be great!' and then one of 'em says, 'But he's gonna have to do something about those shoes!' They all had exactly the same pair of Oxford shoes on. In that moment, I [said], 'There's no way I can do this.'"[6]

[edit] Career

Fox on the Lost panel at Comic-Con 2008.

At the age of 25, Fox made his debut on an episode of Wings. That same year, he also starred on a short-lived dramatic series, Freshman Dorm. Still not a familiar face on the small screen, he continued getting cast in supporting roles, including the role of Charlie in the CBS Schoolbreak Special series, If I Die Before I Wake before he made his big screen debut in My Boyfriend's Back (1993).

In 1994, Fox was cast in a co-starring role as the eldest of five siblings who lose both parents in a car accident on the 1990s teen drama Party of Five, as Charlie Salinger. In 1996, People Magazine named Fox one of the 50 Most Beautiful People in the World. After Party of Five was canceled following its sixth season, Fox starred in another TV series, Haunted, in 2002.

Since September 2004, Fox has played the role of the troubled and dedicated surgeon, Dr. Jack Shephard, on Lost. He initially auditioned for the role of James "Sawyer" Ford. However, co-creator J. J. Abrams thought he would be better for the role of Jack, a role originally slated to be for the pilot episode only. Fox was nominated for a Golden Globe, won the 2005 Satellite Award, and shared the 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, for his role in Lost. Incidentally, Fox is the only cast member to know the ending of the show.[7]

On December 2, 2006, he hosted Saturday Night Live with musical guests Tenacious D. In 2006, Fox co-starred with Matthew McConaughey in the sports drama, We Are Marshall. He also played a bit part in the action film Smokin' Aces and starred in the 2008 thriller, Vantage Point. He said of this film that as well as being a straightforward thriller, he thinks it has the potential to make people stop and think that "there are very different ways of looking at the world".[8] In May 2008, Fox starred as Racer X in the movie Speed Racer.[9][10]

[edit] Personal life

Matthew Fox in February 2006

Fox grew up in the middle of Wind River Indian Reservation near the town of Crowheart, Wyoming, where his father, Francis, raised longhorn cattle and horses and grew barley for Coors beer. Francis Fox had previously worked for Getty Oil in Philadelphia, and had given up his job as a consulting geologist to work on his cousin's Whitegrass Ranch, once an inholding in Grand Teton National Park. This was followed by assisting in founding the Bitterroot Ranch where they were care takers before Francis bought the Crowheart ranch.

Fox described his father as a tough man who brought up his three sons (of whom Matthew was the middle) with a firm and distinct sense of discipline. An enthusiastic outdoorsman, Francis Fox demanded that his sons practice their dry casting in front of the house for days and days at a time before he would allow them to go fishing in an actual river. According to Fox, his father hated TV, and the family did not own one until he was 15. During his childhood, Fox suffered from aquaphobia.

After graduation, Fox attended a post graduate year at Deerfield Academy, a prestigious Massachusetts boarding school. Fox has stated that he continued his wild partying ways there, including wearing cowboy boots and chewing tobacco. In other more academic and athletic pursuits, Fox played football for the Deerfield team, which earned him an invitation to Columbia University. There he met his future wife, a former Italian runway model named Margherita Ronchi.

In addition to meeting his future wife, while at Columbia University, Fox played in the 16-13 victory over Princeton University in 1988 that broke Columbia's record 44 game losing streak. Regarding what it felt like to finally win, Fox stated:

“ I had a 40 yard touchdown that was called back. It was a rainy day and the sidelines were muddy, and I got chucked coming off the line and apparently went out-of-bounds. I thought I scored, but it was called back. But more than anything, I remember the immense relief and euphoria that win brought. We had gotten the crap knocked out of us for a long time. Every week we lost, we were news. Then the goal posts came down, and the campus partied for two days. It was a great day.[11] ”

While attending Columbia, a friend told Fox he ought to try modeling. Describing his experience as a male model, Fox said:

“ During my crossover period, when I started studying acting and I was doing some of this modeling stuff, chewing tobacco was so totally outrageously not acceptable that I started smoking cigarettes. I kind of did this redneck-to-cosmopolitan changeover on my nicotine delivery system, and I've been doing that for over 15 years now. I have these two magnificently gorgeous and perfect children, and I hide it from them. It's really terrible.[12] ”

