# Matt Whelan

Matt Whelan (born 1985) is a New Zealand actor and comedian. Whelan is known for his roles as Brad Caulfield in the New Zealand television comedy-drama programme Go Girls. He has also played Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in the Amazon Original series American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. Whelan played DEA agent Van Ness in the third season of Netflix original series Narcos.

## Early life

Whelan was born to a primary school teacher mother and a high school teacher father. He was raised with his three siblings in Christchurch, Canterbury on the South Island of New Zealand. He attended Lincoln High School. He took up an offer to study at Hagley Theatre Company, fostering a love for acting. He had originally intended to pursue a career in radio production.
Whelan later graduated from Toi Whakaari: New Zealand Drama School, one of New Zealand's most prestigious drama schools located in Wellington. Completing a Bachelor of Performing Arts in acting in 2007, immediately upon graduating he joined the cast of Show of Hands, performing alongside Melanie Lynskey.

## Career

In 2009, he landed a recurring role as Brad Caulfield in the first season of TVNZ 2 comedy-drama series, Go Girls. He became a series regular from seasons 2-4. He won the Best Supporting Actor award for his performance at the 2010 New Zealand film and television awards.
In 2011, he starred alongside Michelle Ang in My Wedding and Other Secrets, a New Zealand romantic comedy film. In 2014, he starred as Zach, the male lead in a Silo Theatre production of Amy Herzog's Belleville.
In April 2017, it was revealed Whelan would be playing the role as Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner, in the 2017 Amazon original docu-series, American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. The ten-episode series, chronicles the Playboy founder's life, the rise of the magazine and unveils never-before-seen footage from his private archives. Whelan met with Hefner during the filming of the show. It was released just before Hefner's 91st birthday and was partly filmed in Auckland.
After featuring in larger acting roles and gaining popularity playing Hefner in 2017, Whelan landed a role in the third season of Netflix original series, Narcos. Whelan played Daniel van Ness, a young DEA agent partnered with Chris Feistl (played by Michael Stahl-David), who go to Cali, Colombia after the death of Pablo Escobar under the order of Javier Peña (played by Pedro Pascal) in hopes of taking down the Cali Cartel.
In 2020, he starred alongside Rachel Lefevre in the New Zealand-Canadian television mystery drama series, The Sounds. In the same year he appeared in The Luminaries, a miniseries based on the Eleanor Catton novel of the same name.
In 2024, he began starring in A Remarkable Place to Die alongside Rebecca Gibney and Chelsie Preston Crayford. The Queenstown-set crime drama series, is a co-production between TVNZ and Australia's Nine Network. In the same year he starred in the Australian survival thriller film, We Bury the Dead. The Tasmania-set film premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival in November 2024.

## Personal life

He currently lives in Taranaki, in the west of New Zealand's North Island.

## Filmography
### Film

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007 | Eagle vs Shark | Kissing Boy | |
| 2008 | Show of Hands | Matt | |
| 2011 | My Wedding and Other Secrets | James | |
| 2012 | The Most Fun You Can Have Dying | Michael | |
| 2014 | 3 Mile Limit | Richard | |
| 2015 | 25 April | John Persson | Narrated documentary |
| 2017 | Pork Pie | Noah | |
| 2017 | Gary of the Pacific | Nelson | |
| 2023 | The Tank | Ben | |
| 2024 | We Bury the Dead | Mitch | Post-production |

### Television

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2007–2008 | My Story | Regan | |
| 2009–2012 | Go Girls | Brad Caulfield | 49 episodes |
| 2013 | Top of the Lake | Little Shane | Episode: "No Goodbyes Thanks" |
| 2014 | Coverband | Alex | 6 episodes |
| 2016 | Of Kings and Prophets | Mattiyahu | Episode: "Offerings of Blood" |
| 2016 | Stake Out | Salesman | Episode: "Salesmans" |
| 2017 | American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story | Hugh Hefner | 10 episodes |
| 2017 | Narcos | Daniel van Ness | 9 episodes |
| 2018 | Wanted | Alistair Poussin | 2 episodes |
| 2019 | The Brokenwood Mysteries | Jack Rudd | Episode: "A Real Page Turner" |
| 2020 | The Luminaries | Cowell Devlin | 6 episodes |
| 2020 | The Sounds | Tom Cabbott | Main role |
| 2021 | My Life Is Murder | Connor Farrow | Episode: "Wild Life" |
| 2021–2023 | Under the Vines | Ben | 5 episodes |
| 2023 | The Gone | Mayor Ken Armstrong | 6 episodes |
| 2024-present | A Remarkable Place to Die | Simon Delaney | Series regular |

### Theatre

| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2014 | Belleville | Zach | Silo Theatre production by Amy Herzog |

## Awards

* 2010 New Zealand film and television awards – Best Performance by a Supporting Actor – Go Girls