Matthew Cowles | |
|---|---|
 Cowles and Jennifer West in the play Malcolm in 1966. | |
| Born | September 28, 1944 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | May 22, 2014 (aged 69) New York City, U.S. |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1969–2014 |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 2, including Lily Cowles |
| Parent | Chandler Cowles (father) |
Matthew Cowles (September 28, 1944 – May 22, 2014) was an American actor and playwright.
The son of actor and theatre producer Chandler Cowles, he was born in New York City.[1]
In 1966 Cowles played the title role in Edward Albee's short-lived adaptation of James Purdy's comic novel Malcolm on Broadway at the Shubert Theatre.[2]
In 1968, he appeared with Al Pacino and John Cazale in Israel Horovitz's The Indian Wants the Bronx.[3]
In 1983, Cowles joined The Mirror Theater Ltd's Mirror Repertory Company for their first repertory season, performing in Paradise Lost, Rain, Inheritors, and The Hasty Heart.[4]
Cowles' first television part was Joe Czernak in the series NYPD in 1969. He was nominated for a Daytime Emmy as Outstanding Actor in a Daytime Drama Series in 1978 and as Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Daytime Drama Series in 1981, both for his part as Billy Clyde Tuggle in All My Children, a role that he created and wrote.[5]
Cowles' first film was the comedy drama Me, Natalie (1969) in which he played Harvey Belman. Al Pacino also made his debut in this film.
In 2010, Cowles played a supporting role in Martin Scorsese's film Shutter Island.
Cowles also starred in three short plays for the public radio show and podcast Playing on Air.[6][7][8][9]
In 1983, he married actress Christine Baranski with whom he had two daughters, Isabel (born 1984) and Lily (born 1987). In a New York Times profile of his wife, he was described as "the black sheep member of a family with ties to Cowles publishing and Drexel banking".[10] He was an enthusiastic motorcycle rider.[5]
Cowles was a devout Catholic[11] and taught religious education at the Church of the Nativity.[12]
Matthew Cowles died from congestive heart failure on May 22, 2014.[13]
