Matthew Lawrence

2025-09-29T11:12:07Z

2601:147:4003:4C40:E8B4:A771:CABD:9AAF: Commas

{{short description|American actor and singer (born 1980)}}
{{about other people|the actor born in 1980|Matthew Lawrence or Matt Lawrence|Matt Lawrence (disambiguation){{!}}Matt Lawrence}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox person
| image = Matthew Lawrence Photo Op GalaxyCon Raleigh 2023.jpg
| caption = Lawrence at [[GalaxyCon]] Raleigh in 2023
| name = Matthew Lawrence
| birth_name = Matthew William Mignogna
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1980|02|11}}
| birth_place = [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]], U.S.
| years_active = 1984–present
| occupation = {{csv|Actor|singer}}
| spouse = {{marriage|[[Cheryl Burke]]|2019|2022|end=divorced}}
| relatives = {{ubl|[[Joey Lawrence]] (brother)|[[Andrew Lawrence (actor)|Andrew Lawrence]] (brother)}}
| other_names = {{csv|Matt W. Lawrence|Matthew Mignogna}}
}}
'''Matthew Lawrence''' (born '''Matthew William Mignogna'''; February 11, 1980)<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.statesman.com/story/news/2013/02/11/todays-birthdays-monday-february-11/9835460007/ | title=Today's birthdays: Monday, February 11 }}</ref> is an American actor, podcaster and singer, widely known for his roles in ''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]'', ''[[Boy Meets World]]'', ''[[Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad]]'', and ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]''. Lawrence also starred in the series ''[[Brotherly Love (1995 TV series)|Brotherly Love]]'' with his real-life brothers [[Joey Lawrence|Joey]] and [[Andrew Lawrence (actor)|Andrew]].

==Early life==
Lawrence was born in [[Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]] to Donna Lynn (''née'' Shaw), a personnel manager and former elementary school teacher, and Joseph Lawrence Mignogna Jr., an insurance broker.<ref>{{cite magazine |url=https://people.com/archive/a-method-to-his-doofus-vol-39-no-10/|title=A Method to His Doofus |first=Tom|last=Gliatto|magazine=[[People (magazine)|People]]|date=March 15, 1993|access-date=September 23, 2011|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121020064723/http://www.people.com/people/article/0,,20109971,00.html|archive-date=October 20, 2012}}</ref> His family's surname was changed to Lawrence from Mignogna when he was a toddler. The middle-born of three boys, he has two brothers, [[Joey Lawrence|Joey]] and [[Andrew Lawrence (actor)|Andrew]], both of whom are also actors.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://heavy.com/entertainment/2016/03/joey-matthew-andrew-lawrence-girlfriend-wife-brothers-andy-hollywood-medium/|title=Joey, Matthew & Andrew Lawrence on 'Hollywood Medium'|first=Lauren|last=Weigle|date=March 14, 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bustle.com/articles/142309-where-are-the-lawrence-brothers-now-these-90s-heartthrobs-are-still-making-their-mark|title=Where Are The Lawrence Brothers Now?|first=Amy|last=Mackelden|date=February 16, 2016 }}</ref> Lawrence attended classes at [[Abington Friends School]].

==Career==
Lawrence began acting in the mid-1980s, playing [[Danny Carrington]] in ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''. He studied acting at [[HB Studio]]<ref>[https://hbstudio.org/about-hb-studio/alumni/ HB Studio Alumni]</ref> in New York City. He continued as a child actor through the early 1990s, appearing in many television and feature film roles, including the [[Robin Williams]] comedy ''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]'' (1993) and the mid-1990s television series ''[[Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad]]''. In addition, he maintained starring roles in ''[[Brotherly Love (1995 TV series)|Brotherly Love]]'', which starred his real life brothers, and in ''[[Boy Meets World]]'' in which he played Jack Hunter. Lawrence also appeared alongside [[Christopher Lloyd]] in ''[[Angels in the Endzone]]'' and starred in the Disney English dub version of ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]'' with [[Kirsten Dunst]] and [[Phil Hartman]] in 1998.

