Alexander Basil Matthews (November 21, 1942 – September 22, 2018), commonly known as Al Matthews, was an American actor, singer, and radio personality. He was best known for his appearance as Gunnery sergeant Apone in the 1986 film '' Aliens''.

Early life and military career

Matthews was born in

Brooklyn, New York Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

on November 21, 1942. He was a member of the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

who graduated at Parris Island on May 25, 1966, and served during the Vietnam War. On his website, he stated:

I spent six years in the United States Marine Corps; I hold thirteen combat awards and decorations, including two purple hearts. I was the first black Marine in the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam to be meritoriously promoted to the rank of sergeant; I served with Kilo Battery, Fourth Battalion, 11th Marines, 1st Marine Division, of that I am very proud.

Acting and musical career

Music

Similar to US supply sergeant Chuck Bennett who was stationed in Germany, sang soul music and had a couple of chart hits as well as acted, Matthews was stationed away from his home and he had an earlier career in music. ''Stars and Stripes'', September 25, 2018
Al Matthews, Marine veteran who played Apone in 'Aliens,' dies at 75 By MARTIN EGNASH
In 1975, he scored a musical hit in the UK Singles Chart, "Fool", which reached number 16 in the fall of that year. One of the session singers on the record was Maxine Nightingale who had appeared in the German production of ''Hair'' in the early 1970s. Pierre Tubbs who produced Matthews' hit was impressed with Nightingale and he asked Nightingale's ''Hair'' co-star, J. Vincent Edwards to co-write a song with him which turned out to be “ Right Back Where We Started From”. In August 1976, Al Matthews & the Last Word were appearing at the Clouds in Brixton, The Pavilion in Bath and the BLue Lagaoon in Newquay. In 1977, he recorded the single "It's Only Love". Backed with "Stormy Days and Lonely Nights" it was released on Mercury 6007 152. In 1978, he released the single "People Are People" / "Run to You". At some stage, Alan Mair played bass in the Al Matthews Band.

Film

Matthews played various acting roles, such as Ferguson in '' Rough Cut'' (1980), a workman in '' Omen III: The Final Conflict'' (1981), a Vietnam veteran in ''

The Sender ''The Sender'' is a 1982 British-American supernatural horror film directed by Roger Christian (filmmaker), Roger Christian, written by Tom Baum, Thomas Baum, and starring Kathryn Harrold, Željko Ivanek (in his film debut), Shirley Knight, and ...

'' (1982), a fire chief in '' Superman III'' (1983), Benedict in '' The American Way'' (1986), Sergeant Apone in '' Aliens'' (1986), General Tudor in '' The Fifth Element'' (1997) and Master Sergeant #3 in '' Tomorrow Never Dies'' (1997). He also worked in British television, appearing in ''

Grange Hill ''Grange Hill'' is a British Children's television series, children's television drama series, originally produced by the BBC and portraying life in a typical Comprehensive school (England and Wales), comprehensive school. The show began its ru ...

'' as Sam Green, the father of Benny Green, as well as in theater and radio; for the latter, as both an actor (on BBC Radio 4) and a presenter (on

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

and Capital Radio). He reprised his ''Aliens'' role 27 years later, providing the voice of Apone for the video game '' Aliens: Colonial Marines'' (2013).

Death

On September 22, 2018, Matthews was found unresponsive by a neighbor in his Orihuela, Spain, home. Matthews had retired there in 2005 after working in the United Kingdom. He was later pronounced dead at age 75. Local reports claim he had battled severe illnesses over the years.

In popular culture

Matthews' portrayal of Sgt. Apone was the inspiration for Sgt. Avery Johnson of the ''Halo'' franchise.

Filmography

References

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Matthews, Al 1942 births 2018 deaths 20th-century African-American male actors 20th-century African-American male singers 20th-century American male actors 20th-century American male singers 20th-century American singers 21st-century African-American male actors 21st-century American male actors African Americans in the Vietnam War African-American radio personalities African-American United States Navy personnel American expatriate male actors American expatriates in England American expatriates in Spain American male film actors American male radio actors American male television actors American male video game actors American male voice actors Male actors from Brooklyn Military personnel from New York City Radio personalities from New York City Singers from Brooklyn United States Marine Corps personnel of the Vietnam War United States Marines