Matthew Porretta

Last updated
Matthew Porretta
Born
Matthew Charles Porretta

(1965-05-29) May 29, 1965 (age 59)
Darien, Connecticut, U.S.
NationalityAmerican
OccupationActor
Years active1993–present
Height1.85 m (6 ft 1 in)
Spouse
Gleice
​
(m. 2012⁠–⁠2014)​
Children2

Matthew Charles Porretta (born May 29, 1965) is an American television-, voice-, and film-actor, known for his appearances in Wings, Beverly Hills, 90210 , and Robin Hood: Men in Tights . He has also appeared on Broadway and in video games, where he is known for his voice role as the titular character in Alan Wake and its sequel Alan Wake 2 , and as Dr. Casper Darling in Control .

Contents

Life and career

Porretta was born in Darien, Connecticut, into a show-biz family: His father, Frank Porretta, was a famous tenor, opera singer and musical theater actor. His mother, Roberta Palmer Porretta, former Miss Ohio 1956, was a spinto soprano. She returned to school after raising their children and went on to an international opera career after graduating from the Juilliard School of Music. [1]

By the age of 25, Matthew Porretta was already a veteran of Broadway and a student at the Manhattan School of Music. In 1990 he broke into television with recurring roles on shows like Wings and Beverly Hills, 90210. His first major movie role came in 1993 when he portrayed Will Scarlet O'Hara in Mel Brooks' spoof Robin Hood: Men in Tights . [2] Four years later, Porretta starred as Robin Hood in the first two seasons of The New Adventures of Robin Hood . [3] Since 1997, he has been starring in independent movies, commercials and tv shows.

His debut role on stage was Marius Pontmercy during the national tour of Les Misérables (musical) , between 1989 and 1994. In 1994, he was part of the original Broadway cast of Stephen Sondheim's Passion . [4] Despite not performing in the movie, filmed shortly after the Broadway Production ended, [5] Porretta reprised his role as Count Ludovic for Passion - Original Broadway Cast Recording, [6] which won the Best Musical Theater Album at 37th Annual Grammy Awards.

Since 2010, Porretta has been doing the voice acting for the titular character of the psychological action thriller video game franchise Alan Wake , by Remedy Entertainment. He returned in 2012 for Alan Wake's American Nightmare and in 2023 for Alan Wake II as well as for a DLC Chapter from Dead by Daylight , released in 2024. He also portrayed Dr. Casper Darling in Remedy's Control , [7] and Marco Graziani in Starfield (video game) .

Personal life

Porretta has four siblings. The eldest, Frank Porretta III, is a successful opera singer. His other brother, Greg, has a diverse artistic background across multiple disciplines [8] and has guest-starred with Matthew on television. His sisters, Anna and Roberta, are also in the entertainment industry; Anna was a writer for Talk Soup .

Porretta has two sons with ex-wife Gleice; Luigi (born May 22, 2001) and Enzo (born April 13, 2008). The children were born while Porretta and Gleice were in a relationship. The couple eventually married in 2012 and divorced in 2014. Porretta is still living in Darien with his sons.

In December 2016, he was involved in a bar fight in which a customer hit the actor with a beer mug after Porretta, intoxicated after a couple of drinks, walked in the man's direction and stumbled towards him. The attack not only resulted in cuts to his left eye and cheek but also a facial fracture and injuries to his spine and nasal septum. Porretta needed emergency surgery to save his left eye, and still has vision issues as a result of the attack. [9] [10] In March 2017, Porretta filed a lawsuit against the bar owner and alleged attacker. The lawsuit moved forward in June 2019, and in 2023 the man accepted an offer from state prosecutors and pleaded guilty to second-degree assault. Under the state’s offer, he received a jail sentence of five years, suspended after serving between six and 18 months. He is expected to receive up to five years of probation. [11] [12] [13]

Filmography

Television

YearProjectRoleEpisodeNotes
1993 Beverly Hills, 90210 Dan Rubin10 episodes
1993 Class of '96 ClaudeEpisode: "Breaking up Is Hard to Overdue"
1993 South Beach RichardEpisode: "Wild Thing"
1996 Wings David BarnesEpisode: "Love at First Flight"
1996–1998 The New Adventures of Robin Hood Robin Hood23 episodes
2000 Code Name: Eternity LeethanEpisode: "Death Trap"
2004 Without a Trace OscarEpisode: "Doppelgänger"
2005 CSI: NY Ron BogdaEpisode: "Hush"
2010 Imagination Movers Stanley SpillburgerEpisode: "Seeing Stars"
2010 Bright Falls Alan WakeEpisode: "Clearcut"
2011 Blue Bloods Congressman AlbomEpisode: "Lonely Hearts Club" [14]
2014 Unforgettable Bruce MillerEpisode: "The Island" [15]
2014 The Good Wife Ian GatinsEpisode: "Sticky Content" [16]
2015 Deadbeat Crosby / Matthew Biscotti5 episodes
2015-2016I Love You... But I LiedDavid2 episodes [17]
2019 The Blacklist SchmockEpisode: "General Shiro"

