Matthew Lawrence
Encyclopedia
Matthew William Lawrence (born February 11, 1980) is an American actor known for his leading role in the movie Cheats
Cheats (film)
Cheats is a 2002 comedy about four friends that have been cheating their way through high school, and have to face new challenges to avoid getting caught before going to college. The lead roles are Trevor Fehrman, Matthew Lawrence, and Mary Tyler Moore....

with Trevor Fehrman
Trevor Fehrman
Trevor Gregory Fehrman is an American actor.Trevor was born and grew up in South St. Paul, Minnesota where he performed in theater at his high school and did local commercial acting and modeling before his first TV break for NBC's Encore! Encore!. Both of Trevor's parents were school teachers in...

 and his role of Jack Hunter on the ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...

 sitcom Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...

from 1997 to 2000, and his roles in movies such as The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick is a 2002 American comedy film about a teenage girl whose body is magically swapped with that of a 30-year-old criminal. It was directed by Tom Brady and produced by Guy Riedel for Happy Madison and Touchstone Pictures, from a screenplay by Tom Brady and Rob Schneider...

, The Comebacks
The Comebacks
The Comebacks is a 2007 American satirical comedy film directed by Tom Brady. This film is a parody of the clichés and plots of the sports film genre. In the UK, Greece, Finland and Australia this film is called Sports Movie and called Team of Crazy in Brazil...

, and Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...

.

Early life

Lawrence was born in Abington Township, Pennsylvania
Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania
Abington Township is a township in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 55,310 in as of the 2010 census.Abington Township is one of Montgomery County's oldest communities dating back to before 1700 and being incorporated in 1704. It is home to some of the county's...

, the son of Donna, a personal manager, and Joseph Lawrence, Sr., an insurance broker. His family's surname was changed to Lawrence from Mignogna before he was born. He is of Italian descent. He has two brothers, Joey
Joey Lawrence
Joseph "Joey" Lawrence is an American actor, R&B-singer, and TV-host. He is known for his roles in the TV-series Gimme a Break!, Blossom, and Melissa & Joey.- Early life :...

 and Andrew
Andrew Lawrence (actor)
Andrew James Lawrence is an American actor. He is sometimes credited as Andy Lawrence or Andy J. Lawrence.-Career:...

, both of whom are actors. Lawrence attended classes at Abington Friends School.

Career

Lawrence began acting in the early 1980s, and became a renowned child actor through the early 1990s, appearing in many television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...

 and feature film roles, including the 1993 Robin Williams
Robin Williams
Robin McLaurin Williams is an American actor and comedian. Rising to fame with his role as the alien Mork in the TV series Mork and Mindy, and later stand-up comedy work, Williams has performed in many feature films since 1980. He won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his performance...

 comedy Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...

and the mid-90's television series Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad
Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad
Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad is an American television series. It was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultracom and DIC Entertainment, with distribution by All American Television , and ran for two seasons from September 12, 1994 to July 15, 1995 on ABC, as well as syndication...

. In addition, he maintained starring roles in Brotherly Love, which starred his real life brothers, and Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...

where he played the character Jack. Lawrence starred opposite Rob Schneider
Rob Schneider
Robert Michael "Rob" Schneider is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, and director. A stand-up comic and veteran of the NBC sketch-comedy series Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a successful career in feature films, including starring roles in the comedy films Deuce Bigalow:...

, in The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick
The Hot Chick is a 2002 American comedy film about a teenage girl whose body is magically swapped with that of a 30-year-old criminal. It was directed by Tom Brady and produced by Guy Riedel for Happy Madison and Touchstone Pictures, from a screenplay by Tom Brady and Rob Schneider...

.

Lawrence's singing debut was in 1986, when he and Joey performed in the 1986 Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, often shortened to Macy's Day Parade, is an annual parade presented by Macy's. The tradition started in 1924, tying it for the second-oldest Thanksgiving parade in the United States along with America's Thanksgiving Parade in Detroit, and four years younger than...

 (Matt sang at the 1991 Macy's Parade as well). Other musical Matt rarities can be found on two Gimme A Break episodes (Nell's Secret Admirer; Johnny B. Goode & The Window; Part 1; Rock & Roll Music), two Brotherly Love episodes (A Roman Holiday; Silent Night, Art Attack; Pigeon On Your Car) and his last musical moment on Boy Meets World (As Time Goes By; This Dame). Except for Silent Night and This Dame, Matt also played guitar on the remaining three.

