Matt Lauria is an American performer and singer. He first appeared on television in 2007 on the NBC comedy 30 Rock. He is most recognized for his parts as Luke Cafferty on the NBC/DirecTV drama Friday Night Lights, Ryan York on the NBC family drama Parenthood, and Ryan Wheeler on the Audience drama Kingdom. In 2021, Lauria played a major role in the crime thriller show CSI: Vegas.
Early Life & Education
Matt Lauria was born on June 22, 1982, in Virginia to a father who was both an animator and an artist and a mother who was a nurse. When he was seven years old, he and his family relocated to Ireland. He grew up with two sisters.
He spent his early years in Dublin and later returned to the U.S. for high school. He studied acting at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts. He finished their drama program and got a BFA in drama.
Matt Lauria’s Career
After just a few weeks of relocating to New York City, Lauria achieved his first appearance on television as Winthrop in the NBC comedy 30 Rock. Shortly after, he secured a recurring part on the NBC romantic series Lipstick Jungle as Roy Merritt, acting alongside Brooke Shields, Andrew McCarthy, and Robert Buckley.
Lauria’s debut as the leading actor in the role of Luke Cafferty, also known as #44 of the East Dillon Lions, in the Emmy-winning drama series Friday Night Lights aired on NBC and DirecTV. In order to film the show, he relocated to Pflugerville, Texas.
He stayed on the show until its conclusion in 2011. Following his time on Friday Night Lights, Lauria relocated once again to Chicago, Illinois, where he was cast as Caleb Evers in the Fox crime series The Chicago Code. Unfortunately, the show was canceled after only one season.
Matt Lauria played the role of Charlie Carnegie alongside Shonda Rhimes’ production in the ABC drama pilot Gilded Lily. From 2012 to 2015, he also appeared as Ryan York, a war veteran from Afghanistan, in recurring episodes of the popular NBC family drama Parenthood. This gave him the opportunity to work with Jason Katims, his former showrunner from Friday Night Lights.
In the fall of 2014, he was featured as Ryan Wheeler on the DirecTV drama series Kingdom, airing on the Audience Network. He also appeared in two action thrillers in 2019, acting alongside Gina Rodriguez and Ismael Cruz Córdova in Miss Bala directed by Catherine Hardwicke, as well as in Shaft directed by Tim Story.
From 2019 to 2020, he portrayed the character of Jackson Pruitt in the TV show Tell Me A Story. In the same year, he also took on the role of Bill in Little Birds. In 2021, he starred as Josh Folsom in the popular series CSI: Vegas.
Personal Life
Matt Lauria has been married to his longtime fiancé, Michelle Armstrong. Michelle is a musician and member of the band Dame. The two first crossed paths at a Denver airport when Armstrong was just 16 years old and began dating a year later. They exchanged vows in 2006.
Net Worth
With a successful career in both television and film, Matt Lauria has made a name for himself as an actor. He has accumulated a substantial net worth, which is estimated to be more than $4 million.
