Matt Lauria
Encyclopedia
Matthew "Matt" Lauria is an American actor, musician and director. He made his television debut on the NBC
comedy 30 Rock
in 2007. He is best known for his roles as Luke Cafferty on Friday Night Lights
and Caleb Evers on The Chicago Code.
, the son of Larry Lauria and Tricia Lauria. Lauria has two sisters named Kristen and Ally Lauria. As a child Matt lived in Ireland
for five years with his family. After moving back to the states, Lauria graduated from Dr. Phillips High School
in 2000. After high school he attended Florida School of the Arts and then went on to attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts
. Lauria also plays the electric guitar
and specialized in blues-rock.
In 2009, Lauria married musician Michelle Armstrong.
, New York
, Lauria successfully received the guest starring role of Winthrop on NBC's 30 Rock
, marking his television debut. Lauria didn't receive another role until a year later where he was cast as Jake Lally on NBC's crime drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent
.
In early 2008, he finally landed an official series regular role on NBC's comedy romance Lipstick Jungle
as Roy Merritt, where he co-starred with Brooke Shields
, Andrew McCarthy
and One Tree Hill
s Robert Buckley
. Lauria's character was written off the show after thirteen episodes. After being cut from the show, Lauria took a brief break from television and performed in the 2009 short film 8 Easy Steps as VeggieLite. Upon returning to television, Lauria landed the series-regular role of Luke Cafferty in the Emmy-award winning sports drama Friday Night Lights
, for which he moved to Pflugerville, Texas
in order to film. Lauria remained on the show until its series finale in 2011. Lauria has also recently been cast in Season 5 of the hit show Burn Notice
, and will portray Ethan, a discharged soldier seeking help for his sister.
After finishing Friday Night Lights, Lauria moved to Chicago, Illinois after being cast in the series regular role of Caleb Evers in Fox
's crime drama The Chicago Code. The show was canceled after one season.
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
comedy 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
in 2007. He is best known for his roles as Luke Cafferty on Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
and Caleb Evers on The Chicago Code.
Early life and career
Lauria was born in Alexandria, VirginiaAlexandria, Virginia
Alexandria is an independent city in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of 2009, the city had a total population of 139,966. Located along the Western bank of the Potomac River, Alexandria is approximately six miles south of downtown Washington, D.C.Like the rest of northern Virginia, as well as...
, the son of Larry Lauria and Tricia Lauria. Lauria has two sisters named Kristen and Ally Lauria. As a child Matt lived in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
for five years with his family. After moving back to the states, Lauria graduated from Dr. Phillips High School
Dr. Phillips High School
Dr. Phillips High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States.The area of Dr. Phillips, Florida is named after Dr. Philip Phillips, a physician who later became a Central Florida citrus magnate. He was responsible for several key innovations in the processing and packaging of...
in 2000. After high school he attended Florida School of the Arts and then went on to attend University of North Carolina School of the Arts
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
The University of North Carolina School of the Arts , formerly the North Carolina School of the Arts, is a public coeducational arts conservatory in Winston-Salem, North Carolina that grants high school, undergraduate and graduate degrees. It is one of the seventeen constituent campuses of the...
. Lauria also plays the electric guitar
Electric guitar
An electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
and specialized in blues-rock.
In 2009, Lauria married musician Michelle Armstrong.
Acting career
Within a few weeks of moving to New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Lauria successfully received the guest starring role of Winthrop on NBC's 30 Rock
30 Rock
30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
, marking his television debut. Lauria didn't receive another role until a year later where he was cast as Jake Lally on NBC's crime drama Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama...
.
In early 2008, he finally landed an official series regular role on NBC's comedy romance Lipstick Jungle
Lipstick Jungle (TV series)
Lipstick Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series created by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler for NBC Universal Television Studio . The hour-long series was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Candace Bushnell, who also served as executive producer alongside...
as Roy Merritt, where he co-starred with Brooke Shields
Brooke Shields
Brooke Christa Shields is an American actress and model. Some of her better-known movies include Pretty Baby and The Blue Lagoon, as well as TV shows such as Suddenly Susan, That '70s Show and Lipstick Jungle....