Shortly after graduating from Columbia and turning down a job as a stockbroker, Fox moved to Hollywood. In 1991, Fox married Margherita Ronchi, and has two children with her — a daughter: Kyle Allison (b.1998) and a son: Byron (b.2001. Fox is a football fan and loves the Philadelphia Eagles NFL team. Every Sunday evening, Fox throws a viewing party and once gave his guests gifts of pictures he took during filming of the pilot episode of the show.[13]

Regarding his use of alcohol, Fox said:

“ I really enjoy social boozing, and what I enjoy about it is when people I know and care about say and do things they normally wouldn't say and do. To make that happen, I'll instigate anything. I'm absolutely an instigator. And I definitely know a lot of people who have woken up the next day and gone, 'I can't believe that happened. And it's Fox's fault.' Well, it's probably the most honest you've been in a while, man.[12] ”

He has allegedly stopped smoking as his 2007 New Year's resolution. Regarding his sex symbol status and how that might affect his marriage, Fox stated:

“ The reality of the situation is you understand why that girl at the bar is coming at you that way and not somebody else. She has this built-up romanticized image of who I am and what it'd mean to her if she could sleep with me. That sort of takes the fun out of it. It has nothing to do with me. ”

[edit] Awards

Year Award-giving Body Award Result
2005 Satellite Awards Satellite Award for Best Actor in a Television Drama Series (Lost) Won
2005 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Best Actor on Television (Lost) Nominated
2005 Peoples Choice Awards Favourite Male Television Star (Lost) Nominated
2005 Television Critics Association Awards Individual Achievement in Drama (Lost) Nominated
2006 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Best Actor on Television (Lost) Won
2006 National Television Awards Most Popular Actor (Lost) Nominated
2006 Saturn Awards Best Lead Actor in a Television Series (Lost) Won
2006 Golden Globe Awards Best Lead Actor in a Drama (Lost) Nominated
2006 Screen Actors Guild Awards Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble Cast in a Drama Series (Lost) Won
2007 Saturn Awards Best Lead Actor in a Television Series (Lost) Nominated
2008 Saturn Awards Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television (Lost) Won
2008 Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films Best Actor on Television (Lost) Won
2008 Prism Awards Performance in a Drama Series Episode (Lost) Nominated
2009 Saturn Awards Best Lead Actor in a Television Series (Lost) Nominated

[edit] Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1992 Wings Ty Warner TV series; one-time guest role
1993 My Boyfriend's Back Buck Van Patten Feature film debut
1994–2000 Party of Five Charlie Salinger TV series; regular role
2002 Haunted Frank Taylor TV series; lead role
2004–present Lost Jack Shephard TV series; lead role
2006 We Are Marshall Red Dawson Second billing
2007 Smokin' Aces Super Security Bill Cameo
2008 Vantage Point Kent Taylor Second billing
Speed Racer Racer X Supporting role
2010 Billy Smoke Billy Smoke Lead role

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Matthew Fox genealogy
  2. ^ Matthew Fox Biography (1966-)
  3. ^ According to his interview on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (May 17, 2008), his mother was part Italian
  4. ^ http://matthew-fox.net/matthew-fox-biography/
  5. ^ According to an interview in the March 2006 issue of GQ
  6. ^ The Man Who Fell to Earth: GQ Features on men.style.com
  7. ^ http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/cult/a96650/matthew-fox-keeps-quiet-on-lost-ending.html?rss
  8. ^ Matthew Fox: A different perspective, video interview, March 2008
  9. ^ 'Speed Racer' quiz | The Big Picture | Los Angeles Times
  10. ^ IESB.net - Movie News, Reviews, Interviews and More! - Wachowski's Find Their Racer X
  11. ^ Deitsch, Richard. Q&A: Matthew Fox, Sports Illustrated, November 30, 2006. Accessed May 27, 2008.
  12. ^ a b Hedegaard, Erik. "Matthew Fox Is Not Who You Think He Is", Men's Journal, February 2007
  13. ^ Matthew Fox to be dad again | Metro.co.uk

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Fox_(actor)"
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