Matt Ross

Matthew Brandon Ross (born January 3, 1970 ) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is known for his roles as Alby Grant on the television series Big Love (2006–11) and Gavin Belson on Silicon Valley (2014–19), as well as his performances in the films The Last Days of Disco, American Psycho (2000), and The Aviator (2004). He wrote and directed the 2016 comedy-drama film Captain Fantastic.

Early life and education Ross was born on January 3, 1970 in Greenwich, Connecticut, and grew up in Eagle Point, Oregon. His parents divorced when he was young, and Ross was raised in what he described as "alternative living situations". These experiences partly inspired his 2016 film Captain Fantastic.

Career Ross garnered critical acclaim for his role as Alby Grant in the HBO series Big Love for five seasons. He also played Eddie Scott in the 2005 film Good Night, and Good Luck, for which he was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture. In 2011 and 2015, he played Charles Montgomery in the first and fifth seasons of FX's anthology series American Horror Story.

His feature film directorial debut, 28 Hotel Rooms, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2012. Before that, Ross made seven short films, including The Language of Love, which premiered at a prior Sundance festival. Ross subsequently wrote and directed the feature film Captain Fantastic, starring Viggo Mortensen, for which he won the Un Certain Regard Prize for Best Director at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Mortensen's performance in the film earned multiple accolades, including an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor.

Personal life

He is married to the writer Phyllis Grant, with whom he has two children: Isabel "Bella" and Dashiell "Dash" Ross.

Filmography Film Short film Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes 1997 The Language of Love 2009 Human Resources Also editor and cinematographer

Feature film Year Title Director Writer 2012 28 Hotel Rooms 2016 Captain Fantastic TBA Kockroach

Acting roles

Television Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Notes 2018–2019 Silicon Valley 2 episodes 2022 Gaslit Miniseries 2025 Death by Lightning Miniseries

Acting roles

Awards and honors Year Title Award Result 2016 Captain Fantastic Deauville American Film Festival Jury Prize Deauville American Film Festival Audience Award Cannes Film Festival Un Certain Regard Best Director Seattle International Film Festival Golden Space Needle Audience Award – Best Film Variety "Ten Directors to Watch 2016" Nantucket Film Festival Audience Award for Best Narrative Feature Karlovy Vary International Film Festival Pravo Audience Award Rome Film Festival People's Choice Award