# Matt Ross (actor)

Matthew Brandon Ross (born January 3, 1970) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Alby Grant on the television series Big Love (2006–11) and Gavin Belson on Silicon Valley (2014–19), as well as his performances in the films The Last Days of Disco (1998), American Psycho (2000), and The Aviator (2004). He wrote and directed the 2016 comedy-drama film Captain Fantastic.

## Early life and education

Ross was born on January 3, 1970 in Greenwich, Connecticut. He spent most of his childhood growing up in Eagle Point, Oregon. His parents divorced when he was young, and Ross was raised in what he described as "alternative living situations". These experiences partly inspired his 2016 film Captain Fantastic. His mother became interested in the Waldorf education philosophy and Ross spent time in England while his mother worked towards a teaching credential in Waldorf education. He attended the Juilliard School.

## Career

Ross garnered critical acclaim for his role as Alby Grant in the HBO series Big Love for five seasons. He also played Eddie Scott in the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2011 and 2015, he played Charles Montgomery in the first and fifth seasons of FX's anthology series American Horror Story.
His feature film directorial debut, 28 Hotel Rooms, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Before that, Ross made seven short films, including The Language of Love, which premiered at a prior Sundance festival. Ross subsequently wrote and directed the feature film Captain Fantastic, starring Viggo Mortensen, for which he won the Un Certain Regard Prize for Best Director at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Mortensen's performance in the film earned multiple accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

## Personal life

He is married to the writer Phyllis Grant, with whom he has two children: Isabel "Bella" and Dashiell "Dash" Ross.

## Filmography
### Film

Short film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
| 1997 | The Language of Love | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2009 | Human Resources | Yes | Yes | Yes | Also editor and cinematographer |
Feature film
| Year | Title | Director | Writer |
| 2012 | 28 Hotel Rooms | Yes | Yes |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Yes | Yes |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1993 | Little Cory Gory | Larry |
| 1994 | PCU | Raji |
| 1995 | 12 Monkeys | Bee |
| 1996 | Ed's Next Move | Eddie Brodsky |
| 1997 | Face/Off | Agent Loomis |
| 1997 | Buffalo Soldiers | Captain Calhoun |
| 1998 | You Are Here | Kid in Grocery Store |
| 1998 | Homegrown | Ben Hickson |
| 1998 | The Last Days of Disco | Dan Powers |
| 1999 | Pushing Tin | Ron Hewitt |
| 2000 | American Psycho | Luis Carruthers |
| 2000 | Company Man | Danny |
| 2001 | Just Visiting | Hunter Cassidy |
| 2001 | Dust | Stitch |
| 2003 | Down with Love | J.B. |
| 2004 | The Aviator | Glenn Odekirk |
| 2005 | Good Night, and Good Luck | Eddie Scott |
| 2006 | Last Holiday | Mr. Adamian |
| 2007 | Turn the River | David Sullivan |

### Television

| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer | Notes |
| 2018–2019 | Silicon Valley | Yes | No | 2 episodes |
| 2022 | Gaslit | Yes | Yes | Miniseries |
Acting roles
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 1997 | Party of Five | Aaron Hughes | Episode: "Life's Too Short" |
| 1997 | Oz | Officer Anthony Nowakowski | Episode: "A Game of Checkers" |
| 1997 | A Deadly Vision | The Killer | Television film |
| 1999 | Third Watch | Leonard | Episode: "History of the World" |
| 2002 | Stephen King's Rose Red | Emery Waterman | 3 episodes |
| 2003 | Touched by an Angel | Pete | Episode: "The Root of All Evil" |
| 2003 | Six Feet Under | Daniel Showalter | Episode: "You Never Know" |
| 2003 | Just Shoot Me! | Adam | Episode: "My Fair Finchy" |
| 2005 | Bones | Neil Meredith | Episode: "The Girl in the Fridge" |
| 2006 | CSI: Miami | Paul Burton | Episode: "Silencer" |
| 2006 | Invasion | Vince | Episode: "The Fittest" |
| 2006 | Numb3rs | Joel Hellman | Episode: "Provenance" |
| 2006–2011 | Big Love | Alby Grant | 49 episodes |
| 2010 | CSI: Crime Scene Investigation | Charlie DiMasa | Episodes: "Irradiator" and "Meat Jekyll" |
| 2011 | American Horror Story: Murder House | Charles Montgomery | 6 episodes |
| 2012–2013 | Magic City | Jack Klein | 14 episodes |
| 2013 | Revolution | Titus Andover | 4 episodes |
| 2013 | Ring of Fire | Johnny Cash | Television film |
| 2014–2019 | Silicon Valley | Gavin Belson | 37 episodes |
| 2015 | American Horror Story: Hotel | Charles Montgomery | Episode: "Room 33" |

## Awards and honors

| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Deauville American Film Festival Jury Prize | Won |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Deauville American Film Festival Audience Award | Won |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Best Director | Won |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Seattle International Film Festival Golden Space Needle Audience Award – Best Film | Won |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Variety's "Ten Directors to Watch 2016" | Honor |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Nantucket Film Festival Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature | 2nd Place |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Pravo Audience Award | Won |
| 2016 | Captain Fantastic | Rome Film Festival People's Choice Award | Won |