, Andrew McCarthy
Andrew McCarthy
Andrew Thomas McCarthy is an American actor. He is known for his roles in the 1980s films St. Elmo's Fire, Mannequin, Weekend at Bernie's, Pretty in Pink, and Less Than Zero, and more recently for his role in the television shows Lipstick Jungle, White Collar and Royal Pains.-Career:McCarthy...
and One Tree Hill
One Tree Hill (TV series)
One Tree Hill is an American television drama created by Mark Schwahn, which premiered on September 23, 2003, on The WB Television Network. After its third season, The WB merged with UPN to form The CW Television Network, and, since September 27, 2006, the network has been the official broadcaster...
s Robert Buckley
Robert Buckley
Robert Earl Buckley is an American actor, best known for his roles on the television series Lipstick Jungle and One Tree Hill....
. Lauria's character was written off the show after thirteen episodes. After being cut from the show, Lauria took a brief break from television and performed in the 2009 short film 8 Easy Steps as VeggieLite. Upon returning to television, Lauria landed the series-regular role of Luke Cafferty in the Emmy-award winning sports drama Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights (TV series)
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team...
, for which he moved to Pflugerville, Texas
Pflugerville, Texas
Pflugerville is a city in Travis and Williamson counties in the U.S. state of Texas. The population was 16,335 at the 2000 census. A July 1, 2008 U.S. Census Bureau estimate placed the population at 39,653...
in order to film. Lauria remained on the show until its series finale in 2011. Lauria has also recently been cast in Season 5 of the hit show Burn Notice
Burn notice
A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons...
, and will portray Ethan, a discharged soldier seeking help for his sister.
After finishing Friday Night Lights, Lauria moved to Chicago, Illinois after being cast in the series regular role of Caleb Evers in Fox
Fox Broadcasting Company
Fox Broadcasting Company, commonly referred to as Fox Network or simply Fox , is an American commercial broadcasting television network owned by Fox Entertainment Group, part of Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. Launched on October 9, 1986, Fox was the highest-rated broadcast network in the...
's crime drama The Chicago Code. The show was canceled after one season.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 8 Easy Steps | VeggieLite | short film |
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 30 Rock 30 Rock 30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live... |
Winthrop | Guest star | |
| 2008 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent Law & Order: Criminal Intent is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and produced by Dick Wolf and René Balcer, the series premiered on September 30, 2001, as the second spin-off of Wolf's successful crime drama... |
Jake Lally | Episode: "Neighborhood Watch" | |
| 2008–2009 | Lipstick Jungle Lipstick Jungle (TV series) Lipstick Jungle is an American comedy-drama television series created by DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler for NBC Universal Television Studio . The hour-long series was based on the best-selling novel of the same name by Candace Bushnell, who also served as executive producer alongside... |
Roy Merritt | series regular (13 episodes) | |
| 2009 | The Forgotten The Forgotten (TV series) The Forgotten is a television series which premiered on September 22, 2009 on ABC. On November 9, 2009, ABC ordered five additional episodes of the series, bringing the first season's total to eighteen episodes... |
Eric Doe | Episode: "Living Doe" | |
| 2009–2011 | Friday Night Lights Friday Night Lights (TV series) Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama television series adapted by Peter Berg, Brian Grazer and David Nevins from a book and film of the same name. The series details events surrounding a high school football team based in fictional Dillon, Texas, with particular focus given to team... |
Luke Cafferty | series regular | |
| 2011 | The Chicago Code | Caleb Evers | series regular | |
| 2011 | Burn Notice Burn notice A burn notice is an official statement issued by one intelligence agency to other agencies. It states that an individual or a group is unreliable for one or more reasons... |
Ethan | Season 5 Episode 5: Square One (Guest Star) |