In 2011, Lawrence guest-starred on his brother's sitcom, [[Freeform (TV channel)|ABC Family]]'s ''[[Melissa & Joey]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvguide.com/News/Matthew-Lawrence-Joey-1023973.aspx= |title=Exclusive: Matthew Lawrence Joins Brother Joey on ''Melissa & Joey'' |website=TV Guide |access-date=October 5, 2010}}</ref>

In 2015, he reprised his role as Jack Hunter in the series ''[[Girl Meets World]]'', a spin-off/sequel of ''Boy Meets World''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inquisitr.com/2146743/girl-meets-world-spoilers-matthew-lawrence-returning-as-jack-hunter/|title=''Girl Meets World'' Spoilers: Matthew Lawrence Returning As Jack Hunter|date=June 5, 2015 |publisher=Inquisitr}}</ref>

Lawrence competed on the twenty-fourth season of ''[[Worst Cooks in America]]'', the show's seventh celebrity edition titled ''That{{'}}s So {{'}}90s'', which aired in April and May 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Knolle |first1=Sharon |last2=Lash |first2=Jolie |title=''Worst Cooks in America Celebrity Edition: That's So 90s'' Cast |url=https://www.thewrap.com/worst-cooks-in-america-90s-cast-jodie-sweetin/ |website=TheWrap |access-date=March 16, 2022 |date=March 16, 2022}}</ref>

In February 2023, the three Lawrence brothers launched a podcast, titled ''Brotherly Love'', centered around rewatches of the sitcom. It was launched through PodCo, a podcast studio launched by actress [[Christy Carlson Romano]] and focused on rewatches of completed television series by their former actors.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hailu |first=Selome |date=2023-02-06 |title='Wizards of Waverly Place,' 'Even Stevens,' 'Ned's Declassified' Rewatch Podcasts to Launch From Christy Carlson Romano's PodCo (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2023/tv/news/wizards-of-waverly-place-even-stevens-rewatch-podcast-1235512535/ |access-date=2023-05-09 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref>

In 2025, Lawrence competed in [[The Masked Singer (American TV series) season 13|season thirteen]] of ''[[The Masked Singer (American TV series)|The Masked Singer]]'' as "Paparazzo" which resembles a camera-headed figure that features a lightbulb that flashes randomly on his mask. He was eliminated in "Lucky 6: Merging of The Masks".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2025/tv/news/the-masked-singer-season-13-episode-9-recap-paparazzo-1236369567/|title='The Masked Singer' Reveals Identity of Paparazzo: Here Is the Celebrity Under the Costume|website=Variety|first=Michael|last=Schneider|date=April 16, 2025|access-date=April 17, 2025}}</ref>

==Music career==
Lawrence's singing debut was in 1986, when he and his brother Joey performed at the 1986 [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]]. He sang at the 1991 Macy's Parade as well. Other musical performances can be found on two ''[[Gimme a Break!]]'' episodes, "Nell's Secret Admirer" and "The Window; Part 1"; two ''Brotherly Love'' episodes, "A Roman Holiday" and "Art Attack"; and on ''Boy Meets World''. In the 2021 film ''Mistletoe Mixup'', he performed "[[O Holy Night]]" with his brothers Joey and Andrew. Lawrence also played guitar on several of his earlier performances.

In 2017, Matt started a band with Joey and Andy called Still Three. That February, they released their debut single "Lose Myself".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://people.com/tv/matthew-lawrence-joey-andy-brothers-where-are-they-now/|title=From 'Brotherly Love' to Growing Up: Where Are the Lawrence Brothers Now?}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Lawrence briefly dated his ''Boy Meets World'' co-star [[Danielle Fishel]].<ref>[https://www.popsugar.com/celebrity/matthew-lawrence-dating-49053405 Prior to His Romance With Chilli, Matthew Lawrence Dated These Other Stars]</ref> He was engaged to [[Heidi Mueller]] from 2004 to 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.metacritic.com/person/heidi-mueller?filter-options=tv|title=Heidi Mueller|website=Metacritic|date=January 25, 1998 }}</ref> He began dating professional dancer [[Cheryl Burke]] in February 2007 and remained in a relationship with her until their breakup in 2008. The pair reunited in 2017 and became engaged on May 3, 2018.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=http://ew.com/tv/2018/05/04/dwts-cheryl-burke-engaged-matthew-lawrence/|title='DWTS' pro Cheryl Burke is engaged|magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref> On May 23, 2019, they wed in [[San Diego|San Diego, California]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cnn.com/2019/05/24/entertainment/cheryl-burke-matthew-lawrence-married/index.html|title='DWTS' pro Cheryl Burke marries Matthew Lawrence|last=Respers France|first=Lisa|work=[[CNN]]|date=May 24, 2019|access-date=June 27, 2019}}
</ref> On February 23, 2022, after a prolonged estrangement exacerbated by [[COVID-19]], it was reported that Burke filed for divorce.<ref>{{citation|url=https://people.com/tv/cheryl-burke-matthew-lawrence-divorce-after-nearly-3-years-marriage/|title=Cheryl Burke Files for Divorce from Matthew Lawrence After Nearly 3 Years of Marriage|last=Jackson|first=Dory|work=People|date=February 24, 2022|access-date=February 24, 2022}}</ref> On September 19, 2022, the divorce was finalized.<ref>{{citation|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2022-09-21/dancing-with-the-stars-cheryl-burke-and-ex-matthew-lawrence-finalize-divorce|title=Cheryl Burke, Matthew Lawrence finalize divorce|work=The LA Times|date=September 21, 2022|access-date=November 1, 2022}}</ref> In
late 2022, Lawrence began dating [[Rozonda Thomas|Chilli]] of the R&B group [[TLC (group)|TLC]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.vulture.com/2023/01/tlc-chilli-matthew-lawrence-dating.html|title=Chilli and Matthew Lawrence Are Matching-Footie-Pajamas Official|first=Zoe|last=Guy|publisher=Vulture |date=January 3, 2023|access-date=January 4, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=DeSantis |first=Rachel |date=January 4, 2023 |title=TLC's Chilli Shares Post About 'Perfect Timing' amid New Matthew Lawrence Romance |url=https://people.com/music/tlc-chilli-shares-post-about-perfect-timing-amid-new-matthew-lawrence-romance/ |access-date=January 4, 2023 |website=People}}</ref>

