Matthew Marsden (born March 3, 1973, in West Bromwich, West Midlands, England) is an English actor. He is probably best known his roles of Dr. Jack Byron in Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid and Bill Natolly in Tamara. He will be seen next in the upcoming movies Resident Evil: Extinction, DOA: Dead or Alive and John Rambo.
Marsden's father walked out on him and his family when he was ten years old, and subsequently remarried. Marsden and his sister were brought up by their mother and after leaving school he tried out as a footballer for West Bromwich Albion, but was rejected. During this time he decided to take up acting and joined the National Youth Theatre. Marsden then enrolled at university where he studied music and drama.
Whilst at university, Marsden made ends meet by working on his uncle's market stall selling shoes at Birmingham Market. He then found work as a model and became famous for featuring in an advertisement for Impulse body spray. He was very much in demand and was even asked to escort Madonna to the 1995 BRIT Awards, although he declined the invitation.
Marsden's acting break came in 1995 when he joined the cast of the ITV soap opera, Emmerdale, playing the upper-crust Daniel Weir, lover of Linda Golver. He remained in the role for six months before leaving to play the role of surfer Philip Kennedy in Island. Matthew also dressed in drag when he appeared in the film Les Soeurs Soleil (The Sun Sisters).
On 3 March 1997 he joined the cast of the successful soap opera Coronation Street as mechanic Chris Collins and he remained with the series until 29 March 1998. Marsden quickly became one of the soap's top pin-ups and during this time he was besieged by fan mail and was also voted Best Newcomer at the National Television Awards. Following his departure from Coronation Street, Marsden decided on a change of direction and a fleeting career as a pop star followed. He signed a record deal with Columbia Records and released his debut single in July 1998 called The Hearts Lone Desire, which reached number 13 in the UK singles chart. He followed with a second single, She's Gone (a cover of Daryl Hall's soul classic) with his label-mates Destiny's Child providing backing-vocals, which made the Top 30 in the UK singles chart. A third single and an album were recorded, however Marsden and his record company parted by mutual consent and they were never released.
Marsden has since returned to acting. He portrayed Paris in the USA networks mini-series Helen of Troy; Army Ranger Dale Sizemore in Ridley Scott's blockbuster film Black Hawk Down and he also starred opposite Michael Caine in John Irvin's feature Shiner for Miramax Films. He went on to star in Anacondas: The Hunt for the Blood Orchid (the sequel to Anaconda), and he also starred in Tamara, a supernatural thriller by Final Destination screenwriter Jeffrey Reddick. His most recent appearance was in the 2006 film DOA: Dead or Alive , will appear in the upcoming movie Resident Evil Extinction and opposite Sylvester Stallone in "John Rambo" which is scheduled for a 2008 release.
Marsden has been romantically linked with the singer Dannii Minogue and Heavenli Abdi from the British girl group, Honeyz — he was the reason she quit the band in 1999, in order to spend more time with him. He is now a happily married father of two.
Singles
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