Matthew Gray Gubler biography

Synopsis

Early Life

Actor. Matthew Gray Gubler was born on March 9, 1980, in Las Vegas, Nevada. His father, John Gubler, is an attorney, and his mother, Marilyn Kelch Gubler, is a rancher, political consultant, and former chair of the Nevada Republican Party. Gubler attended the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts and majored in drama. However, he says that he had no intention of becoming an actor—he merely thought that theater class was fun and that acting might help him develop public speaking skills that would be useful in another career. "My friends and I joked that our major at the academy was Acting Not As an Occupation 101," he remembered. "I thought it would help me become a lawyer or something, help me speak in public. That's how I looked at that school."

Despite his initial ambivalence, Gubler excelled at acting and starred in many plays at the prestigious school that is also the alma mater of R&B star Ne-Yo and actress Rutina Wesley. "I was in Picnic at the academy, and The Importance of Being Earnest, and I also got to play The Cat in the Hat and The Mad Hatter, two of my favorite fictional psychopaths," Gubler recalled. "Those were fun shows. I miss those. I wish I could go back." Nevertheless, he still never imagined acting as a profession. He said, "I never thought I'd be making a living off of acting—it's still kind of a shock for my family and friends to see my face on TV every Wednesday night."

After graduating from the Las Vegas Academy in 1998, Gubler enrolled at the University of California at Santa Cruz. However, he soon transferred to New York University's Tisch School of the Arts to study filmmaking and directing. He graduated in 2002 and almost immediately after was spotted walking down the street by a modeling agent who stopped him and asked if he was interested in pursuing a modeling career. According to Gubler, who does not consider himself especially good looking, the agent saw potential in him only because at that time "emaciated weirdos who look like Muppets" were in vogue as male models. Nevertheless, over the next two years Gubler quickly became one of the most sought-after male models in New York City. He appeared in print ads and runway shows for such prestigious fashion designers as Marc Jacobs, Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Tommy Hilfiger, Sisley, and Kate Spade.

Acting Career

In spite of his highly successful modeling career, Gubler never gave up on making films. In 2004, while continuing to work as a model, he took an internship with screenwriter and director Wes Anderson.