In 2011, Lawrence guest starred on his brother's sitcom ABC Family
ABC Family
ABC Family, stylized as abc family, is an American television network, owned by ABC Family Worldwide Inc., a subsidiary of the Disney-ABC Television Group division of The Walt Disney Company...

's Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey is an ABC Family original television series starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It first aired on ABC Family on August 17, 2010...

.

Filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1984-1985 Dynasty
Dynasty (TV series)
Dynasty is an American prime time television soap opera that aired on ABC from January 12, 1981 to May 11, 1989. It was created by Richard & Esther Shapiro and produced by Aaron Spelling, and revolved around the Carringtons, a wealthy oil family living in Denver, Colorado...

Danny Carrington Jr. #1 3 episodes
1985 Sara
Sara (US TV series)
Sara is a short-lived American sitcom that aired on NBC in 1985. Starring Geena Davis in the title role, the series featured early performances from several actors who went on to greater acclaim, including Alfre Woodard, Bronson Pinchot and Bill Maher...

Jesse Webber 13 episodes
1985 ABC Afterschool Specials Matt Episode: "Don't Touch"
1986-1987 Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break!
Gimme a Break! is an American sitcom which aired on NBC from October 29, 1981, until May 12, 1987. The series stars Nell Carter as the housekeeper for a widowed police chief and his three daughters.-Premise:...

Matthew Donovan 18 episodes
1987 Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Planes, Trains & Automobiles
Planes, Trains and Automobiles is a 1987 American comedy film released by Paramount Pictures. It was written, produced and directed by John Hughes...

Neal Page, Jr.
1988 Pulse
Pulse (1988 film)
Pulse is a 1988 horror film written and directed by Paul Golding.The taglines for this movie included It traps you in your house...Then pulls the Plug and also PULSE - The Ultimate Shocker....

Stevie
1988 David David Rothenberg TV movie
1989 Wilfrid's Special Christmas Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge TV movie
1989 Kiki's Delivery Service
Kiki's Delivery Service
is a 1989 Japanese animated fantasy film produced, written, and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. It was the fourth theatrically released Studio Ghibli film.The film won the Animage Anime Grand Prix prize in 1989...

Tombo (voice)
1990 Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie
Tales from the Darkside: The Movie is a 1990 movie directed by John Harrison based on the anthology television series Tales from the Darkside...

Timmy
1990 Lifestories
Lifestories
Lifestories is an American medical drama television series that premiered August 20, 1990, on NBC. Done in a documentary style with off-screen narration by Robert Prosky, Lifestories was an attempt to make an extremely realistic medical drama answering questions like, "Exactly what goes on during...

Episode: "The Hawkins Family"
1990 Joshua's Heart Joshua TV movie
1991 Timmy TV movie
1991 Daddy Sam Watson TV movie
1991 Blossom
Blossom (TV series)
Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.- Synopsis :...

Young Joey Episode: "Thanks for the Memorex"
Episode "This Old House"
1991-1992 Drexell's Class
Drexell's Class
Drexell's Class is an American sitcom aired by Fox as part of its 1991-92 lineup. The show was created by Andrew Nicholls and Darrell Vickers.-Synopsis:...

Walker 14 episodes
1992 With a Vengeance Phillip TV movie
1993 Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire
Mrs. Doubtfire is a 1993 American comedy film starring Robin Williams and Sally Field and based on the novel Madame Doubtfire by Anne Fine. It was directed by Chris Columbus and distributed by 20th Century Fox. It won the Academy Award for Best Makeup...

Christopher Hillard
1994 Blossom
Blossom (TV series)
Blossom is an American sitcom broadcast on NBC from January 3, 1991 to May 22, 1995. The series stars Mayim Bialik as Blossom Russo, a teenage girl living with her father and two brothers. It was created by Don Reo.- Synopsis :...

Young Joey Episode: "Night of Reckoning"
1994-1995 Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad
Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad
Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad is an American television series. It was produced by Tsuburaya Productions, Ultracom and DIC Entertainment, with distribution by All American Television , and ran for two seasons from September 12, 1994 to July 15, 1995 on ABC, as well as syndication...

