Matt Knudsen (born March 10, 1974) is an American actor, comedian and writer. He is best known for playing the villain Sonny Appleday in the

Cartoon Network Cartoon Network (CN) is an American cable television television channel, channel and the flagship property of the Cartoon Network, Inc., a sub-division of the Warner Bros. Discovery Networks division of Warner Bros. Discovery. It launched on ...

TV film ''

Re-Animated ''Re-Animated'' is a 2006 American live-action animated teen fantasy-comedy television film that aired on Cartoon Network on December 8, 2006. It was the first original production on the genre for the network. It was released on DVD on Septe ...

'' and its spinoff series ''

Out Of Jimmy's Head ''Out of Jimmy's Head'' (abbreviated as ''OOJH'') is an American live-action animated teen sitcom created by Tim McKeon and Adam Pava for Cartoon Network. It is based on the network's 2006 film '' Re-Animated'', and is the first live-action/an ...

''.

Early life

Knudsen was born in

Honolulu Honolulu ( ; ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Hawaii, located in the Pacific Ocean. It is the county seat of the Consolidated city-county, consolidated City and County of Honol ...

, Hawaii and grew up in the

Midwestern United States The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

. He graduated from high school in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

and, after one semester in college, dropped out to become a merchant marine. After spending five years sailing to ports in Europe, Africa,

Central America Central America is a subregion of North America. Its political boundaries are defined as bordering Mexico to the north, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest. Central America is usually ...

and the

Far East The Far East is the geographical region that encompasses the easternmost portion of the Asian continent, including North Asia, North, East Asia, East and Southeast Asia. South Asia is sometimes also included in the definition of the term. In mod ...

and successfully navigating through both the Suez and Panama canals, he eventually settled down in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

and began an entertainment career.

Entertainment career

As an actor, Knudsen appeared with Oscar winner

Sean Penn Sean Justin Penn (born August 17, 1960) is an American actor and film director. He is known for his intense leading man roles in film. List of awards and nominations received by Sean Penn, His accolades include two Academy Awards, a Golden Gl ...

in the Warner Brothers film '' Gangster Squad'' and has made appearances in television shows including ''

Big Love ''Big Love'' is an American drama (film and television), drama television series created by Mark V. Olsen and Will Scheffer that aired on HBO from 2006 to 2011. It stars Bill Paxton as the patriarch of a Mormon fundamentalism, fundamentalist Mor ...

'', ''

Boston Legal ''Boston Legal'' is an American legal comedy drama television series created by former lawyer and Boston native David E. Kelley, produced in association with 20th Century Fox Television for ABC. The series aired from October 3, 2004, to Decem ...

'' and ''

Malcolm in the Middle ''Malcolm in the Middle'' is an American television sitcom created by Linwood Boomer for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 9, 2000, and ended on May 14, 2006, after seven seasons consisting of 151 episodes. The ...

'' just to name a few. Matt's also been a part of several high-profile commercial campaigns for Volkswagen, DirecTV, Pepsi, Apple, GE and others; which have aired during the Super Bowl and the Olympics. As a stand-up, he has appeared on ''Conan'', ''The Late Late Show'', ''Last Call'', ''ASX Live'' and ''Comics Unleashed'' as well as several festivals, including The San Francisco Sketchfest, Bridgetown, Limestone, High Plains, Laughing Skull, Big Sky, and the Just for Laughs Festival in Montreal; where he was named a "Best of the Fest." His critically acclaimed albums The Comedy Stylings of Matt Knudsen and American became top downloads on iTunes, heard regularly on SiriusXM radio, and have been described as mixing "droll observation with a dry, almost hypnotic delivery," (The Onion A.V. Club); and with Knudsen's unique style, "The personal feels universal, and the universal feels personal. The only explanation for this phenomenon is that it's all finely crafted comedy from a strong central voice…a great stand up album." (''The Huffington Post'') On August 27, 2014, Matt appeared on Ken Reid's TV Guidance Counselor Podcast.

Filmography

Television

*''NewsBreak'' (2000)Internet Movie Database
/ref> *''

Citizen Baines ''Citizen Baines'' is an American drama television series created by Emmy Award-winning producer Lydia Woodward, that stars James Cromwell. The series premiered on CBS September 29, 2001, and ended on November 3, 2001. Synopsis Cromwell starred ...

'' (2000), (1 episode) *''

'' (2002), (1 episode) *'' 7th Heaven'' (2005), (1 episode) *''

'' (2006), (1 episode) *''

'' (2006), (3 episodes) *''

'' (2006) *''

'' (2007–2008), (13 episodes)CNET Networks Entertainment
/ref> *''

The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson ''The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by Scottish actor and comedian Craig Ferguson. This was the third iteration of the The Late Late Show (American talk show), ''Late Late Show'' franchise, airi ...

'' (2007), (himself, 1 episode) *'' Talking Marriage with Ryan Bailey'' (2014), (1 episode)

References

External links

*
Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Knudsen, Matt American male actors American people of Danish descent 1974 births Living people American male comedians Comedians from Hawaii