Perry Mattfeld

Perry Mattfeld
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2006–present
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Spouse	Mark Sanchez ​ (m. 2023)​

Perry Mattfeld is an American actress and producer. She is best known for her roles as Mel in Shameless and FrankenGirl in Wizards of Waverly Place , and her leading role as Murphy Mason in The CW crime drama In the Dark . ^[1]

Early life

Mattfeld grew up in Long Beach, California. ^[2] Her mother is of Mexican descent. Her grandparents and great-grandparents were entertainers. ^[3]

Career

Mattfeld began her career as a ballet dancer from the age of five and studied for the following nine years under the guidance of Debbie Allen. By the age of 12, she was a full-fledged employee of Mattel when she played Kirsten Larson and Kit Kittredge as part of Mattel's American Girl Dolls musical theater troupe. ^[2]

She stopped acting after graduating from Long Beach Poly high school to attend the University of Southern California School of Dramatic Arts where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting in 2016. ^{[4] [5]}

In her first starring role, in The CW crime comedy-drama, In the Dark (2019–2022), she plays a blind woman. For this part, she learned skills for coping with blindness such as using a guide dog and sending text messages with voice commands. She shadowed a blind person, on whose life the show is based, to observe how she did ordinary things. ^[5] Fans have reportedly believed that she was blind herself. ^{[6] [7]} Although the show has received criticism for not using an actual blind actress, the producer says she was "best for the role" despite having auditioned blind actresses. ^[7]

Personal life

Mattfeld and former New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez got engaged in May 2022. ^[8] The couple married in Oaxaca, Mexico on May 28, 2023. ^[9]

Filmography

Film

List of films and roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2007	AmazoBoy!	Samantha	Short film
2011	The Girl in the Flammable Skirt	Aimee	Short film
2012	My Mind the Love Story	Alex	Short film
2022	A Little White Lie	Layla	Feature film
	Mending the Line	Lucy	Feature film
	Who Invited Them	Sasha	Feature film
2024	The Idea of You	Eva	Feature film

Television

List of television appearances and roles

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2008	The Norton Avenue All-Stars	Amanda Hammerschmidt 'The Hammer'	Television film
2009	Wizards of Waverly Place	FrankenGirl (Frankie Stein)	2 episodes [2]
2011	4th and Forever	Herself - Cheerleader	4 episodes
2012	Secret Diary of an American Cheerleader	Suzie	Episode: "Angels in the Area" [2]
2013	Escape from Polygamy	Bonnielee	Television film [2]
2017	Stitchers	Monica Chamberlain	Episode: "Kill It Forward" [2]
2017–2018	Shameless	Mel	Recurring role [2]
2018	Homecoming	Makeover Associate	Episode: "Helping"
2019	Carrier	Pam	2 episodes
2019–2022	In The Dark	Murphy Mason	Lead role
2025-present	Long Bright River	Paula

References

1. Browning, Justine (June 23, 2021). "'In the Dark' star Perry Mattfeld on portraying blindness — and saying no to lip gloss". EW.com.
2. "Perry Mattfeld Goes "In The Dark"". goldenglobes.com. May 12, 2020. Archived from the original on October 19, 2020. Retrieved January 30, 2021.
3. "ViacomCBS Press Express | in the Dark".
4. Bokan, Medeleine (June 25, 2020). "How Perry Mattfeld Went From USC Student To CW TV Star". Her Campus. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
5. Raga, Pippa (July 17, 2019). "For What It's Worth, 'In the Dark' Auditioned Plenty of Actresses with Visual Impairments Before Landing on Perry Mattfeld". Distractify. Retrieved April 18, 2021.
6. "Perry Mattfeld finds ways to handle demands of 'In the Dark'". June 22, 2021.
7. Leland, Andrew (July 1, 2021). "Is There a Right Way to Act Blind?". The New York Times.
8. Jakiel, Olivia (May 13, 2022). "In the Dark Star Perry Mattfeld and Mark Sanchez Are Engaged — See the Stunning Photos!". People .
9. Esquibias, Liza; Strohm, Emily. "'Shameless' Actress Perry Mattfeld Marries Mark Sanchez in Mexico: 'Better Than I Ever Imagined' (Exclusive)". People. Retrieved February 17, 2024.

External links

• Perry Mattfeld on IMDB