In April 2023, Lawrence revealed in a ''Brotherly Love'' podcast episode that he was sexually harassed by a director involved in a [[Marvel Studios|Marvel]] production and was fired by his agency when he walked out of the hotel room they were in.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Murphy |first=J. Kim |date=2023-04-29 |title=Matthew Lawrence: 'My Agency Fired Me' After I Refused to 'Take My Clothes Off for an Award-Winning Director' |url=https://variety.com/2023/film/news/matthew-lawrence-agency-fired-marvel.}}</ref>

==Filmography==
===Film===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1987
| ''[[Planes, Trains and Automobiles]]''
| Neal Jr.
|
|-
| 1988
| ''[[Pulse (1988 film)|Pulse]]''
| Stevie
|
|-
| 1990
| ''[[Tales from the Darkside: The Movie]]''
| Timmy
|
|-
| 1993
| ''[[Mrs. Doubtfire]]''
| Christopher "Chris" Hillard
|
|-
|rowspan=3|1998
| ''[[All I Wanna Do (1998 film)|The Hairy Bird]]''
| Dennis
| AKA, ''All I Wanna Do''
|-
| ''[[Rusty: A Dog's Tale]]''
| Rusty the Dog (voice)
|
|-
| ''[[Kiki's Delivery Service]]''
| Tombo (voice)
| Disney English dub
|-
| 1999
| ''Family Tree''
| Mark Musser
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2000
| ''Glow''
| Jeremy
|
|-
| ''[[Boltneck]]''
| Frank Stein
|
|-
|rowspan=2|2002
| ''[[Cheats (film)|Cheats]]''
| Victor
|
|-
| ''[[The Hot Chick]]''
| Billy
|
|-
| 2006
| ''Monster Night''
| Brock
| Video
|-
| 2007
| ''[[The Comebacks]]''
| Lance Truman
|
|-
| 2008
| ''[[Trucker (film)|Trucker]]''
| Scott
|
|-
| 2009
| ''Creature of Darkness''
| Lance
|
|-
| 2011
| ''[[Fort McCoy (film)|Fort McCoy]]''
| Dan Griffin
|
|-
| 2013
| ''My Santa''
| Chris
|
|-
|-
| rowspan=2|2020
| ''The Office Mix-Up''
| Greg
|
|-
| ''[[Money Plane]]''
| The Cowboy
|
|-
| 2022
| '' Double Threat''
| Jimmy
|
|}

