Matthew Goode | |
|---|---|
 Goode at the2014 Toronto Film Festival | |
| Born | Matthew William Goode (1978-04-03)3 April 1978 (age 46) |
| Alma mater | University of Birmingham |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 2002–present |
| Spouse | Sophie Dymoke |
| Children | 3 |
| Relatives | Sally Meen (half-sister) |
Matthew William Goode (born 3 April 1978) is a British actor.[2] Goode made his screen debut in 2002 withABC's television filmConfessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
His breakthrough role was in the romantic comedyChasing Liberty (2004), for which he received a nomination at theTeen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Movie Star – Male. He then appeared in a string of supporting roles in films, such asWoody Allen'sMatch Point (2005), the romantic comedyImagine Me and You (2006), and the period dramaCopying Beethoven (2006). He earned praise for his performances as Charles Ryder in the2008 film adaptation of the novelBrideshead Revisited and asOzymandias in the superhero filmWatchmen (2009). He then starred in the romantic comedyLeap Year (2010) and Australian dramaBurning Man (2011), the latter earning him a nomination for Best Actor at theFilm Critics Circle of Australia Awards.
His other film roles includeThe Lookout (2007),A Single Man (2009),Cemetery Junction (2010),Stoker (2013),Belle (2013),The Imitation Game (2014) andSelf/less (2015). Goode has also appeared in television series, including as Henry Talbot in thehistorical dramaDownton Abbey, Finley "Finn" Polmar in the legal dramaThe Good Wife and a music journalist in the dramaDancing on the Edge. In 2017, Goode portrayedAntony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in the second season of the biographical drama seriesThe Crown, for which he received aPrimetime Emmy Award nomination forOutstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.[3] From 2018–2022, Goode starred in the fantasy romance series,A Discovery of Witches. In 2022, he starred as famedParamountstudio headRobert Evans inThe Offer, a miniseries about the making of the classic 1972 gangster filmThe Godfather.
Goode was born on 3 April 1978 inExeter,Devon.[4][5] His father, Anthony, was a geologist and his mother, Jennifer, is a nurse and amateur theatre director. Goode is the youngest of five children with a brother, two half-brothers, and a half-sister, television presenter Sally Meen, from his mother's previous marriage. He grew up in the village ofClyst St. Mary, near Exeter.[6] Goode was educated atExeter School, an independent school in Exeter, Devon,[7] followed by theUniversity of Birmingham and London'sWebber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.
Goode played Peter Lynley, the brother of Inspector Lynley in the BBC productionInspector Lynley Mysteries: A Suitable Vengeance and co-starred in the TV filmConfessions of an Ugly Stepsister, based on theGregory Maguirenovel of the same name andWilliam Shakespeare's playThe Tempest. In 2004, Goode made his American film debut oppositeMandy Moore in the romantic comedyChasing Liberty.
Goode co-starred inWoody Allen's thrillerMatch Point, oppositeJonathan Rhys Meyers andScarlett Johansson, Ol Parker's romantic comedyImagine Me & You, oppositePiper Perabo andLena Headey, the TV filmMy Family and Other Animals, oppositeImelda Staunton, the biographical-musical dramaCopying Beethoven, oppositeEd Harris andDiane Kruger andScott Frank's crime dramaThe Lookout oppositeJoseph Gordon-Levitt. He had a whimsical take on Brooke Burgess in the BBC miniseriesHe Knew He Was Right based uponAnthony Trollope'snovel of the same name.
In 2008, Goode starred as Charles Ryder in the drama filmBrideshead Revisited, based onEvelyn Waugh'snovel of the same name.[8] In 2009, Goode co-starred inZack Snyder's superhero filmWatchmen asOzymandias/Adrian Veidt, and co-starred oppositeColin Firth in the drama filmA Single Man, based onChristopher Isherwood'snovel of the same name. In 2010, he co-starred oppositeAmy Adams in the romantic comedyLeap Year.
In 2013, Goode played the lead in theBBC Two dramaDancing on the Edge, as magazine columnist Stanley Mitchell. That same year, he co-starred oppositeMia Wasikowska andNicole Kidman in thepsychological thriller filmStoker.
