Matthew Goode is a British actor who fell in love with the audience in the images of aristocrats and gentlemen with impeccable manners. He starred in the popular TV series "Downton Abbey", "Crown", "Good Wife", as well as in the films "Guardians", "Match Point", "The Game of Imitation."
Biography: early years and education
Matthew William Goode was born April 3, 1978 in the English Exter - the main city of the county of Devonshire. He was the fifth child in a large family of Anthony and Jennifer Goode. In addition to his sibling, he has stepbrothers and a sister from his mother’s previous marriage. The head of the family worked as a geologist, his wife worked as a nurse.
In an interview, Matthew said that his mother Jennifer was an orphan, but in her dreams she always presented herself as the beloved daughter of Lawrence Olivier. She was fond of theater and in her free time staged amateur performances. Sometimes she attracted the youngest son in her productions.
Hood grew up in a village near Exter, studied at a private Exter school. On her stage at the age of six, the acting debut of little Matthew took place. It was a fairy tale called Wind in the Willows, based on the story of Scottish writer Kenneth Graham. Its main characters are a rat, a toad, a mole and a badger, and Matthew played a small role as a mouse.
Hood thought seriously about his acting career at the age of 17. He approached professional education thoroughly. At first he studied drama at the University of Birmingham, then his choice fell on the Academy of Dramatic Art in London. Matthew practically did not work in the theater, although he learned the basics of the profession on his stage. But the actor does not lose hope to fill this gap in the future. He would like to play Tom Wingfield from the play The Glass Menagerie by the British playwright Tennessee Williams.
Actor career
Goode admits that his first successes were due to the agents who worked with him, and, of course, acting luck. At 24, he received his television debut in the movie Cinderella: The Elder Sister Version, after which he appeared in separate episodes of several British TV shows:
- Inspector Linley Investigates (2002);
- “He knew that” (2004);
- Miss Marple (2005).
The real success came to the actor after getting into Hollywood. In 2004, he starred in the youth comedy "First Daughter", where he played an English guy who fell in love with the daughter of the US president. The main female role went to Mandy Moore, and the film itself can be called a modern remake of "Roman Vacations." Goode then reincarnated as the English aristocrat Tom Hewitt in the thriller Woody Allen's “Match Point” (2005). Matthew admitted that he was scared to work with the great director, but in the end he appeared on the screen as relaxed as he did not get in any of the subsequent works.
In 2006, Goode again fell into the genre of romantic comedy. In the film “Introduce Us Together”, he played the role of the groom, whose bride falls in love with another woman on their wedding day. He returned to television in the film adaptation of the book by Gerald Darrell, "My Family and Other Animals" (2005). But still, in this period in the first place, Matthew had a full-length movie. From the mid-2000s, several premieres were released each year with the participation of a British actor:
- “Rewriting Beethoven” (2006);
- “Deception” (2007);
- “Return to Brideshead” (2008);
- “Keepers” (2009);
- “The Lonely Man” (2009);
- “How to get married in three days” (2010).
The historical surroundings of the melodrama “Rewriting Beethoven” highlights the events of the last year of the life of the great composer. In the criminal drama "Deception", the hero Matthew is the leader of a gang of criminals. The film “Return to Brideshead” tells about the life path of the young artist Charles Ryder, whom fate brings with the family of aristocrats Marchmain. Against the backdrop of the events of the first half of the 20th century, a young man goes from aggressive atheism to understanding and respecting the religious views of other people.
In the film adaptation of the popular comic book “Keepers”, Matthew Goode got the role of Ozimandius - a billionaire with phenomenal abilities, who wants to change the world for the better at all costs. Finally, the drama Lone Man tells the story of Professor Falconer, who is struggling with the death of his lover Jim, in which Goode appears.
As can be seen from the content of the films, Matthew Goode is a universal actor for whom there is no framework in the chosen profession. He is equally convincing in each of his roles, so the directors are not afraid to test him in the most unexpected roles.
The psychological thriller Vicious Games (2013), where Matthew Goode played with Nicole Kidman and Mia Vasikowska, received rave reviews. In the course of the film, his hero Charlie Stocker from an attractive man turns into a creepy monster with frightening habits.
An interesting and deep story came from the creators of the movie "Burning Man" (2011). Chef Tom (Matthew Goode), at first glance, a disgusting type, despising his family, colleagues, bosses. But his past hides a personal tragedy, which gradually leads the audience away from the sharp rejection of this character.
In 2014, Goode appeared in the historical film “The Imitation Game”, where he played with his close friend Benedict Cumberbatch. In ordinary life, the actors have known each other for many years and love to visit each other.
Since 2012, the actor returns to television. With his participation, a whole series of TV shows filmed in a variety of genres comes out. Some of them have gained fame around the world:
- “Death Comes to Pemberley” (2013);
- “Good wife” (2014-2015);
- Downton Abbey (2014-2015);
- “Roots” (2016);
- The Crown (2017);
- “Discovery of the Witches” (2018).
In recent years, the most notable films by Matthew Hood include Robert Zemeckis's Allies (2016) and the British Foreboding Detective (2017). In 2019, the release of two films with the participation of the actor - the political thriller "Official Secrets" and the full-length version of the series "Downton Abbey" is planned.