===Television===
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Year
! Title
! Role
! class="unsortable" | Notes
|-
| 1984–1985
| ''[[Dynasty (1981 TV series)|Dynasty]]''
| [[Danny Carrington]]
| 3 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|1985
| ''[[Sara (U.S. 1985 TV series)|Sara]]''
| Jesse Webber
| Recurring role
|-
| ''[[ABC Afterschool Special]]''
| Matt
| Episode: "Don't Touch"
|-
| 1986–1987
| ''[[Gimme a Break!]]''
| Matthew Donovan
| Main role
|-
| 1988
| ''[[David (1988 film)|David]]''
| [[Dave Dave|David Rothenberg]]
|rowspan=3|Television film
|-
| 1989
| ''Wilfrid's Special Christmas''
| Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
|-
|rowspan=2|1990
| ''Joshua's Heart''
| Joshua
|-
| ''[[Lifestories: Families in Crisis]]''
|
| Episode: "The Hawkins Family"
|-
|rowspan=2|1991
| ''The Summer My Father Grew Up''
| Timmy
|rowspan=2|Television film
|-
| ''[[Daddy (1991 film)|Daddy]]''
| Sam Watson
|-
| 1991–1994
| ''[[Blossom (American TV series)|Blossom]]''
| Young Joey
| 3 episodes
|-
|rowspan=2|1991–1992
| ''[[Drexell's Class]]''
| Walker
| rowspan=2|Main role
|-
| ''[[Walter & Emily]]''
| Zach Collins
|-
| 1992
| ''With a Vengeance''
| Phillip Barcetti
| Television film
|-
| 1994–1995
| ''[[Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad]]''
| Michael Samuel "Sam" Collins / Servo
| Main role
|-
| 1995
| ''[[Bringing up Jack]]''
| Ryan McMahon
| 6 episodes
|-
| 1995–1997
| ''[[Brotherly Love (1995 TV series)|Brotherly Love]]''
| Matt Roman
| Main role
|-
|rowspan=2| 1996
| ''Brothers of the Frontier''
| Aaron Frye
| Television film
|-
| ''[[Adventures from the Book of Virtues]]''
| [[Tom Sawyer]] (voice)
| Episode: "Work"
|-
| 1997
| ''[[Angels in the Endzone]]''
| Jesse Harper
| Television film
|-
| 1997–2000
| ''[[Boy Meets World]]''
| [[List of Boy Meets World characters#Jack Hunter|Jack Hunter]]
| Main role
|-
|rowspan=2|1999
| ''[[H-E Double Hockey Sticks]]''
| Dave Heinrich
|rowspan=4|Television film
|-
| ''[[Horse Sense]]''
| Cowboy at Airport (uncredited)
|-
| 2000
| ''Girl Band''
| Mike
|-
| 2001
| ''[[Jumping Ship]]''
| Jake Hunter
|-
| 2003
| ''[[CSI: Miami]]''
| Chuck Shaw
| Episode: "Hard Time"
|-
| 2004
| ''[[Boston Public]]''
| Billy Deegan
| Episode: "Chapter 80"
|-
| 2011–2014
| ''[[Melissa & Joey]]''
| Tony Longo
| 4 episodes
|-
| 2011
| ''Inside Carly''
| Jim
| Unknown episodes
|-
| 2014
| ''The Dog Who Saved Easter''
| Will
| Television film
|-
|rowspan=2|2015
| ''[[Workaholics]]''
| Coast Guard Guy
| Episode: "Dorm Daze"
|-
| ''[[Girl Meets World]]''
| Jack Hunter
| Episode: "Girl Meets Semi-Formal"
|-
| 2019
| ''[[Hawaii Five-0 (2010 TV series)|Hawaii Five-0]]''
| Josh Baker
| Episode: "Hapai ke kuko, hanau ka hewa"
|-
| 2021
| ''Mistletoe Mixup''
| Austin Wright
| Television film
|-
| 2022
| ''[[Worst Cooks in America]]''
| Himself
| Contestant
|-
| 2024
| ''[[NCIS (TV series)|NCIS]]''
| Danny Butler
| Episode: "In From the Cold"
|-
| 2025
| ''[[The Masked Singer (American TV series)|The Masked Singer]]''
| Himself/Paparazzo
| Contestant
|}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|0492932}}
* {{Instagram|matthewlawrence}}
* [http://soundcloud.com/user-250903878 Still 3] on [[SoundCloud]]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lawrence, Matthew}}
[[Category:1980 births]]
[[Category:20th-century American male actors]]
[[Category:21st-century American male actors]]
[[Category:American male child actors]]
[[Category:American male film actors]]
[[Category:American male television actors]]
[[Category:American male voice actors]]
[[Category:American people of English descent]]
[[Category:American people of Italian descent]]
[[Category:American people of Scottish descent]]
[[Category:American Quakers]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Male actors from Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania]]
[[Category:University of Southern California alumni]]

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Matthew Lawrence