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Matthew Ryan Phillippe (; born September 10, 1974) is an American actor. After appearing as Billy Douglas on the soap opera ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
'', he came to fame in the late 1990s with starring roles in films including '' I Know What You Did Last Summer'', '' Cruel Intentions'', and '' 54''. In the 2000s, he appeared in several films, including '' Gosford Park'' (2001), '' Crash'' (2004), '' Flags of Our Fathers'' (2006), '' Breach'' (2007), '' Stop-Loss'' (2008), ''
MacGruber ''MacGruber'' was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live'', first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch is a parody of the 1985–1992 adventure series '' MacGyver''. The sketch stars Will Forte as spe ...
'' (2010), and '' The Lincoln Lawyer'' (2011). In 2010, Phillippe played photographer
Greg Marinovich Greg Marinovich (born Gregory Sebastian Marinovich, 8 December 1962) is a South African photojournalist, filmmaker, photo editor, and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He co-authored the book '' The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War'' (2 ...
in '' The Bang Bang Club'', and then in the lead role of Bob Lee Swagger in the USA Network thriller drama '' Shooter'' (2016–2018).


Early life

Phillippe was born in New Castle, Delaware. His mother, Susan, ran a day care center in the family's house; his father, Richard Phillippe, was a chemist. Phillippe has three sisters, and is of part French descent. He graduated from Barbizon in Wilmington, Delaware. Phillippe earned a black belt in Tae Kwon Do in his youth.


Career


Early career (1990–1999)

Phillippe's acting career began after being signed to Cathy Parker Management in Voorhees, New Jersey. Shortly after, he made an appearance in the ABC daytime drama ''
One Life to Live ''One Life to Live'' (often abbreviated as ''OLTL'') is an American soap opera broadcast on the ABC television network for more than 43 years, from July 15, 1968, to January 13, 2012, and then on the internet as a web series on Hulu and iTunes ...
''. His character Billy Douglas, whom he played from 1992 to 1993, was the first gay teenager on a daytime soap opera. After leaving the show, Phillippe moved to Los Angeles, where he appeared in a number of small parts in various television series including '' Matlock'', ''
Due South ''Due South'' is a Canadian crime comedy-drama television series created by Paul Haggis, and produced by Alliance Communications from its premiere on April 26, 1994, to its conclusion after four seasons on March 14, 1999. The series starred Pau ...
'', the TV miniseries ''The Secrets of Lake Success'', and movies, including the 1995 film '' Crimson Tide'' and the 1996 film '' White Squall''. He was cast in the 1997 horror film, '' I Know What You Did Last Summer''. The film was a success, and led to Phillippe gaining wider renown and being cast in a few more high-profile films, including '' 54'' in 1998. In 1999, he starred in '' Cruel Intentions'', a modern retelling of the
Choderlos de Laclos Pierre Ambroise François Choderlos de Laclos (; 18 October 1741 – 5 September 1803) was a French novelist, official, Freemason and army general, best known for writing the epistolary novel ''Les Liaisons dangereuses'' (''Dangerous Liaisons'' ...
novel '' Les Liaisons dangereuses'', which also starred Phillippe's future wife Reese Witherspoon. It was a success among its intended teenage audience, cementing Phillippe's ability to play characters that require sex appeal. Phillippe can also be seen in the Marcy Playground music video "
Comin' Up From Behind Marcy Playground is an American alternative rock band consisting of three members: John Wozniak (lead vocals, guitar), Dylan Keefe (bass), and Shlomi Lavie (drums). The band is best known for their 1997 hit "Sex and Candy". History Early ye ...
", which appears on the film's soundtrack.


Critical success and later work (2000–2011)