Also in 2013, Goode co-starred asGeorge Wickham oppositeMatthew Rhys in the three-part BBC murder mystery miniseriesDeath Comes to Pemberley, based on P. D. James'novel of the same name, a sequel toJane Austen'sPride and Prejudice.[9] In 2014, he appeared in the historical thrillerThe Imitation Game asHugh Alexander, a BritishSecond World Warcryptanalyst and chess champion.[10]
In March 2014, Goode joined the cast of theCBS legal dramaThe Good Wife as Finley "Finn" Polmar, a state prosecutor.[11][12] Replacing Will Gardner during the fifth season, he made his debut in the 15th episode, "Dramatics, Your Honor", in whichJosh Charles's character was killed off.[13][14][15] In May 2015, Goode leftThe Good Wife after the sixth season's finale.[16]
In 2014, Goode co-starred in theITV dramaDownton Abbey during the Season 5 Christmas special "A Moorland Holiday" as Henry Talbot.[17] He returned toDownton Abbey in October 2015 beginning in the fourth episode of the sixth season. Goode also made a brief appearance in theDownton Abbey film which was released in 2019.[18]
After appearing in multiple films in the mid-2010s, he appeared in 2016'sAllied. He began working on WGN's production ofRoadside Picnic series based on theStrugatsky novel in autumn 2016, but the pilot was cancelled.[19] That year, he presentedITV'sThe Wine Show withJoe Fattorini andMatthew Rhys.
In 2017, Goode began production on a television adaptation ofDeborah Harkness's bestselling All Souls trilogy forSky One in theUnited Kingdom. The show, titledA Discovery of Witches, takes its title from the series'first book. He plays the lead role of Professor Matthew Clairmont, an Oxfordmolecular biologist andvampire.[20] The show was first broadcast in the UK on 14 September 2018, and has been renewed for two more series based on the strength of its first airing in the United Kingdom where it was consistently the network's most-watched show each week for its 8-episode run. Goode starred in the prequel toMatthew Vaughn'sKingsman series, entitledThe King's Man, portraying Captain Morton / The Shepherd. Set in the 20th century, prefacingWorld War I, the film was released in December 2021.[21][22]
Goode is married to Sophie Dymoke. They have three children: two daughters and a son. The family live inSurrey, England.[20][23]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2002 | Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister | Caspar | Television film | |
| 2003 | Bounty Hamster | Various | ||
| The Inspector Lynley Mysteries | Peter Lynley | Episode: "A Suitable Vengeance" | ||
| 2004 | He Knew He Was Right | Brooke Burgess | 2 episodes | |
| 2005 | Agatha Christie's Marple | Patrick Simmons | Episode: "A Murder Is Announced" | |
| My Family and Other Animals | Larry Durrell | Television film | ||
| 2012 | Birdsong | Captain Gray | Lead role, 2 episodes | |
| The Poison Tree | Rex Clarke | Lead role, 2 episodes | ||
| 2013 | Dancing on the Edge | Stanley Mitchell | Lead role, 6 episodes | |
| Death Comes to Pemberley | George Wickham | Lead role, 3 episodes | ||
| The Vatican | Bernd Koch | Television film | ||
| 2014–2015 | The Good Wife | Finley "Finn" Polmar | Main role (Seasons 5–6), 28 episodes | |
| 2014–2015 | Downton Abbey | Henry Talbot | Guest role (Season 5), Main role (Season 6), 7 episodes | |
| 2016 | The Wine Show | Himself | Co-host withMatthew Rhys | |
| Roots | Dr. William Waller | Lead role, 2 episodes | ||
| 2017 | The Crown | Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon | Main role (Season 2) 3 episodes | |
| 2018 | Ordeal by Innocence | Philip Durrant | Lead role, 3 episodes[24] | |
| 2018–2022 | A Discovery of Witches | Matthew de Clairmont | Lead role, 25 episodes | |
| 2022 | The Offer | Robert Evans | Miniseries | |
| 2025 | Department Q | Carl Morck | Filming[25] |
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Teen Choice Awards | Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star | Chasing Liberty | Nominated | |
| Choice Movie Liar | Nominated | ||||
| 2012 | Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards | Best Actor | Burning Man | Nominated | |
| 2013 | Australian Film Critics Association | Best Actor | Nominated | ||
| Australian Film Institute | Best Actor | Nominated | |||
| 2014 | Fangoria Chainsaw Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Stoker | Won | |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film | Dancing on the Edge | Nominated | ||
| San Diego Film Critics Society | Best Performance by an Ensemble | The Imitation Game | Nominated | ||
| 2015 | Palm Springs International Film Festival | Ensemble Cast Award | Won | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Nominated | |||
| 2017 | Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series | Downton Abbey | Nominated | |
| 2018 | Primetime Emmy Awards | Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series | The Crown | Nominated | |
| 2023 | Critics' Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries | The Offer | Nominated |
