Bomer had supporting roles in the 2011 thrillerIn Time, the 2012 comedy-dramaMagic Mike and its2015 sequel, and the 2016 neo-noir filmThe Nice Guys. In 2015, he won aGolden Globe Award and received a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award for playing a closeted writer in the television filmThe Normal Heart. Bomer made a guest appearance onthe fourth season ofFX's horror anthology seriesAmerican Horror Story, and was upgraded to the main cast for itsfifth season. He has since starred asLarry Trainor in theMax seriesDoom Patrol (2019–2023) and a closetedWorld War II veteran in the miniseriesFellow Travelers (2023).[1] The latter earned him further Golden Globe and Primetime Emmy Award nominations. As an executive producer ofFellow Travelers, Bomer also received a Peabody Award.[2]
Matthew Staton Bomer was born inWebster Groves, Missouri, to Elizabeth Macy (née Staton) and John O'Neill Bomer IV.[3][4] His father, aDallas Cowboys draft pick, played for the team from 1972 to 1974.[5] Matt has a sister, Megan, and a brother, Neill, who is an engineer.[4] Bomer credits his parents for being understanding when they sensed their child was slightly different from his peers. "I've always had an active imagination", says Bomer.[6] He is a distant cousin to American singerJustin Timberlake.[4][7] Bomer's family is of English, Welsh, Scottish, Irish, Swiss-German and French descent.[4]
Shortly after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University, Bomer moved to New York City. His television debut came in 2000 on theABC network, when he played Ian Kipling on the long running soap operaAll My Children.[17] Two years later he made a guest appearance in the mystery fantasy seriesRelic Hunter (2002).[18]
In 2001, he landed a contract role on the soap operaGuiding Light. He played Ben Reade, a character connected to several core families on the show.[19] When Bomer left the show in 2003, his exit was controversial; Ben was suddenly revealed to be amale prostitute andserial killer.[20] Years later in 2015, Bomer talked about his participation in the series: "I told them to just throw the kitchen sink at me, and they did."[20]
His next role was in the supernatural drama seriesTru Calling (2003–2004). Starring alongsideEliza Dushku, Bomer starred as Luc Johnston, the love interest of the protagonist of the series played by Dushku, in the first season.[21][22] In 2003, Bomer returned to theatre to star in aPowerhouse Theater production ofPaul Weitz's playRoulette in New York.[23] A year later, he appeared in the episodeBellport in the primetime TV show ofNorth Shore.
2005–2009: Transition to film and breakthrough withWhite Collar
He acted in his first television filmAmy Coyne (2006); he played the role of Case. The film tells the story of a young woman who inherits her father's sports agency.[28] His first leading role was in the seriesTraveler (2007), along withLogan Marshall-Green,Aaron Stanford andViola Davis, a short-livedmidseason replacement television series which premiered onABC on May 30, 2007, the series tells the story of two graduate students, become suspected of terrorism after a skateboarding race inside a museum.[29] The series was canceled after eight episodes.[30][31][32]
2009 marked a significant turning point in Bomer's career as he starred as thecon artistNeal Caffrey in thepolice procedural drama seriesWhite Collar.[36][37]White Collar premiered on August 23, 2009, onUSA Network and was watched by more than 5.40 million people.[38] The show was received with popular and critical acclaim.Mary McNamara of theLos Angeles Times wrote: "terrific acting, crackling dialogue and geek-hip crime are not the only things that make this the most electric drama to premiere this fall."[39] She also liked the performance of the two leads together saying they "are so easy" and "perfect together".[39] Bomer won aPeople's Choice Award at the2015 ceremony.[40] Additionally, Bomer produced 19 episodes ofWhite Collar along with costarTim DeKay.
