Matthew Lillard

Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor. His film work includes Chip Sutphin in '' Serial Mom'' (1994), Emmanuel "Cereal Killer" Goldstein in '' Hackers'' (1995), Stu Macher in '' Scream'' (1996), Stevo in '' SLC Punk!'' (1998), Brock Hudson in '' She's All That'' (1999), Dennis Rafkin in '' Thirteen Ghosts'' (2001), and Jerry Conlaine in '' Without a Paddle'' (2004). He is perhaps best known for his role as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in the live-action movies '' Scooby-Doo'' (2002) and '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed'' (2004) as well as in certain animated releases, with the actor serving as the voice of Shaggy since Casey Kasem retired from the role in 2009.

In 2023, he gained renewed recognition for his role as William Afton, a manipulative serial killer, in '' Five Nights at Freddy's''. U.S. entertainment publication ''The Hollywood Reporter'' stated that he had entered "his Renaissance era" in popular culture, noting that the movie had the third highest ever domestic box office return during its opening weekend for a horror film. Lillard has been labeled as a " scream king" due to his influence in the genre.

While much of his work is comedic in nature, Lillard has also given dramatic performances in projects such as '' The Descendants'' (2011), '' Trouble with the Curve'' (2012), '' Match'' (2014), and '' Twin Peaks: The Return'' (2017). Lillard also starred as Dean Boland in the television series '' Good Girls'' (2018–2021). He made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age drama '' Fat Kid Rules the World'' (2012).

Early life

Lillard was born in Lansing, Michigan, on January 24, 1970, the son of Paula and Jeffrey Lillard (b. 1948), and grew up in Tustin, California. He has a younger sister, Amy, and attended Foothill High School in North Tustin, California. He later attended Fullerton College and then went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, with fellow actor Paul Rudd. He also attended Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City.

Career

After high school, Lillard was co-host of a short-lived TV show titled '' SK8-TV'', and afterwards was hired as an extra in '' Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College'' (1991). In 1994, he was cast in the John Waters black comedy '' Serial Mom''. The following year he was cast in five films, including '' Hackers'', a thriller about a group of high school kids who thwart a multimillion-dollar corporate extortion conspiracy. In 1996, he was cast as Stu Macher in the horror film '' Scream''. He also played Stevo in the independent film '' SLC Punk!'', and supporting character Dennis Rafkin in '' Thirteen Ghosts''. He was originally meant to reprise his role of Stu Macher in 2000's '' Scream 3'' but the plans were changed.

Lillard was cast as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in the 2002 live-action film '' Scooby-Doo'', a role he later reprised in the 2004 sequel '' Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed''. When Casey Kasem, who had voiced the character from the show's debut in 1969, retired in 2009, Lillard was chosen to take over and voice Shaggy in the three subsequent animated series, '' Mystery Incorporated'', '' Be Cool Scooby-Doo!'', and '' Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?'', as well as every animated direct-to-video film since 2010's '' Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo''. Lillard, however, did not voice Shaggy in the animated ''Scooby-Doo'' reboot '' Scoob!'', with the character instead being voiced by '' SNL'' alum Will Forte. Although Lillard was disappointed with the casting decision, he still wished the film good luck.

In 2011, Lillard guest starred on the Fox series ''House''. In 2011, he produced and directed his first feature film, ''Fat Kid Rules the World'', based on the K. L. Going book of the same name. Later that year, he appeared in the comedy-drama film '' The Descendants''. Lillard also reprised the voice role of Shaggy in the crossover episode in the television series ''Supernatural'' in 2018.

In 2012, Lillard guest-starred in the '' Criminal Minds'' episode " The Apprenticeship". The following year, he played the role of Daniel Frye on the American TV series '' The Bridge''. In 2014, Lillard starred as Peter in the animated film ''Under Wraps'', alongside Brooke Shields and Drake Bell. In 2017, Lillard starred as William Hastings in the third season of ''Twin Peaks''. The next year, he began co-starring as Dean Boland on the NBC series '' Good Girls''.

In 2016, Lillard landed the recurring role of FBI undercover agent Luke Goshen in the Amazon Series, '' Bosch.'' In 2022, Lillard was cast for the live-action movie adaptation of the '' Five Nights at Freddy's'' video game series. The film came out the following year.

He gained renewed recognition for his role as William Afton, a manipulative serial killer, in ''Five Nights at Freddy's''. U.S. entertainment publication ''The Hollywood Reporter'' stated that he had entered "his Renaissance era" in popular culture, noting that the movie had the third highest ever domestic box office return during its opening weekend for a horror film. Lillard has credited his children as inspiring him both to take on the role and to give a dominating, assertive performance as the franchise's overarching villain.

In an interview, Lillard elaborated,

In 2024, he appeared in filmmaker Mike Flanagan's film '' The Life of Chuck''.

In January 2025, it was announced that Lillard was returning to the Scream franchise for its seventh entry, having previously played Stuart ‘Stu’ Macher in the first film.

Other ventures

Lillard was one of the co-founders of Beadle and Grimms, a company that publishes licensed expanded products, usually of a limited edition, from Wizards of the Coast games including ''Dungeons and Dragons'' and '' Magic: The Gathering''.

Lillard co-founded the company Find Familiar Spirits, which develops and sells specialized alcoholic beverages.

Personal life

On August 26, 2000, Lillard married Heather Helm, with whom he has three children. They reside in Los Angeles.

In October 2005, he participated in a '' Dungeons & Dragons'' tournament, against members of the ''Quest Club Gaming Organization'', at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. Lillard has also played ''Dungeons & Dragons'' with the online series ''Dice, Camera, Action'' with Christopher Perkins as the Dungeon Master; as well as with the Critical Role cast at a special one-shot with Sam Riegel as the Dungeon Master.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Awards and nominations

See also

* List of American Academy of Dramatic Arts people
*" Scream king" / " Scream queen"

References

External links

*
*
*

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lillard, Matthew
20th-century American male actors
21st-century American male actors
1970 births
Actual play performers
American Academy of Dramatic Arts alumni
American male comedians
American male film actors
American male television actors
American male video game actors
American male voice actors
American voice actors
Circle in the Square Theatre School alumni
Comedians from California
Comedians from Michigan
Film directors from California
Film directors from Michigan
Fullerton College alumni
Living people
Male actors from Lansing, Michigan
Male actors from Orange County, California
People from Tustin, California