Sam Collins 53 episodes
1995 Bringing Up Jack Ryan McMahon 6 episodes
1995-1997 Brotherly Love Matt Roman 40 episodes
1996 Brothers of the Frontier Aaron Frye TV movie
1997 Angels in the Endzone
Angels in the Endzone
Angels in the Endzone is a 1997 American film directed by Gary Nadeau and starring Christopher Lloyd. The film is about a high school football team that lacks skill.-Plot:...

Jesse Harper TV movie
1997-2000 Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World
Boy Meets World is an American comedy-drama series that chronicles the events and everyday life lessons of Cory Matthews, played by Ben Savage, a kid from suburban Philadelphia who grows up from a young boy to a married man. The show aired for seven seasons from 1993 to 2000 on ABC, part of the...

Jack Hunter 53 episodes
1998 Adventures from the Book of Virtues
Adventures from the Book of Virtues
Adventures from the Book of Virtues is an animated television series which originally aired on PBS Kids in the United States for three seasons, beginning in 1996 and ending in 2000. There was a two-year gap in between the second and third seasons. In 2008 the series aired twice daily on qubo...

Tom Sawyer (voice) Episode: "Work"
1998 All I Wanna Do
The Hairy Bird
The Hairy Bird , also released under the titles Strike! and All I Wanna Do , is a 1998 comedy film written and directed by Sarah Kernochan...

Dennis
1998 Rusty: A Dog's Tale
Rusty: A Dog's Tale
Rusty: A Dog's Tale is a 1997 family film directed by Shuki Levy, starring Hal Holbrook and Rue McClanahan.- Synopsis :The film is about two orphans named Jory and Tess...

Rusty the Dog (voice)
1999 Family Tree Mark Musser
1999 H-E Double Hockey Sticks Dave Heinrick TV movie
1999 Horse Sense
Horse Sense
Horse Sense is a 1999 Disney Channel Original Movie starring brothers Joey Lawrence and Andrew Lawrence. It was followed by a sequel entitled Jumping Ship. Directed by Greg Beeman.-Plot summary:...

Cowboy at Airport (uncredited) TV movie
2000 Glow Jeremy
2000 Big Monster on Campus Frank Stein
2000 Girl Band Mike TV movie
2001 Jumping Ship
Jumping Ship
Jumping Ship is the 2001 sequel to the Disney Channel Original Movie, Horse Sense. It stars brothers Joey Lawrence, Andrew Lawrence and Matthew Lawrence...

Jake Hunter TV movie
2002 Cheats
Cheats (film)
Cheats is a 2002 comedy about four friends that have been cheating their way through high school, and have to face new challenges to avoid getting caught before going to college. The lead roles are Trevor Fehrman, Matthew Lawrence, and Mary Tyler Moore....

Victor
2002 Billy
2003 CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami
CSI: Miami is an American police procedural television series, which premiered on September 23, 2002 on CBS. The series is a spin-off of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation....

Chuck Shaw Episode: "Hard Time
CSI: Miami (season 2)
The second season of CSI: Miami premiered on CBS on September 22, 2003 and ended May 24, 2004.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:...

"
2004 Boston Public
Boston Public
Boston Public is an American drama television series created by David E. Kelley and broadcast on Fox. It centered on Winslow High School, a fictional public high school located in Boston, Massachusetts. The show was named for the real public school district in which it takes place...

Billy Deegan Episode: "Chapter Eighty"
2006 Monster Night Brock Video
2007 Lance Truman
2008 Trucker
Trucker (film)
Trucker a 2008 dramatic independent film by Plum Pictures. It was written and directed by James Mottern, and produced by Scott Hanson, Galt Niederhoffer, Celine Rattray and Daniela Taplin Lundberg.-Plot:...

Scott
2009 Creature of Darkness Lance
2010 Fort McCoy Dan Griffin
2011 Of Silence Brian Completed
2011 Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey
Melissa & Joey is an ABC Family original television series starring Melissa Joan Hart and Joey Lawrence. It first aired on ABC Family on August 17, 2010...

Tony Longo Episode "The Other Longo"

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.  The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.
 
x
OK