Matthew Marsden

Matthew Marsden (born 3 March 1973) is an English actor, producer, martial artist and singer. In the United States he is best known as a film actor, having appeared in Helen of Troy, Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid, Tamara, Resident Evil: Extinction, Rambo, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Atlas Shrugged. --- Marsden was born in Sandwell General Hospital, West Bromwich, Staffordshire and brought up on the Yew Tree Estate, Walsall. His father abandoned the family when Matthew was ten years old and he and his sister were brought up by their mother, Ann. He was a pupil of Manor High School, Wednesbury, before leaving to go to Dartmouth High School in Great Barr. After leaving school he took up acting and joined the National Youth Theatre. He later found work as a model in London with "Models 1", Paris with "Men of Karin" and Milan with "Beatrice" and featured in commercials for products such as Jacobs Coffee, Punica, Vimto and Impulse body spray. Marsden has since commented "I was at college in London and when you're a struggling student it doesn't take a genius to work out that it's easier to model for a few hours each week and earn thousands of pounds than work in a bar for a pittance. But I hated doing it really." After nearly two years of modelling he decided to get an agent, and found work as an actor. His acting break came in 1995 when he joined the cast of the ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, playing the upper crust Daniel Weir, lover of Linda Glover. He remained in the role for three months before the character was written out. He went on to play the role of surfer Philip Kennedy in Island — a Jersey-based ITV mini series. Marsden also dressed in drag when he appeared in the Jeannot Szwarc French film Les Soeurs Soleil (The Sun Sisters). opposite Jean Reno, Christian Clavier and Thierry Lhermitte. --- Marsden lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Nadine Micallef, a Maltese former ballerina and pilates instructor, whom he married in 2005. He is father to four children: a son (from a pre-marital relationship) and three children with his wife. He is a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, a PADI divemaster, and an avid fan of West Bromwich Albion.