Film

YearProjectRoleNotes
1993 Robin Hood: Men in Tights Will Scarlet O'Hara
1995 Dracula: Dead and Loving It Handsome Lieutenant at Ball
1999 Desperate But Not Serious Gene
1999Kate's AddictionDylan Parker
1999Turkey. Cake.Jimmy
2003Dream WarriorCaleb
2016 Wolves Coach Williams [18]

Video games

YearProjectRoleNotes
2010 Alan Wake Alan Wake (voice)
2012 Alan Wake's American Nightmare Alan Wake, Mr. Scratch (voice)
2013 Grand Theft Auto V The local population
2013 The Bureau: XCOM Declassified Additional voices
2016 Quantum Break Alan Wake (voice)
2019 Red Dead Online The local pedestrian population
2019 Control Dr. Casper Darling (live acting and voice), Alan Wake (voice)
2023 Starfield Marco Graziani / Mooch (voice)
Alan Wake II Alan Wake, Scratch (voice), Dr. Casper Darling (live acting and voice)
2024 Dead by Daylight Alan Wake [19]

Awards and nominations

YearAwardCategoryWorkResultRef.
2013NAVGTR AwardsLead Performance in a Drama (Alan Wake) Alan Wake's American Nightmare Nominated [20]
Supporting Performance in a Drama (Mr. Scratch)Nominated
2019 The Game Awards Best Performance (Dr. Casper Darling) Control Nominated [21]
2023 Golden Joystick Awards Best Lead Performer (Alan Wake) Alan Wake 2 Nominated [22]
2024 British Academy Games Awards Performer in a Leading Role Longlisted [23]
Arab Game AwardsOutstanding Performance (alongside Ilkka Villi)Won [24]

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References

  1. ↑ "Roberta Palmer Porretta Tribute". August 2007.
  2. ↑ Pereira, Chris (September 10, 2019). "The Actor Behind Control's Dr. Darling Has A Very Surprising Past Movie Role". Gamespot.
  3. ↑ Knight, Stephen (2003). Robin Hood: A Mythic Biography. Cornell University Press. p. 173. ISBN   9780801438851.
  4. ↑ Simon, John (May 23, 1994). "...Sondheim's Passion score is a glutinous mass—all the songs sound the same; this Grease-for-today is politically correct..." New York Magazine. Vol. 27, no. 21.
  5. ↑ "Sondheim Guide / Passion". www.sondheimguide.com. Retrieved 2024-05-31.
  6. ↑ Stephen Sondheim – Passion Label: Broadway Angel https://www.discogs.com/pt_BR/release/12671021-Stephen-Sondheim-Passion
  7. ↑ Esteves, Ricardo C. (September 4, 2020). "Control: AWE". gamereactor.eu.
  8. ↑ https://www.gregporretta.com/about
  9. ↑ "Porretta v. Chez Ernie's Cafe". 14 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "Trial date set for Darien actor's civil suit for bar fight". 3 August 2018.
  11. ↑ Kayata, Erin (April 14, 2017). "Former '90210,' 'Robin Hood' actor sues after bar assault". The Darien Times.
  12. ↑ "Lawsuit Moves Forward from Assault in Darien Bar: Report". 4 August 2018.
  13. ↑ "Norwalk man pleads guilty to assault on Darien-born Robin Hood Men in Tights actor in 2016". 22 May 2023.
  14. ↑ "Matthew Porretta". RottenTomatoes.
  15. ↑ "Matthew Porretta". RottenTomatoes.
  16. ↑ "Matthew Porretta". RottenTomatoes.
  17. ↑ "I Love You... But I Lied (2015)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  18. ↑ Bowen, Chuck (2017-03-04). "Review: Wolves". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2024-06-01.
  19. ↑ Wilson, Mike (January 17, 2024). "New 'Dead by Daylight' Trailer Spotlights Upcoming 'Alan Wake' Chapter and Perks [Watch]". Bloody Disgusting . Retrieved January 17, 2024.
  20. ↑ "Journey wins Game of the Year". NAVGTR Awards. March 24, 2013. Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  21. ↑ Spangler, Todd (November 19, 2019). "The Game Awards 2019 Nominees: 'Death Stranding,' 'Control' Lead the Field (Full List)". Variety . Archived from the original on November 24, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  22. ↑ Loveridge, Sam (November 10, 2023). "Here are all the Golden Joystick Awards 2023 winners". GamesRadar+ . Archived from the original on November 20, 2023. Retrieved November 24, 2023.
  23. ↑ "The 60 Best Video Games of 2023". BAFTA. 14 December 2023. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  24. ↑ "Arab Game Awards - Winners 2023". Arab Game Awards. 26 January 2024.
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