I Still Know

Background:

“Matthew has dynamic yet very mysterious traits. His charisma projects pure youth and vitality.” Film producer Stokely Chaffin on Matthew Settle

Boosted as the “new Tom Cruise,” American actor Matthew Settle first came to the attention of moviegoers playing Jennifer Love Hewitt's misleadingly perfect college friend, Will Benson, in the installment thriller “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” (1998), from which he gained a legion of fans. Since then, he has acted in many motion pictures such as “U-571” (2000), “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” (2002), “Rancid” (2004), “The Celestine Prophecy” (2006) and “Beneath” (2007). Making his TV debut in the unsold pilot “Shaughnessy” (1996), the 5' 11” performer is probably most recognized for his television work, most notably the miniseries “Band of Brothers” (HBO, 2001) and “Into the West” (TNT, 2005), from which he shared a Bronze Wrangler Award, and the fact-based film “Crime in Connecticut: The Return of Alex Kelly” (CBS, 1999). In addition, he has played recurring roles in “ER” (2002), “Practice” (2003) and “Brothers & Sisters” (2006), and is now playing Rufus Humphrey in the CW drama “Gossip Girl” (2007-?).

As of July 2006, Settle is married to wife Naama Nativ.

Son of A Preacher

Childhood and Family:

Jeffrey Matthew Settle, later dropped his first name when he began his showbiz career, was born on September 17, 1969, in Hickory, North Carolina. The youngest of six children of a clergyman, he and his family relocated to Sevierville, Tennessee in 1983, when his father took a pastorate there. At the time, Matthew was 14 years old. He was educated at Seymour Community Christian Academy, a private Christian school in Seymour, Tennessee.

Matthew Settle, whose nickname is Mattie Boy, was married to Naama Nativ in July 2006.

Into the West

Career:

North Carolina native Matthew Settle left his home and family in Tennessee to try his luck in music in New York when he was 19 years old. He played in a rock band, but was soon kicked off. This unpleasant experience made him realized that he had talents in other fields. Supporting himself by selling seafood and meat in Long Island, Settle started to attend acting classes with money borrowed from friends. He then headed to Hollywood to pursue an acting career.

After some stage experience, Settle hit the small screen for the first time in 1996 when he was cast as an Irish immigrant named Tommy Shaughnessy in the failed pilot “Shaughnessy.” He followed it up with a costarring role opposite Kate Jackson and Drew Ebersole on his first TV film, the CBS drama “What Happened to Bobby Earl?” (1997). There, he played an ambitious young man who is involved with older woman and his titular best friend disappears because of this. The same year, he also portrayed Det. Max Seagle in the ABC mystery “A Deadly Vision,” also starring Kristin Davis and Peter Boyle, and Green Lantern in the pilot for “Justice League of America,” opposite Miguel Ferrer and David Ogden Stiers.

“There are very few actors that have star quality-that draw you in with something that separates them from the rest. Because I have been making so many movies with young adult actors, I've seen every kid out there. After a while, everyone starts melting together. But when we auditioned Matthew, he jumped right out at us like a young Tom Cruise.” Producer Neal H. Moritz on Matthew Settle

Settle's first break arrived when he won the role of Will Benson on the teen horror sequel “I Still Know What You Did Last Summer” (1998), starring Jennifer Love Hewitt and Freddie Prinze Jr.. As Hewitt's college student friend with a virulent secret, the handsome actor was introduced to a wider audience and collected a loyal fan base. The Neal H. Moritz-produced marked Settle's feature acting debut.

The dark-haired player made a brief return to television after his big screen success. He was cast along side Richard Dreyfuss, Eric Roberts and Anthony LaPaglia in the HBO biopic “ Lansky,” which earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Cinematography for a Miniseries or a Movie, and had the titular role of a rapist in the CBS based-on-fact-TV-film “Crime in Connecticut: The Return of Alex Kelly” (both 1999). After the latter film, Settle's profile increased, thanks to the prominent of the event and subsequent concern surrounding the project.

2000 proved to be a banner year for Settle with three high-profile film roles under his belt. First, he was featured as Ensign Larson in the ensemble of the World War II submarine movie “U-571,” opposite Matthew McConnaughey, Bill Paxton, Harvey Keitel and Jon Bon Jovi. He then costarred with Susan Ward and Lori Heuring in the Mary Lambert-helmed drama/thriller “The In Crowd,”playing a gallant tennis pro named Matt, before starring as a writer/radio advice show host whose ex-girlfriend is hazardously obsessed with him in the Toronto-screened black comedy “Attraction,” along side Gretchen Mol and Tom Everett Scott.

Although “The In Crowd” and “Attraction” were both commercial and critical disappointments, “U-571” did help Settle land a prominent role as Capt. Ronald Speirs in the HBO Golden Globe Award-winning miniseries “Band of Brothers” (2001), which was produced by Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks. Among his costars in the acclaimed show were Damian Lewis, Donnie Wahlberg, Ron Livingston and avid Schwimmer. Settle stated, “When you do a Spielberg project, you realize that more than you being in a Spielberg film or being a part of something that's got his name on it is that it's probably going to be a cultural contribution, and that's when it takes on a life of its own.”

Back to America after shooting the project in London, Settle took on recurring roles on such hit series as NBC's “ER” (2002, as Brian Westlake) and Fox's “Practice” (2003, as Russell Bakey), and appeared as Lt. Jack Whitman, the love interest of Ashley Judd, in the Sandra Bullock comedy/drama film “Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood” (2002). In 2004, he served as a host at the documentary series “Decisive Battles,” played Warren Beatty in the TV-film biopic “The Mystery of Natalie Wood,” starring Justin Waddell in the title character, costarred with Ann-Margret in telepic “A Place Called Home” and had roles in the motion pictures “Until the Night” and “Rancid,” an action/crime where he starred as James Hayson.

Settle shared some success in the following year when he led a immense and skilled cast in the Steven Spielberg-produced miniseries “Into the West” (2005), about the beginning of the American West from the clearly dissimilar vantage points of two families, one of white settler and one of Native Americans. Aired on the TNT, the western series received a number of awards and nominations, including one 2006 Bronze Wrangler for Outstanding Television Feature Film. On what attracted him in doing the miniseries, he explained, “My first thought was about the hardships the people suffered. So finding a way to bring my character to life in that world was a challenge and very difficult but enjoyable.”

After guest starring in “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” (2005), he starred opposite Thomas Kretschmann in the based-on-novel adventure film “The Celestine Prophecy” (2006) and appeared as Jonathan Sellers in five episodes of the first season of the ABC family drama series “Brothers & Sisters” (also 2006). In 2007, the industrious actor teamed up with Alicia Witt and Scott Bakula for the drama made-for-TV-film “Blue Smoke,” adapted from a novel by Nora Roberts, and played the supporting role of John in horror/thriller movie “Beneath,” directed by Dagen Mereill. He also guested in two episodes of “The Wedding Bells,” as Michael Madison.

Currently, Settle plays Rufus Humphrey, an ex-rocker who now owns a gallery and father of two girls, on the new CW drama/comedy series “Gossip Girl” (2007-?), opposite Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen, Leighton Meester as Blair Waldorf, Penn Badgley as Dan Humphrey and Chace Crawford as Nate Archibald, among others.

Awards:

• Western Heritage: Bronze Wrangler, Outstanding Television Feature Film, “Into the West,” 2006