Matt Battaglia

In his youth, Matt Battaglia was a successful athlete; in high school, he was the captain of both the wresting and football team. He went on to attend university on a football scholarship, and from there to play professionally in the National Football League. He played there for two years before it was discovered he had a broken bone in his neck, ending his football career suddenly.

Soon after, he embarked on a career as an actor, landing his first role on two episodes of the popular television program "B.L. Stryker," which starred Burt Reynolds as a charismatic private detective. From there, he continued to successfully leverage his athleticism and rugged good looks to land more jobs playing athletes, cops, soldiers, and other action roles.

He played a cop on David Lynch's surreal TV drama "Twin Peaks" in 1989, a pilot on the Navy program "JAG" in 1996, and closeted gay football player Drew Boyd on nine episodes of the drama "Queer as Folk" in 2004 and 2005. He has appeared in over 70 TV shows and films. In addition to acting, Battaglia has begun to venture into production with his company, Matt Battaglia Productions.

After his mother died of cancer in 1993, he cofounded the philanthropic organization "The Mint Jubilee" along with his partners, Tommy and Chris Thienemen. The organization hosts one of the most prestigious charity events in the world and has helped raised millions of dollars for cancer research.