Matt Bomer facts for kids

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Quick facts for kids Matt Bomer
Bomer in 2015
Born	Matthew Staton Bomer (1977-10-11) October 11, 1977 (age 47) Webster Groves, Missouri, U.S.
Education	Carnegie Mellon University (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1994–present
Works	Roles and awards
Spouse(s)	Simon Halls (m. 2011)
Children	3

Matthew Staton Bomer (born October 11, 1977) is an American actor. He has won several awards, including a Golden Globe Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award. He has also been nominated for two Primetime Emmy Awards.

Matt Bomer started his acting career in television in 2000. He appeared in the soap opera All My Children. He earned a degree in fine arts from Carnegie Mellon University. After college, he acted in another soap opera, Guiding Light. He also appeared in primetime shows like Tru Calling.

In 2005, Bomer made his first movie appearance in the thriller Flightplan. He became more widely known in 2007 for his role in the NBC TV series Chuck. From 2009 to 2014, he was the main star of the USA Network series White Collar. In this show, he played a clever character named Neal Caffrey.

Bomer also had roles in movies like the 2011 thriller In Time. He was in the comedy-drama Magic Mike (2012) and its sequel Magic Mike XXL (2015). In 2016, he appeared in the film The Nice Guys. In 2015, he won a Golden Globe Award for his role in the TV film The Normal Heart. He also received an Emmy nomination for this role.

Matt Bomer was a guest star on the fourth season of FX's horror series American Horror Story. He then became a main cast member for its fifth season. More recently, he played Larry Trainor in the Max series Doom Patrol (2019–2023). He also starred in the miniseries Fellow Travelers (2023). For Fellow Travelers, he received more Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

On stage, Bomer performed in the play 8 on Broadway. He played Jeff Zarrillo, a person involved in a court case that changed a law in California. In 2018, he starred in a new version of the play The Boys in the Band on Broadway. He played the character Donald and later acted in the 2020 film version.

Early Life and Education
Career Highlights
Personal Life
Acting Credits and Awards
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and Education

Matthew Staton Bomer was born in Webster Groves, Missouri. His parents are Elizabeth Macy and John O'Neill Bomer IV. His father played football for the Dallas Cowboys from 1972 to 1974. Matt has a sister named Megan and a brother named Neill. Matt has said that his parents were very understanding when he was growing up. He is also a distant cousin of the singer Justin Timberlake.

Bomer grew up in Spring, Texas. He went to Klein High School. There, he was classmates with actors Lee Pace and Lynn Collins. In high school, Bomer played football before he decided to focus on acting.

When he was 17, he first appeared on stage in a play called A Streetcar Named Desire. This play was put on by the Alley Theatre in Houston. He also acted in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and Romeo and Juliet at the Utah Shakespeare Festival.

Bomer earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama from Carnegie Mellon University in 2000. Before that, in 1999, he lived in Galway, Ireland, for a year and worked as a bartender.

Career Highlights

Early Acting Roles (2000–2004)

After finishing college, Matt Bomer moved to New York City. His first TV role was in 2000 on the ABC show All My Children. He played a character named Ian Kipling. In 2002, he was a guest star in the mystery series Relic Hunter.

In 2001, he got a role on the soap opera Guiding Light. He played Ben Reade. When Bomer left the show in 2003, his character's exit was quite talked about. Years later, in 2015, Bomer mentioned that he told the show's creators to give him a challenging role, and they did.

His next role was in the drama series Tru Calling (2003–2004). He played Luc Johnston, a character who was interested in the main character, played by Eliza Dushku. In 2003, Bomer returned to theater in New York for a play called Roulette. A year later, he appeared in an episode of the TV show North Shore.

Moving to Film and White Collar (2005–2009)

Matt Bomer's first movie role was in the 2005 thriller Flightplan. He acted alongside Jodie Foster and played a flight attendant. This movie made over $223 million worldwide, making it one of the highest-earning films of that year. It is still Bomer's most successful film financially. In the film The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning (2006), Bomer played Eric, a veteran traveling across Texas.

He also acted in his first TV movie, Amy Coyne (2006). His first main role in a TV series was in Traveler (2007). This show was about two students who become suspected of terrorism. The series was short-lived and ended after eight episodes.

He had a supporting role in the NBC action-comedy series Chuck (2007–09). In 2007, Bomer played Ernest Hemingway in a play called Villa America in Massachusetts.

The year 2009 was a big moment for Bomer's career. He began starring as con artist Neal Caffrey in the crime drama series White Collar. The show first aired on August 23, 2009, on USA Network. More than 5.4 million people watched it. Critics and viewers loved the show. Los Angeles Times praised the "terrific acting" and "crackling dialogue." Bomer won a People's Choice Award in 2015 for his role. He also helped produce 19 episodes of White Collar with his co-star Tim DeKay.

Growing Recognition (2010–2015)

In 2010, Bomer was invited to sing with actress and singer Kelli O'Hara at the Kennedy Center Honors. In September 2011, Bomer starred in the play 8. This play was a re-enactment of a real court case. Bomer played Jeff Zarrillo. The play was directed by actor Joe Mantello in New York City. He also performed in the Los Angeles production in March 2012.

In 2011, Bomer was in the science fiction thriller film In Time, alongside Justin Timberlake. On April 10, 2012, Bomer made a guest appearance on the TV series Glee. He played Cooper Anderson, the older brother of character Blaine. His performance on Glee was highly praised by critics.