In the years following, he appeared in the crime drama '' The Way of the Gun'', starred as a famed software engineer in the thriller ''
Antitrust Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...
'', and co-starred in
Robert Altman Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
's '' Gosford Park'', which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. Subsequently, Phillippe had supporting parts in the films '' Igby Goes Down'' (2002) and '' Crash'' (2005), which won the Oscar for Best Picture. His 2003 film '' The I Inside'' premiered on cable. In 2006, Phillippe played real-life Navy corpsman John Bradley in the war film '' Flags of Our Fathers'', directed by
Clint Eastwood Clinton Eastwood Jr. (born May 31, 1930) is an American actor and film director. After achieving success in the Western TV series '' Rawhide'', he rose to international fame with his role as the "Man with No Name" in Sergio Leone's "''Doll ...
and following the journey of the United States Marines who lifted the flag at the Battle of
Iwo Jima Iwo Jima (, also ), known in Japan as , is one of the Japanese Volcano Islands and lies south of the Bonin Islands. Together with other islands, they form the Ogasawara Archipelago. The highest point of Iwo Jima is Mount Suribachi at high. ...
. Phillippe has said that the film was the "best experience" of his career because of its "personal meaning" to him, and that he would have "given islife" to fight in World War II, noting that both of his grandfathers fought in the war. His performance was positively received by film critic Richard Roeper, who thought it was Phillippe's best performance to date. Phillippe's next role was in the thriller '' Breach'', in which he played FBI investigator Eric O'Neill opposite Chris Cooper. He has since commented that he believes Cooper to be "the best actor America has to offer". He then starred in '' Chaos'', in which he plays a police officer; '' Five Fingers'', a drama set in Morocco; Kimberly Peirce's Iraq war film '' Stop-Loss''; and the futuristic '' Franklyn''. Next up for Phillippe was a rare comedic role as Lt. Dixon Piper in ''
MacGruber ''MacGruber'' was a recurring sketch on the NBC television series ''Saturday Night Live'', first appearing on the show in January 2007. The sketch is a parody of the 1985–1992 adventure series '' MacGyver''. The sketch stars Will Forte as spe ...
'', a film based on the '' Saturday Night Live'' (SNL) skit of the same name. It was released in the US and Canada on May 21, 2010. As part of the film's promotion, Phillippe made his SNL hosting debut on April 17, 2010. Two days later, on April 19, 2010, Phillippe co-hosted WWE Raw, also in support of ''MacGruber''. That same year, Phillippe starred in the Canadian / South African production '' The Bang-Bang Club'', which tells the real-life story of the Bang-Bang Club, four South African photographers whose images documented the bloody end of apartheid. Phillippe stars as
Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...
-winning photographer
Greg Marinovich Greg Marinovich (born Gregory Sebastian Marinovich, 8 December 1962) is a South African photojournalist, filmmaker, photo editor, and member of the Bang-Bang Club. He co-authored the book '' The Bang-Bang Club: Snapshots from a Hidden War'' (2 ...
. Filming for the movie took place in South Africa, beginning in March 2009. Phillippe described the filming process as "really run-and-gun. There were no comforts, and I actually appreciate that." He noted that the experience affected him, explaining that "we were shooting during the day in Soweto, and it was an endless procession of funerals—death is so common. Kids there have no quality of life. It has made me want to get more involved in Africa-based charities." An early cut of the film was shown at Cannes Film Festival in May 2009, with the final version shown at Cannes in May 2010. The film officially premiered in September 2010 at the
2010 Toronto International Film Festival The 35th annual Toronto International Film Festival, (TIFF) was held in Toronto, Ontario, Canada between September 9 and September 19, 2010. The opening night gala presented '' Score: A Hockey Musical'', a Canadian comedy-drama musical film. '' La ...
. The US rights to the movie were picked up by Tribeca Film, which premiered the movie at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival and opened the movie in
limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
on April 22, 2011. In mid-2010, Phillippe began filming the adaptation of popular crime novel '' The Lincoln Lawyer'', taking on the role of Louis Roulet, a wealthy Los Angeles playboy accused of a crime for which his culpability is unclear. The movie opened on March 18, 2011, and was generally well received by critics, scoring 82% on Rotten Tomatoes as of late March 2011. Phillippe filmed his next project, the heist action film ''
Setup Setup (the noun) or set up (the verb) may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Set Up'' (2005 film), a 2005 Hong Kong horror film * ''Setup'' (2011 film), a 2011 action thriller heist film Music * ''Setup'' (album), a 1994 album by ...
'', in December 2010 in
Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...
, Michigan. The movie focuses on a group of young men from Detroit whose attempt at a diamond heist goes awry and brings them into conflict with a mob boss. The movie had a
straight-to-DVD Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...
release on September 20, 2011. Phillippe next filmed the dramatic dark comedy '' Revenge for Jolly!'' in mid-2011. The movie, which tells the story of a man set on finding his dog's murderer, premiered at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival. Phillippe subsequently began work on another movie, ''
Straight A's ''Straight A's'' is a 2013 American romantic comedy film directed by James Cox, produced by Jamie Adamic, and starring Anna Paquin, Ryan Phillippe and Luke Wilson. The film was released on January 13, 2013, in Brazil, on March 19, 2013, in the Un ...
'', in August 2011. Filmed in
Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
, the movie stars Phillippe as a man who has been in and out of rehab for years and is now haunted by his mother's ghost.


Return to television and focus on directing and producing (2012–present)