In 2011, Bomer was cast as a 105-year-old man inAndrew Niccol's science fiction thriller filmIn Time, starring alongsideJustin Timberlake.[46] On April 10, 2012, Bomer made a guest appearance in thethird season of the television seriesGlee, playingBlaine's older brother, Cooper Anderson, a Hollywood commercials actor who comes to Lima for a visit, and while in town gives an acting masterclass to New Directions.[47] His performance onGlee received critical acclaim; criticEmily St. James ofThe A.V. Club described his performance as "absolutely fantastic."[48] Crystal Bell of theHuffington Post called his appearance "perfectly cast" and Bomer as one of her favorite guest stars.[47]
Bomer in 2011
For his next film, Bomer starred oppositeChanning Tatum inSteven Soderbergh's comedy dramaMagic Mike (2012). He studied with a group called Hollywood Men in Los Angeles to prepare for the role.[49] The film premiered as the closing film at theLos Angeles Film Festival on June 24, 2012.Magic Mike was a critical and commercial success and Bomer's performance was praised.[50] Bomer and Tatum were nominated for 'Best Musical Moment' at the2013MTV Movie & TV Awards.[51][52]
In 2014, Bomer appeared in five projects. His first release of the year,Winter's Tale, was a romantic and supernatural fantasy drama, written and directed byAkiva Goldsman, and based onMark Helprin's novelWinter's Tale.[56] Bomer plays the young father ofColin Farrell's character.[57]Winter's Tale received negative reviews.[58] His second release of the year was in the black space fiction comedySpace Station 76 byJack Plotnick, alongsideLiv Tyler andPatrick Wilson.[59] James Rocchi ofThe Wrap said; "all the performers are game" and the performance of Bomer; "as a melancholy engineer with a prosthetic hand that looks like a Nintendo Power Glove".[60]
Bomer's next project involvedRyan Murphy casting him oppositeMark Ruffalo,Jim Parsons andJulia Roberts in the drama romance filmThe Normal Heart (2014). Based onLarry Kramer'splay of the same name, it featured Bomer as a closeted writer ofThe New York Times and love interest of Ruffalo's character.[61] The film shows the rise of theHIV-AIDS crisis in New York City between 1981 and 1984, as seen through the eyes of writer/activist Ned Weeks (Ruffalo), the founder of a prominent HIV advocacy group.[61] The production ofThe Normal Heart stopped for a few months while he was on a diet.[62] Bomer's performance was praised by a reviewer forThe Hollywood Reporter, who considered his acting as the highlight of the production.[63] Matthew Gilbert ofThe Boston Globe praised that Bomer is: "quite simply, devastating in this movie, his beauty adding resonance because it begins to fade so suddenly, as his cheeks protrude and lesions gather." Gilbert also lauded the chemistry between Bomer and Ruffalo saying that: "is among the movie's strengths, too, as it provides the core of love and compassion amid all the acrimony."[64] Bomer received his firstGolden Globe Award in theBest Supporting Actor category and his firstPrimetime Emmy Awards nomination.[65][66]
In 2017, he starred in Alex & Andrew Smith's dramaWalking Out, as an estranged father to a 14-year-old son (played byJosh Wiggins). He said that he related to the character "in a profound way."[6]Walking Out was screened in the U.S. Dramatic Competition section of the2017 Sundance Film Festival and was released on October 6, 2017.[82]Justin Chang ofLos Angeles Times noted that he "steps confidently into the boots of a rugged, know-it-all mountain man whose idea of tough love can turn unexpectedly toward tenderness around a flickering campfire."[83] David Ehrlich ofIndieWire stated that Bomer fortunately plays against his "pretty boy type so convincingly that you might forget where you've even seen him before",[84] concluding that Bomer "gives a commanding performance in a movie that fails to realize how evocative he is, the Smiths defaulting to flashbacks that show us less about cowboys and gender codes than we can glean from the wild look in its lead actor's face.[84]The Village Voice included his performance in the film in a list of the 17 Most Overlooked Performances of 2017.[85]
Timothy McNeil's dramaAnything marked Bomer's final film release of 2017 and McNeil making his feature directorial debut.[86] Bomer was cast as Freda Von Rhenburg, a transgender sex worker who lives in Los Angeles and begins a relationship with her neighbor, Early Landry (played byJohn Carroll Lynch).[86]Anything is based on McNeil's play of the same name.[86] He has received some criticism from thetransgender community for the casting of acisgender man, to play atransgender woman.[87][88] Jon Frosch ofThe Hollywood Reporter felt that Bomer: "gives a performance of real warmth and delicacy," saying that: "rather than play Freda as a force of nature or a collection of mannerisms—the typical default modes of actors playing trans women—Bomer renders her fully dimensional: an unpredictable tangle of impulses, by turns defensive and tender."[89]Anything had its release at theLos Angeles Film Festival on June 17, 2017.[90] Also in 2017, Bomer was a guest narrator atDisney's Candlelight Processional.[91]
