Matthew Modine

Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker. He shared the Venice Film Festival’s Volpi Cup for Best Actor as part of the ensemble cast of Robert Altman’s film Streamers (1983). He went on to play lead roles in several high-profile films throughout the 1980s, including Birdy (1984), Vision Quest (1985), and Married to the Mob (1988). He gained further prominence for playing U.S. Marine James T. “Joker” Davis in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987). 

Other notable films include Pacific Heights (1990), Short Cuts (1993), Cutthroat Island (1995), The Dark Knight Rises (2012), and Oppenheimer (2023). On television, he portrayed Dr. Don Francis in the HBO film And the Band Played On (1993), Sullivan Groff on Weeds (2007), Ivan Turing in Proof (2015), and Dr. Martin Brenner on Netflix’s Stranger Things (2016–2022).

Modine has been nominated twice for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for his work in And the Band Played On and What the Deaf Man Heard and received a special Golden Globe for him and the rest of the ensemble in Short Cuts. He was also nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for And the Band Played On.

Known For

The Dark Knight Rises Not in library

The Dark Knight Rises

2012

Stranger Things Not in library

Stranger Things

2016

Stranger Things Not in library

Stranger Things

2016

Oppenheimer Not in library

Oppenheimer

2023

Full Metal Jacket Not in library

Full Metal Jacket

1987

The Simpsons Not in library

The Simpsons

1989

Notting Hill Not in library

Notting Hill

1999

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Not in library

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

1999

Sicario: Day of the Soldado Not in library

Sicario: Day of the Soldado

2018

Transporter 2 Not in library

Transporter 2

2005

Acting

2027 Godzilla x Kong: Supernova
2026 Protector as Colonel Joseph Lavelle In Library
2025 Zero Day as Richard Dreyer (6 episodes)
2025 The Better Sister as Bill Braddock (8 episodes)
2024 Hard Miles as Greg Townsend
2023 Accidental Truth: UFO Revelations as Narrator (voice)
2023 Retribution as Anders Muller
2023 The Martini Shot as Steve
2023 Oppenheimer as Vannevar Bush
2023 My Love Affair with Marriage as Bo (voice)
2023 100 Years of Warner Bros. as Self (2 episodes)
2021 Against the Current as Narrator
2021 Wrong Turn as Scott Shaw
2021 Breaking News in Yuba County as Karl Buttons
2021 Operation Varsity Blues: The College Admissions Scandal as Rick Singer
2020 Guardians of Life
2020 Chance as Coach Mike
2019 Miss Virginia as Congressman Cliff Williams
2019 Foster Boy as Michael Trainer
2019 Alan Pakula: Going for Truth as Self
2018 Sicario: Day of the Soldado as Secretary of Defense James Riley
2018 Backtrace as MacDonald
2018 Speed Kills as George Bush
2018 Filmworker as Self
2017 47 Meters Down as Taylor
2017 The Hippopotamus as Michael Logan
2016 The Confirmation as Kyle
2016 How to Grow Up Despite Your Parents as Bob Riley
2016 Army of One as Dr. Ross
2016 Revengeance as Sid
2016 Stranger Things as Dr. Martin Brenner (19 episodes)
2016 Stranger Things as Dr. Martin Brenner (archive footage) (1 episode)
2015 Unity as Narrator (voice)
2015 The Heyday of the Insensitive Bastards as Theodore Foster
2015 The Brainwashing of My Dad as Himself - Narrator
2015 Merry Xmas as Abe
2015 Proof as Ivan Turing (10 episodes)
2014 How Bizarre: The Story of an Otara Millionaire as Self
2014 Altar as Alec
2014 Guests as Theodore Foster
2014 Kubrick Remembered as Self
2014 Late Night with Seth Meyers as Self (1 episode)
2013 Jobs as John Sculley
2013 Family Weekend as Duncan Dungy
2013 CAT. 8 as Dr. Michael Ranger (2 episodes)
2012 The Dark Knight Rises as Foley
2012 Girl in Progress as Dr. Harford
2011 Too Big to Fail as John Thain
2011 Adventures in Plymptoons! as Self
2011 Jesus Was a Commie as Himself
2010 The Trial as Mac
2010 Mulberry St. as Self
2009 Sex and Lies in Sin City as Ted Binion
2009 Little Fish, Strange Pond as Mr. Jack
2009 PoliWood as Self
2008 Garden of Eden as David's Father
2008 Go Go Tales as Johnie Ruby
2008 Cowboy as Cowboy
2008 I Think I Thought as Joe
2008 Santa: The Fascist Years as Narrator (voice)
2007 Have Dreams, Will Travel as Ben's Father
2007 The Neighbor as Jeff
2006 Kettle of Fish as Mel
2006 The Bedford Diaries as Jake Macklin (8 episodes)
2005 Transporter 2 as Jefferson Billings
2005 Mary as Tony Childress / Jesus
2005 Opa! as Eric
2005 Odyssey in Rome
2005 Into the West as Samson Wheeler (6 episodes)
2005 Weeds as Sullivan Groff (15 episodes)
2004 Funky Monkey as Alec McCall
2004 Hollywood North as Bobby Myers
2004 The Winning Season as Honus Wagner
2004 The Tony Danza Show as Self - Guest (1 episode)
2003 Overnight as Self
2003 Le Divorce as Tellman
2003 Hitler: The Rise of Evil as Fritz Gerlich (2 episodes)
2002 Redeemer as Paul Freeman
2002 World Birth Day as Self - Narrator(voice)
2001 In the Shadows as Eric
2001 Nobody's Baby as Sonny
2001 The Shipment as Mitch Garrett
2001 Stanley Kubrick: A Life in Pictures as Self
2001 Jack and the Beanstalk: The Real Story as Jack Robinson (2 episodes)
2000 Flowers for Algernon as Charlie Gordon
2000 Bamboozled as Himself
2000 Very Mean Men as Bartender
1999 Any Given Sunday as Dr. Ollie Powers
1999 If... Dog... Rabbit as Johnnie Cooper
1999 Notting Hill as Actor (uncredited)
1999 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit as Gordon Rickett (1 episode)
1999 The West Wing as Marco Arlens (1 episode)
1998 The Real Blonde as Joe
1998 Saturday Night Live: The Best of Phil Hartman as Self
1998 The American as Christopher Newman
1998 Surviving the Dust Bowl as Lawrence Svobida (voice)
1998 So Graham Norton as Self - Guest (1 episode)
1997 The Blackout as Matty
1997 The Maker as Walter Schmeiss
1997 What the Deaf Man Heard as Sammy Ayers
1997 Ecce Pirate as Narrator
1995 Cutthroat Island as William Shaw
1995 Fluke as Thomas P. Johnson / Voice of Fluke
1995 Bye Bye Love as Dave Goldman
1995 Lo + plus as Self - Guest (1 episode)
1994 Jacob as Jakob
1994 The Browning Version as Frank Hunter
1994 American Cinema as Self (1 episode)
1993 Short Cuts as Dr. Ralph Wyman
1993 And the Band Played On as Dr. Don Francis
1993 Luck, Trust & Ketchup: Robert Altman in Carver Country as Self
1993 The Tree as Boy as Middle-Aged Man / Boy as Old Man
1992 Wind as Will Parker
1992 Equinox as Henry Petosa / Freddy Ace
1990 Pacific Heights as Drake Goodman
1990 Memphis Belle as Dennis Dearborn
1990 The Lemon Sisters as Wild Bill Hamer
1989 Gross Anatomy as Joe Slovak
1989 The Simpsons as Dr. Stern (voice) (1 episode)
1988 Married to the Mob as Mike Downey
1988 The Gamble as Francesco Sacredo
1988 LIVE with Kelly and Mark as Self - Guest (3 episodes)
1987 Full Metal Jacket as Pvt. Joker
1987 Orphans as Treat
1985 Vision Quest as Louden Swain
1984 Birdy as Birdy
1984 Mrs. Soffel as Jack Biddle
1984 The Hotel New Hampshire as Chip Dove / Ernst
1983 Streamers as Billy
1983 Private School as Jim Green
1983 Baby It's You as Steve
1982 Amy and the Angel as Randy
1975 Saturday Night Live as Self - Host (1 episode)
1951 Hallmark Hall of Fame as Sammy Ayers (1 episode)
Michael Caton-Jones: This Broxburn Boy's Life as Self
A Modern Art Masterpiece: The Untold Story of Full Metal Jacket as Self

