Matt Lauria made a name for himself as one of those performers in TV dramas with a believable manner of acting. Those who are familiar with shows produced by Hollywood will agree that in many cases, he tends to create interesting characters whose portrayal seems realistic. As a matter of fact, when it comes to sportsmen, military personnel, fighters, lawmen, and other similar characters that he has played, it becomes apparent how realistic the performer looks playing those roles. Therefore, Lauria managed to establish himself as a steady player on the television stage, which creates a unique feeling for viewers familiar with television series with interesting characters.

Biography and career path

Matt Lauria is originally from Virginia, where he was born in 1982. From the very beginning, it is obvious what kind of artist Lauria is. He never tended to attract attention through showy or exaggerated roles, preferring instead roles that require attention to detail. Moreover, being an effective performer on television is not enough if one is not patient, which is what Lauria has learned through his work in TV drama over the years.

Lauria began appearing on screen in the first season of the ensemble series Lipstick Jungle, released in 2008. It was obvious that despite not being immediately recognizable to the general public, Lauria could develop skills which would help him play various roles over the course of his career.

His reputation started to become well-known because of Friday Night Lights—an ensemble TV drama that received critical acclaim from television fans. There Lauria played a role that completely fit the Friday Night Lights style: the character was athletic and ambitious; however, he was quite ordinary and fragile at the same time and thus could be easily played by Matt Lauria. Lauria played Luke Cafferty in Friday Night Lights (2009–2011), which made this performance one of his best and most recognizable ones.

Roles played

  • Lipstick Jungle (2008)
  • Friday Night Lights (2009–2011)
  • Kingdom (2014–2017)
  • CSI: Vegas (2021)

The rise and breakthrough on television

Being chosen to play in a TV series is what makes a great performer known to an audience, and the case of Friday Night Lights showed that Lauria could appear in one of the most popular TV shows on network television at that time. Friday Night Lights is famous for its natural speech patterns, the honest emotional state of its characters, and the realistic location and atmosphere. Lauria did not make Luke ordinary, but instead brought hesitancy, devotion, and the natural pressure typical of a teenage athlete in Friday Night Lights.

After this role, Lauria moved in TV from one production to another, showing variety as well as keeping some traits of a performer, making him suitable for drama series based on relations and tensions among the main characters.

Then the actor was chosen to appear in Kingdom, where his role of Ryan Wheeler was one of the key roles. Kingdom is a series that deals with the fighter world and includes themes of family, devotion, and addiction. Ryan Wheeler in Kingdom (2014–2017) showed yet another of Lauria's strengths — he had to play a tough and vulnerable man at the same time, and Lauria managed to succeed in that.

What really makes Lauria stand out among his peers is the fact that the actor changes formats with ease, keeping his uniqueness as an artist, performing in ensemble dramas on cable and network TV as well as participating in franchise-based television productions. For instance, in CSI: Vegas (2021), Lauria played Josh Folsom in a crime TV universe as part of this series. For this sort of acting work, Lauria's traits as a performer are perfect: a natural appearance with a realistic behavior pattern.

Consistent and believable presence on the screen

As for Matt Lauria, his career is a perfect example of how an actor can earn respect as one of those who create a screen world full of realism and believability. As stated above, Lauria prefers roles of ordinary men who seem capable and sure of themselves at first sight, but they reveal themselves as uncertain, pressured, or loyal later on. This kind of approach helps create a believable atmosphere in the ensemble in which Lauria works together with other artists. It is rare that such a performer is supposed to take roles requiring exaggerated acting; Lauria's skills are the ones that allow him to perform roles requiring believability.

This kind of manner makes audiences remember an actor like Lauria because viewers always notice and recognize those artists who help make the world of television drama believable. Thus, Lauria's career as a performer on screen turned out to be steady rather than showy.