Matthew Goode

Matthew William Goode (born 3 April 1978) is an English actor. He made his screen debut in 2002 with ABC's television film Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister. His breakthrough role was in the romantic comedy Chasing Liberty, for which he received a nomination at the Teen Choice Awards for Choice Breakout Movie Star – Male. He then appeared in a string of supporting roles in films, such as Woody Allen's Match Point (2005), the romantic comedy Imagine Me and You (2006), and the period drama Copying Beethoven (2006). He earned praise for his performances as Charles Ryder in the 2008 film adaptation of the novel Brideshead Revisited and as Ozymandias in the superhero film Watchmen (2009). He then starred in the romantic comedy Leap Year (2010) and the Australian drama Burning Man (2011), the latter earning him nominations for Best Actor at both the Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards and the AACTA Awards.

His other film roles include The Lookout (2007), A Single Man (2009), Cemetery Junction (2010), Stoker (2013), Belle (2013), The Imitation Game (2014) and Self/less (2015). Goode has also appeared in television series, including as Henry Talbot in the historical drama Downton Abbey, Finley "Finn" Polmar in the legal drama The Good Wife and a music journalist in the drama Dancing on the Edge. In 2017, Goode portrayed Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in the second season of the biographical drama series The Crown, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series. From 2018–2022, Goode starred as Matthew Clairmont in the fantasy romance series, A Discovery of Witches. In 2022, he starred as famed Paramount studio head Robert Evans in The Offer, a miniseries about the making of the classic 1972 gangster film The Godfather.

Early life and education Goode was born on 3 April 1978 in Exeter, Devon. His father, Anthony, was a geologist and his mother, Jennifer, is a nurse and amateur theatre director. Goode is the youngest of five children with a brother, two half-brothers and a half-sister, television presenter Sally Meen, from his mother's previous marriage. He grew up in the village of Clyst St. Mary, near Exeter. Goode was educated at Exeter School, an independent school in Exeter, Devon, followed by the University of Birmingham and London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art.

Career Goode played Peter Lynley, the brother of Inspector Lynley in the BBC production Inspector Lynley Mysteries: A Suitable Vengeance and co-starred in the TV film Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, based on the Gregory Maguire novel of the same name and William Shakespeare's play The Tempest. In 2004, Goode made his American film debut opposite Mandy Moore in the romantic comedy Chasing Liberty.

Goode co-starred in Woody Allen's thriller Match Point, opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Scarlett Johansson, Ol Parker's romantic comedy Imagine Me & You, opposite Piper Perabo and Lena Headey, the TV film My Family and Other Animals, opposite Imelda Staunton, the biographical-musical drama Copying Beethoven, opposite Ed Harris and Diane Kruger and Scott Frank's crime drama The Lookout opposite Joseph Gordon-Levitt. He had a whimsical take on Brooke Burgess in the BBC miniseries He Knew He Was Right based upon Anthony Trollope's novel of the same name.

In 2008, Goode starred as Charles Ryder in the drama film Brideshead Revisited, based on Evelyn Waugh's novel of the same name. In 2009, Goode co-starred in Zack Snyder's superhero film Watchmen as Ozymandias/Adrian Veidt, and co-starred opposite Colin Firth in the drama film A Single Man, based on Christopher Isherwood's novel of the same name. In 2010, he co-starred opposite Amy Adams in the romantic comedy Leap Year.

In 2013, Goode played the lead in the BBC Two drama Dancing on the Edge, as magazine columnist Stanley Mitchell. That same year, he co-starred opposite Mia Wasikowska and Nicole Kidman in the psychological thriller film Stoker.

Also in 2013, Goode co-starred as George Wickham opposite Matthew Rhys in the three-part BBC murder mystery miniseries Death Comes to Pemberley, based on P. D. James' novel of the same name, a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. In 2014, he appeared in the historical thriller The Imitation Game as Hugh Alexander, a British Second World War cryptanalyst and chess champion.

In March 2014, Goode joined the cast of the CBS legal drama The Good Wife as Finley "Finn" Polmar, a state prosecutor. Replacing Will Gardner during the fifth season, he made his debut in the 15th episode, "Dramatics, Your Honor". In May 2015, Goode left The Good Wife after the sixth season's finale.

In 2014, Goode co-starred in the ITV drama Downton Abbey during the Season 5 Christmas special "A Moorland Holiday" as Henry Talbot. He returned to Downton Abbey in October 2015 beginning in the fourth episode of the sixth season. Goode also made a brief appearance in the Downton Abbey film, which was released in 2019, though he did not appear in the subsequent sequels. His character was permanently written out of the franchise at the beginning of the third film.