Directing

2023 I Am What You Imagine Director
2016 Super Sex Director
2011 Jesus Was a Commie Director
2011 The Winsor McCay Resurrection Project Director
2008 Cowboy Director
2008 I Think I Thought Director
1999 If... Dog... Rabbit Director
1997 Ecce Pirate Director
1993 When I Was a Boy Director

Writing

2023 I Am What You Imagine Writer
2021 Against the Current Writer
2016 Super Sex Writer
2015 Merry Xmas Writer
2011 Jesus Was a Commie Writer
2011 The Winsor McCay Resurrection Project Writer
2008 Cowboy Writer
2008 I Think I Thought Writer
1999 If... Dog... Rabbit Writer
1997 Ecce Pirate Writer
1993 When I Was a Boy Writer

Production

2026 Protector Producer In Library
2024 I Hope This Helps! Executive Producer
2023 Downwind Producer
2023 My Love Affair with Marriage Executive Producer
2022 The Fuse Executive Producer
2016 Super Sex Producer
2016 Revengeance Executive Producer
2015 The Brainwashing of My Dad Producer
2015 Last Days of Coney Island Executive Producer
2011 Jesus Was a Commie Executive Producer
2010 The Trial Producer
2009 Little Fish, Strange Pond Executive Producer
2008 I Think I Thought Producer
2006 Kettle of Fish Executive Producer
1997 Ecce Pirate Post Production Coordinator
1997 Ecce Pirate Producer
1997 Ecce Pirate Casting
1993 When I Was a Boy Casting
1993 When I Was a Boy Producer
Keepers of the Wild Executive Producer
A Modern Art Masterpiece: The Untold Story of Full Metal Jacket Producer

Sound

1997 Ecce Pirate Music Supervisor
1997 Ecce Pirate Supervising Sound Editor
1993 When I Was a Boy Music Supervisor

Camera

1997 Ecce Pirate Camera Operator

Editing

1993 When I Was a Boy Editor

Art

1997 Ecce Pirate Set Decoration
1993 When I Was a Boy Art Direction

Costume & Make-Up

1997 Ecce Pirate Costume Supervisor

Crew

2019 Red Ink Thanks
1997 Ecce Pirate Cinematography