In 2018, Bomer began working on his directorial debut on seriesThe Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story.[92] Written byTom Rob Smith and starringJon Jon Briones andDarren Criss, in the roles of father and son, respectively,[92] the episode that Bomer directs is titled "Creator/Destroyer".[92] The episode was watched by more than 1 million people.[93] Bomer had other opportunities to direct before but always wanted to wait for the optimum chance to immerse himself in a project.[92] He read 3,000 pages of books on directing.[92] He found a part in a 2018 revival of theMart Crowley playThe Boys in the Band, which was staged atBooth Theatre and marked hisBroadway debut.[94] Directed byJoe Mantello, it tells the story a group of gay men who gather for a birthday party in New York City.[95] Theater critic Michael Sommers noted that "Matt Bomer tends to fade in the glare of flashier personalities, but he lends the character a watchful quality as one of those deferential souls who is content to observe others."[95] The play won aTony Award for Best Revival of a Play.[96] Bomer's first film in 2018 was Bill Oliver's science fiction filmJonathan.[97] His role was that of a detective who appears in only one scene of the film.[97]Jonathan had its world premiere at theTribeca Film Festival on April 21, 2018.[98]
Two of Bomer's films in 2018 premiered at the43rd Toronto International Film Festival—the comedy-dramaPapi Chulo and the dramaViper Club. In the former, Bomer plays Sean, a local network television weather forecaster.[99] A reviewer forScreen Daily argued that Bomer is "terrific" and concluded that "while he may not yet have the name recognition to act as a key selling point for this film, it's the kind of performance which gets noticed".[99] InViper Club, Bomer played Sam, a journalist who helps Helen (played bySusan Sarandon), to save her son who was kidnapped by a group of terrorists.[100][101] He had a guest starring role on theNBC seriesWill & Grace (2018–2019)[102] and he also appeared asNegative Man in theDC Universe superhero series,Doom Patrol (2019).[103]
Bomer joined the cast of theAcademy Award for Best Picture nominated filmMaestro in March 2022 where he played the role ofDavid Oppenheim and starred alongsideBradley Cooper andCarey Mulligan.[107] On the shooting experience, Bomer said "Even though my part in 'Maestro' was smaller, Bradley (Cooper) was so collaborative with me from the get-go. It was such an immersive experience. It had (a profound impact). It was a way of working that I'm really grateful that I got to be exposed to."[108]
Bomer has been noted for his looks and is regarded as asex symbol.BuddyTV ranked him first on its list of "TV's Sexiest Men of 2011" and third in 2012.[113][114] In June 2013, Bomer was ranked at no. 2 onLogo's Hot 100 list, which is based on the votes of readers ofAfterEllen.com andtheBacklot.com. Bomer was the list's highest-ranked man and second only toJennifer Lawrence.[115][116]
Bomer is an LGBT rights activist.[117] He publiclycame out as gay in 2012, when he thanked his partner and their children during an acceptance speech for his Steve Chase Humanitarian Award.[118][119] Also in 2012, Bomer was given an Inspiration Award for his work at theGLSEN Awards.[120][121]
Bomer married publicist Simon Halls in 2011; the marriage became public through the media in 2014.[122][123] In an interview discussing his marriage, Bomer said that his marriage to Halls was a very small event in New York City: "It was very chill and very small—just our closest and dear ones. There is a security, a validity. It's just a feeling, I think—something about saying vows in front of the people around you who love and support you. I think it was good for our family."[124][125] The couple has three children throughsurrogacy, one born in 2005 and twins born in 2008.[126][118]
According to the review aggregation websiteRotten Tomatoes and box-office websiteThe Numbers, Bomer's most critically and commercially successful films includeFlightplan (2005),In Time (2011),Magic Mike (2012),Superman: Unbound (2013),The Normal Heart (2014),Magic Mike XXL (2015),The Magnificent Seven (2016),The Nice Guys (2016) andWalking Out (2017).[130][131] Among his stage roles, he has appeared in a Broadway revival ofThe Boys in the Band (2018).[132]
^"Celebrity Meditators".TM UK Blog. Archived fromthe original on May 18, 2015. RetrievedMay 16, 2015.I like to meditate, Transcendental Meditation usually. I took it up in my early 20s and I learned the benefits. I try to do it every day.