After appearing in multiple films in the mid-2010s, he appeared in 2016's Allied. He began working on WGN's production of Roadside Picnic series based on the Strugatsky novel in autumn 2016, but the pilot was cancelled. That year, he presented ITV's The Wine Show with Joe Fattorini and Matthew Rhys.

In 2017, Goode began production on a television adaptation of Deborah Harkness's bestselling All Souls trilogy for Sky One in the United Kingdom. The show, titled A Discovery of Witches, takes its title from the series' first book. He plays the lead role of Professor Matthew Clairmont, an Oxford molecular biologist and vampire. The show was first broadcast in the UK on 14 September 2018, and has been renewed for two more series based on the strength of its first airing in the United Kingdom where it was consistently the network's most-watched show each week for its 8-episode run. Goode starred in the prequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman series, entitled The King's Man, portraying Captain Morton / The Shepherd. Set in the 20th century, prefacing World War I, the film was released in December 2021.

Personal life Goode is married to Sophie Dymoke. They have three children: two daughters and a son. The family lives in Surrey.

Filmography Film Year Title Role NotesRef. 2003 Al sur de Granada (South of Granada) Gerald Brenan 2004 Chasing Liberty Ben Calder 2005 Match Point Tom Hewett 2006 Imagine Me & You Hector Copying Beethoven Martin Bauer 2007 Gary Spargo 2008 Brideshead Revisited Charles Ryder 2009 Watchmen Adrian Veidt / Ozymandias A Single Man Jim 2010 Leap Year Declan O'Callaghan Cemetery Junction Mike Ramsay 2011 Burning Man Tom 2013 Stoker Charlie Stoker Belle Captain Sir John Lindsay 2014 The Imitation Game Hugh Alexander 2015 Pressure Mitchell Self/less Dr. Jensen/Albright 2016 Allied Guy Sangster 2017 The Sense of an Ending Joe Hunt The Hatton Garden Job XXX The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales... Wolf (voice) English dub 2018 Birthmarked Ben Morin The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Sidney Stark 2019 Official Secrets Peter Beaumont Downton Abbey Henry Talbot 2020 Four Kids and It David Hartlepool The Duke Jeremy Hutchinson 2021 Silent Night Simon The Colour Room Colley Shorter Released as a Sky Original film The King's Man Captain Morton / The Shepherd 2022 The House Raymond (voice) Medieval King Sigismund 2023 Freud's Last Session C. S. Lewis 2024 Abigail Father/Kristof Lazaar TBA Fortitude Post-production TBA Filming

Television Year Title Role NotesRef. 2002 Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister Caspar Television film 2003 Bounty Hamster Various The Inspector Lynley Mysteries Peter Lynley Episode: "A Suitable Vengeance" 2004 He Knew He Was Right Brooke Burgess 2 episodes 2005 Agatha Christie's Marple Patrick Simmons Episode: "A Murder Is Announced" My Family and Other Animals Larry Durrell Television film 2012 Birdsong Captain Gray Lead role, 2 episodes The Poison Tree Rex Clarke Lead role, 2 episodes 2013 Dancing on the Edge Stanley Mitchell Lead role, 6 episodes Death Comes to Pemberley George Wickham Lead role, 3 episodes The Vatican Bernd Koch Television film 2014–2015 The Good Wife Finley "Finn" Polmar Main role (Seasons 5–6), 28 episodes 2014–2015 Downton Abbey Henry Talbot Guest role (Season 5), Main role (Season 6), 7 episodes 2016 The Wine Show Himself Co-host with Matthew Rhys Roots Dr. William Waller Lead role, 2 episodes 2017 The Crown Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon Main role (Season 2) 3 episodes 2018 Ordeal by Innocence Philip Durrant Lead role, 3 episodes 2018–2022 A Discovery of Witches Matthew de Clairmont Lead role, 25 episodes 2022 The Offer Robert Evans Miniseries 2025 Dept. Q Carl Morck Lead role, 9 episodes

Awards Year Award Category Work ResultRef. 2004 Teen Choice Awards Choice Movie: Male Breakout Star Chasing Liberty Choice Movie Liar 2012 Film Critics Circle of Australia Awards Best Actor Burning Man 2013 Australian Film Critics Association Best Actor Australian Film Institute Best Actor 2014 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best Supporting Actor Stoker Satellite Awards Best Actor – Miniseries or Television Film Dancing on the Edge San Diego Film Critics Society Best Performance by an Ensemble The Imitation Game 2015 Palm Springs International Film Festival Ensemble Cast Award Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture 2017 Screen Actors Guild Awards Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Downton Abbey 2018 Primetime Emmy Awards Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series The Crown 2023 Critics' Choice Awards Best Supporting Actor in a Movie/Miniseries The Offer