Bomer in 2011

For his next film, Bomer starred with Channing Tatum in the comedy-drama Magic Mike (2012). He trained with a group in Los Angeles to prepare for his role. The film was shown at the Los Angeles Film Festival in June 2012. Magic Mike was very successful with both critics and audiences, and Bomer's acting was praised. Bomer and Tatum were nominated for an award at the 2013 MTV Movie & TV Awards.

Bomer appeared in two projects in 2013. He was a guest star on the NBC sitcom The New Normal. He played Monty, the ex-boyfriend of a main character. He also provided the voice for Superman in the animated movie Superman: Unbound. This movie was based on a comic book story. His voice acting earned him an award nomination.

In 2014, Bomer was in five different projects. His first film that year was Winter's Tale, a romantic fantasy drama. Bomer played the young father of Colin Farrell's character. The film received negative reviews. His second film was the science fiction comedy Space Station 76. He played a sad engineer with a special hand.

Bomer's next big project was the drama film The Normal Heart (2014). He starred alongside Mark Ruffalo, Jim Parsons, and Julia Roberts. Bomer played a writer and the love interest of Ruffalo's character. The film showed a serious health crisis in New York City in the early 1980s. Bomer's performance was highly praised by critics. He received his first Golden Globe Award and his first Primetime Emmy Award nomination for this role.

Later in 2014, Bomer was cast in an episode of American Horror Story called "Pink Cupcakes". His appearance was described as one of the show's most surprising moments. Bomer's first film in 2015 was Magic Mike XXL, the sequel to the popular 2012 film. He again starred with Channing Tatum and Joe Manganiello. Magic Mike XXL made $122 million worldwide. Critics noted that Bomer and Manganiello had extra time to shine in the film. He also sang two songs for the movie's soundtrack. After his role in American Horror Story: Freak Show, Bomer joined the main cast of the fifth season, American Horror Story: Hotel. He played the son of Iris and the lover of the Countess.

Expanding Roles and Broadway (2016–Present)

Bomer at the 2015 San Diego Comic-Con

Bomer appeared in two films in 2016. He played a villain for the first time in the movie The Nice Guys. He played a character named John Boy. The film was directed by Shane Black and starred Ryan Gosling and Russell Crowe. The Nice Guys received good reviews and did well at the box office. His next role was in the Western action film The Magnificent Seven. He played the farmer husband of Haley Bennett's character. The film earned $162.4 million worldwide. He was also cast as Monroe Stahr in the 2016 series The Last Tycoon. This series was based on a novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald. He also made a voice-only appearance as a narrator in American Horror Story: Roanoke. This was his third time appearing in the American Horror Story series.

In 2017, he starred in the drama Walking Out. He played a father who is not close to his 14-year-old son. Bomer said he felt a strong connection to the character. Walking Out was shown at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Critics praised Bomer's performance, noting that he played against his usual "pretty boy" image very well. One critic said Bomer "gives a commanding performance."

In 2018, Bomer started working on directing an episode of the series The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story. The episode he directed was called "Creator/Destroyer" and was watched by over 1 million people. Bomer had wanted to direct for a while and studied a lot about it. He also appeared in a 2018 Broadway revival of the play The Boys in the Band. This was his first time acting on Broadway. The play won a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Play. Bomer's first film in 2018 was the science fiction film Jonathan. He played a detective in one scene.

Two of Bomer's films in 2018 premiered at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival. These were the comedy-drama Papi Chulo and the drama Viper Club. In Papi Chulo, Bomer played a TV weather forecaster. A reviewer said Bomer was "terrific" in the role. In Viper Club, Bomer played Sam, a journalist helping a mother save her kidnapped son. He also had a guest role on the NBC series Will & Grace (2018–2019). He appeared as Negative Man in the DC Universe superhero series, Doom Patrol (2019).

In 2020, Bomer played Jamie Burns on the USA Network series The Sinner. In 2023, Bomer was an executive producer and played Hawkins Fuller on the Showtime miniseries Fellow Travelers.

Bomer joined the cast of the film Maestro in March 2022. This film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. He played David Oppenheim and starred with Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan. Bomer said that working with Bradley Cooper on Maestro was a very deep experience.

In June 2024, it was announced that Bomer was cast in a new TV series called Mid-Century Modern. He will play a character similar to a Betty White character type. The series is set in Palm Springs.

Upcoming Projects

In October 2025, Bomer will co-star in Jonah Hill's film Outcome. He will act alongside Keanu Reeves, Jonah Hill, and Cameron Diaz. Filming for this movie started in March 2024.

Personal Life

Matt Bomer is married to Simon Halls. The couple has three children.

Bomer has practiced Transcendental Meditation since his early twenties. In 2013, he spoke about supporting the work of the David Lynch Foundation.

In 2018, Bomer supported Democratic candidate Beto O'Rourke in the U.S. Senate election in Texas.

Acting Credits and Awards

Some of Matt Bomer's most successful films, both with critics and at the box office, include Flightplan (2005), In Time (2011), Magic Mike (2012), Superman: Unbound (2013), The Normal Heart (2014), Magic Mike XXL (2015), The Magnificent Seven (2016), The Nice Guys (2016), and Walking Out (2017). On stage, he has appeared in a Broadway revival of The Boys in the Band (2018).

Bomer won a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Series, Miniseries or Television Film in 2015. He was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie in 2014. He also won a Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries in 2014.