Starting in November 2011, Phillippe spent several months filming a 10-episode arc on the fifth and final season of the critically acclaimed TV show '' Damages''. Playing Channing McClaren, a
Julian Assange Julian Paul Assange ( ; Hawkins; born 3 July 1971) is an Australian editor, publisher, and activist who founded WikiLeaks in 2006. WikiLeaks came to international attention in 2010 when it published a series of leaks provided by U.S. Army inte ...
–like character, it was his first regular TV role since his breakout part on ''One Life to Live''. The season aired from July to September 2012. In 2012, Phillippe focused on his directorial debut, ''
Catch Hell ''Catch Hell'' (also known as ''Chained'' or as ''Kidnapped'') is a 2014 American thriller film written and directed by Ryan Phillippe. It is the only non-horror film from Twisted Pictures. Synopsis A faded Hollywood actor is kidnapped and sub ...
'', an indie thriller in which Phillippe stars as a fading film actor who must devise a creative escape after he is kidnapped and tortured while making a movie in
Shreveport, Louisiana Shreveport ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is the third most populous city in Louisiana after New Orleans and Baton Rouge, respectively. The Shreveport–Bossier City metropolitan area, with a population of 393,406 in 2020, is t ...
. In addition to directing, co-producing, and starring in the film, Phillippe also co-wrote the script with Joe Gossett. Phillippe has said that the film is based partly on the life experiences of himself and his friends (including the filming of ''Straight A's'' in Shreveport in 2011), but is partly meant to be "a fun scary movie in the vein of '' Misery''". Filming took place on location in Shreveport in the fall of 2012. The movie was released on October 10, 2014. In October 2013, Phillippe began filming the action thriller '' Reclaim'' in Puerto Rico. The movie features Phillippe as an American man who travels to Puerto Rico with his wife to adopt an orphan from
Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...
. After a confrontation with a local, the child vanishes. ''Reclaim'' was released on September 19, 2014. In May 2014, ABC picked up the pilot for '' Secrets and Lies'', which was shot in Charlotte, North Carolina in early 2014. The 10-episode mystery series debuted on March 1, 2015, as a midseason entry in the 2014–15 season. It is based on the Australian series of the same name and stars Phillippe as a family man who becomes a prime murder suspect after he discovers the body of a child. Phillippe was also attached to a number of possible future film roles, including ''Chronicle'', a film to be directed by Jay Alaimo that would have seen him in a story "about two childhood friends who reunite to launch the biggest marijuana dealership in New York City". Phillippe, Breckin Meyer,
Seth Green Seth Benjamin Green ( ''né'' Gesshel-Green; born February 8, 1974) is an American actor, producer, and writer. Green's film debut came with a role in the comedy-drama film ''The Hotel New Hampshire'' (1984), and he went on to have supporting ...
and David E. Siegal run a production company called Lucid Films. In 2010, Phillippe and Meyer began "getting a show going for Showtime", serving as executive producers. The comedy, ''Heavy and Rolling'', tells the story of a Manhattan towncar driver who assumes different identities as he moves towards madness. Phillippe also served as executive producer and narrator on ''Isolated'', a documentary that follows five surfers as they travel to remote New Guinea in search of untouched waves. The documentary premiered in January 2013 at the 2013
Santa Barbara International Film Festival The Santa Barbara International Film Festival (SBIFF) is an eleven-day film festival held in Santa Barbara, California since 1986. The festival boasts screenings of over 200 feature films and shorts from different countries and regions. SBIFF al ...
. In 2015, Phillippe was cast in the lead role of Bob Lee Swagger on the USA Network thriller drama series '' Shooter'', which premiered in November 2016. In February 2020, Phillippe was announced in the role of Cody Hoyt in the ABC crime drama series '' Big Sky'' which was created by David E. Kelley. In 2021, Phillipe starred in the movie '' One Shot'', a British action thriller film directed by James Nunn.


Personal life

In 1997, Phillippe met actress Reese Witherspoon at a party for her 21st birthday. The following year, the pair starred together in '' Cruel Intentions''. Phillippe and Witherspoon married on June 5, 1999, in a small ceremony at Old Wide Awake Plantation near
Charleston Charleston most commonly refers to: * Charleston, South Carolina * Charleston, West Virginia, the state capital * Charleston (dance) Charleston may also refer to: Places Australia * Charleston, South Australia Canada * Charleston, Newfoundlan ...
, South Carolina, when Witherspoon was six months pregnant. Their daughter was born in 1999 and their son was born in 2003. On October 30, 2006, Phillippe and Witherspoon released a statement announcing that they were formally separating. Witherspoon filed for divorce on November 8, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences as the cause. In light of the couple's lack of a prenuptial agreement, she requested that the court refuse to grant spousal support to Phillippe, and asked for joint legal custody and sole physical custody of the pair's two children. Phillippe filed for joint physical custody of the children on May 15, 2007, and did not seek any spousal support. The couple's marriage officially ended on October 5, 2007, with final divorce arrangements settled on June 13, 2008, according to court documents. Phillippe and Witherspoon share joint custody of their children. Phillippe began dating model and actress Alexis Knapp in May 2010; they ended their relationship in September that same year. After their breakup, Knapp discovered that she was pregnant by Phillippe and gave birth to a daughter in 2011. Phillippe began dating law student Paulina Slagter in 2011. They became engaged in 2015 but ended their relationship in 2016. In March 2017, Slagter filed a
harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...
report with the LAPD after Phillippe had been harassing her via text messages. In September 2017, Elsie Hewitt, an ex-girlfriend of Phillippe, filed a lawsuit against him for allegedly punching, kicking, and throwing her down stairs. Hewitt was granted an
Emergency Protective Order An emergency is an urgent, unexpected, and usually dangerous situation that poses an immediate risk to health, life, property, or environment and requires immediate action. Most emergencies require urgent intervention to prevent a worsening ...
by the LAPD stating Phillippe could not come within of her. In October 2019, the case was settled.


Filmography


Film


Television


Music videos


Accolades


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Phillippe, Ryan 1974 births Living people 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors American male film actors American male soap opera actors American male television actors Male actors from Delaware Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Screen Actors Guild Award winners People from New Castle, Delaware