Barry Watson

Michael Barrett "Barry" Watson (born April 23, 1974) is an American actor known for his roles of Matt Camden on 7th Heaven, Brian Davis in What About Brian, Todd Deepler in Samantha Who? and Lachlan Murdoch in The Loudest Voice.

Early life Watson, the third of four children, was born in Traverse City, Michigan. His father worked as an attorney and his mother as a paralegal. At the age of eight, his family moved to Dallas, Texas. Watson was fourteen when his parents divorced. When he was fifteen, he moved to Burbank, California, where he immediately landed a six month contract on the soap opera Days of Our Lives. After his contract ended, Watson moved back to Texas, and graduated from Richardson High School in 1992.

Career Watson had guest spots in several television series such as Baywatch and Sister, Sister. Eventually he was chosen for a minor role on the Aaron Spelling series Malibu Shores. Though his role was brief, it led him to Aaron Spelling's next project, 7th Heaven.

It was on The WB's 7th Heaven that Watson finally gained much recognition for his portrayal as Matt Camden. Watson said in 2016 that his mindset at the time was one of wanting to get paid despite his unsureness in the project or why the people involved wanted him to participate in the first place. He stopped being a full-time regular after the sixth season, mainly due to his cancer diagnosis, but continued in a recurring and guest star status on the show until its 10th season. In his break from acting on 7th Heaven, he was brought in to write an episode by series creator and producer Brenda Hampton. He did not appear at all during the eleventh and final season.

In 1999, he starred in his first feature film with fellow WB star Katie Holmes in Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Watson hoped that his role in the film would help him avoid being pigeonholed by his role in 7th Heaven. During the production, Watson felt "strange" at times due to his being the only male on set, but had "an amazing experience" working with his co-stars. Watson directed two episodes of 7th Heaven in 2005, and likewise directed one episode of The Secret Life of the American Teenager in 2010.

In 2002, Watson had a starring role as Dave and his alter ego Daisy in Sorority Boys; his performance was met with a mixed reception amid the film being panned. In a negative review, Lindy Keffer of pluggedin.com lamented that Watson's presence in the film would bring it additional attention.

From 2006 to 2007, Watson starred as the lead character, Brian Davis, in the ABC series What About Brian. Watson also starred as Todd in the ABC series Samantha Who? In 2011, he played Pax in My Future Boyfriend, an ABC Family original movie. In 2012, Watson appeared on Gossip Girl as Serena Van der Woodsen's boyfriend.

In 2014, he enjoyed guest-starring roles on the television shows Masters of Sex and Hart of Dixie. He also starred in the television films Far from Home and The Santa Con.

In 2019, Watson starred in the Showtime drama The Loudest Voice, which tells the story of Roger Ailes and the rise of Fox News. Watson played Lachlan Murdoch, the son of media mogul and owner of News Corp, Rupert Murdoch.

Personal life Watson has been married three times. His first marriage was to Laura Payne-Gabriel, whom he met through actress Tori Spelling. He and Tracy Hutson had their first son, Oliver, in May 2005, and their second son in November 2007, Felix Watson. They parted in 2010. In May 2012, Watson and girlfriend Natasha Gregson Wagner, daughter of producer Richard Gregson and actress Natalie Wood, had a daughter. They married on December 21, 2014.

Filmography

Film Year Title Role Notes 1999 Teaching Mrs. Tingle Luke Churner MTV Movie Awards (nominated) Teen Choice Awards (nominated) 2001 When Strangers Appear Jack Barrett Ocean's Eleven Himself Cameo 2002 Sorority Boys Dave/Daisy Teen Choice Awards (nominated) 2004 Love on the Side Jeff Sweeney 2005 Boogeyman Tim Jensen 2012 Kiss at Pine Lake Luke 2014 Far from Home Nicholas Bell 2015 Ominous Michael 2017 An Hour Behind Parker2019 A Dog's Way Home Gavin My Mom's Letter from Heaven Connor Johnson 2021 Highway to Heaven Bruce

Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 Days of Our Lives Randy 3 episodes1993 Fatal Deception: Mrs. Lee Harvey Oswald Young Guy at TV Station Television film Attack of the 50 Ft. Woman Teen Boy Television film 1994 The Nanny Greg Episode: "Everybody Needs a Bubby" (uncredited) 1995 Sister, Sister Barney Episodes: "Thanksgiving in Hawaii: Parts I & II"1996 Baywatch Thomas Edward 'Cowboy' O'Hara Episode: "The Incident" Co-ed Call Girl Jack Collins Television film Nash Bridges Trent Episode: "Home Invasion" Malibu Shores Seth 4 episodes 1996–2006 7th Heaven Matt Camden Main role (seasons 1–6 & 9); special guest star (seasons 7, 8, & 10) 2006–2007 What About Brian Brian DavisMain role 2007–2009 Samantha Who? Todd Deepler 2010Drop Dead Diva Evan Episode: "Good Grief"2011 My Future Boyfriend PaxTelevision film The Chateau Meroux Chris2012 Gossip Girl Steven Spence Recurring role Wedding Band Boboroff Episode: "We Are Family" 2013 Wilfred Michael Episode: "Suspicion"2014 Hart of Dixie Davis Polk Recurring role Masters of Sex Shelley Decklin Episodes: "Fight", "Blackbird"2017 Date My Dad Ricky Cooper Main role An Hour Behind Parker TV Movie 2018 A Very Nutty Christmas Chip TV Movie 2019 The Loudest Voice Lachlan Murdoch Recurring role 2020 Into the Dark Henry Cameron Episode: "The Current Occupant" 2022 Naomi Greg McDuffie Main role