Dakin Matthews

Melvin Richard "Dakin" Matthews (born November 7, 1940) is an American actor, playwright, theatre director, and theatrical scholar. Best known as Herb Kelcher in ''My Two Dads'' (1987–1989), Hanlin Charleston in ''Gilmore Girls'' (2000–2007), and as Reverend Sikes in ''Desperate Housewives'' (2004–2012).

Early life

Melvin Richard Matthews was born in Oakland, California. He initially aspired to become a Roman Catholic priest, studying in San Francisco and then at Gregorian University in Rome in the 1960s. However, his growing interest in drama led him to the Juilliard School, where he taught, among others, Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone.

He acted and taught at the American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.) in San Francisco where Annette Bening was one of his students. He also attended graduate school at New York University. He is an Emeritus Professor of English at California State University, East Bay in Hayward, California.

Career

He began his stage career in 1965 in the San Francisco Bay Area, appearing in both the Marin and California Shakespeare Festivals, eventually becoming a member of the acting ensemble of the American Conservatory Theater. In the late 1980s, settling permanently in Los Angeles, Matthews began guest-starring in television series and appearing in films. He starred in series such as '' Down Home'', '' Soul Man'' and, most successfully, ''The Jeff Foxworthy Show''.

In 1989 he starred in the preshow for EPCOT Center's Body Wars attraction in The Wonders Of Life Pavilion. He also has made many guest appearances on television, including ''Remington Steele'', ''Dallas'', ''Murder She Wrote'', '' L.A. Law'', ''The Nanny'', ''True Blood'', ''Just Shoot Me!'', '' Star Trek: Voyager'', ''The West Wing'', ''Gilmore Girls ''(as Headmaster Charleston), '' Ally McBeal'', ''Coach'', ''The Practice'', '' Who's the Boss?'', ''Charmed'', ''Diagnosis Murder'', ''The King of Queens'' (as Doug Heffernan's father Joe), ''NYPD Blue'', ''Desperate Housewives'' (appearing in every Season except 5 as Reverend Sykes), '' House M.D.'' (appearing in 2004 in "Damned If You Do" the 5th episode of the 1st season playing the role of Marvin/Santa Claus), ''The Big Bang Theory'' as Santa (season 6 episode 11), '' Blue Bloods'' (as of 2016 appearing in " Help Me Help You" the 16th episode of the 6th season playing the role of Judge Wilson), ''Two and a Half Men, and'' ''Carnivàle.''

Matthews has appeared in more than 25 feature films, including '' Nuts'', '' Like Father Like Son'', ''Clean and Sober'', '' Thirteen Days'', ''Funny Farm'', ''True Grit'' (as Colonel Stonehill), Steven Spielberg's' ''Lincoln'', '' Flubber'', and '' Zero Charisma''. He played the role of Col. Cochrane in '' Child's Play 3'', where he was killed off via heart attack. He also appeared in a number of television movies, including ''And the Band Played On'', ''Baby M,'' and ''White Mile''.

As a stage actor, he is known for his many Shakespearean roles, especially King Lear, Bottom, and Falstaff, and most recently for his portrayals of C. S. Lewis in South Coast Repertory's '' Shadowlands'', as "Warwick" in Shakespeare's '' Henry IV'' at the Lincoln Center Theater, as "Undershaft" in ''Major Barbara'' and "Tarleton" in ''Misalliance'' for South Coast Repertory, as "The Fixer" in ''Water and Power'' for the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles, as "Leonato" in Shakespeare Center L.A.'s production of ''Much Ado About Nothing'' with Helen Hunt, as "Cardinal Wolsey" in '' A Man For All Seasons'' with Frank Langella at the Roundabout, and as "Senator Carlin" in ''Gore Vidal's The Best Man ''on Broadway.

In 2010, Matthews joined the cast of the ABC soap opera ''General Hospital'' as Judge Peter Carroll, the judge in Sonny Corinthos' trial.

He is also a playwright, director, and theater scholar who has published books and articles on Shakespeare and translations of 17th-century Spanish theater. He has been a dramaturg on numerous theatrical productions, including the 2005 Broadway revival of ''Julius Caesar'' starring Denzel Washington and the 2003 revival of '' Henry IV'', winning a Drama Desk Award Special Award for his adaptation of the latter.

Matthews was also Artistic Director of the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival, the California Actors Theatre, The Antaeus Theatre Company (which he co-founded in 1991),Miller, Daryl H
"A Commanding Stage Presence"
''Los Angeles Times'', July 5, 1998 and the Andak Stage Company; he is an Associate Artist of the Old Globe Theatre; and a founding member of the John Houseman's The Acting Company and Sam Mendes' Bridge Project.

Matthews appeared in the 2009 world tour of The Bridge Project as "Pishchick" in ''The Cherry Orchard'' and "Antigonus" in ''The Winter's Tale''. In the 2011 summer season of The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park, he performed as "the Provost" in ''Measure for Measure'' and "Lafew" in ''All's Well That Ends Well''. and as "Sir Humphrey" in the American premiere of ''Yes Prime Minister'' at the Kirk Douglas Theatre. He was nominated for an Ovation Award for Book and Lyrics of an original musical entitled ''Liberty Inn'', which he co-wrote with B. T. Ryback.

In 2011, his verse translation of ''The Capulets & The Montagues'' played at the Andak Stage Company and the International Siglo de Oro Festival, winning the L.A. Drama Critics Circle Award for Best Adaptation. Matthews appeared twice as Santa Claus in ''The Big Bang Theory'' season 6 episode, " The Santa Simulation" and season 8 episode " The Clean Room Infiltration".

He was the dramaturg for the Lincoln Center production of ''Macbeth'' (2013), directed by Jack O'Brien and starring Ethan Hawke. He appeared as "Richard Russell" in Robert Schenkkan's award-winning L.B.J. play ''All The Way'', starring Bryan Cranston, at A.R.T. in Cambridge in September 2013.

He appeared as " Mickey Goldmill" in the Broadway musical ''Rocky the Musical'' in 2014, then in 2015, he went on to play Winston Churchill opposite Helen Mirren as Queen Elizabeth II in Peter Morgan's '' The Audience'' on Broadway. Matthews portrayed Judge Byers in the 2015 film '' Bridge of Spies''. He originated the role "Joe" in the musical ''Waitress'' that opened on Broadway in April 2016."'Waitress' Broadway"
playbillvault.com, accessed February 17, 2016

Filmography

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Dakin
1940 births
20th-century American dramatists and playwrights
American male film actors
American Roman Catholics
American male television actors
American theatre directors
California State University, East Bay faculty
Living people
Male actors from Oakland, California
American male voice actors