Matt Whelan

Matt Whelan (born 1985) is a New Zealand actor and comedian. Whelan is known for his roles as Brad Caulfield in the New Zealand television comedy-drama programme Go Girls. He has also played Playboy founder Hugh Hefner in the Amazon Original series American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. Whelan played DEA agent Van Ness in the third season of Netflix original series Narcos.

Early life Whelan was born to a primary school teacher mother and a high school teacher father. He took up an offer to study at Hagley Theatre Company, fostering a love for acting. Completing a Bachelor of Performing Arts in acting in 2007, immediately upon graduating he joined the cast of Show of Hands, performing alongside Melanie Lynskey.

In 2011, he starred alongside Michelle Ang in My Wedding and Other Secrets, a New Zealand romantic comedy film.

In April 2017, it was revealed Whelan would be playing the role as Playboy founder, Hugh Hefner, in the 2017 Amazon original docu-series, American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story. The ten-episode series, chronicles the Playboy founder's life, the rise of the magazine and unveils never-before-seen footage from his private archives.

After featuring in larger acting roles and gaining popularity playing Hefner in 2017, Whelan landed a role in the third season of Netflix original series, Narcos. Whelan played Daniel van Ness, a young DEA agent partnered with Chris Feistl (played by Michael Stahl-David), who go to Cali, Colombia after the death of Pablo Escobar under the order of Javier Peña (played by Pedro Pascal) in hopes of taking down the Cali Cartel.

In 2020, he starred alongside Rachel Lefevre in the New Zealand-Canadian television mystery drama series, The Sounds. In the same year he appeared in The Luminaries, a miniseries based on the Eleanor Catton novel of the same name.

In 2024, he began starring in A Remarkable Place to Die alongside Rebecca Gibney and Chelsie Preston Crayford. The Queenstown-set crime drama series, is a co-production between TVNZ and Australia's Nine Network. In the same year he starred in the Australian survival thriller film, We Bury the Dead. The Tasmania-set film premiered at the Adelaide Film Festival in November 2024.

Personal life He currently lives in Taranaki, in the west of New Zealand's North Island.