Matthew Modine Biography

Fast Facts

• Grew up in Utah, the youngest of seven children in a Mormon family
• Decided on an acting career after seeing a documentary about the making of the 1968 Oscar winner Oliver! Dropped out of college and moved to New York at 18; worked as a chef at a Manhattan restaurant; took another employee's advice and studied acting with Stella Adler
• Movie debut was in Baby, It's You (1983); breakthrough role was in 1984's Birdy
• Turned down the Tom Cruise role in Top Gun (1986)
• In 2004, he was cast in Arthur Miller's autobiographical play Finishing the Picture; two years later, he appeared in a London production of Arthur Miller's last play, Resurrection Blues
• In 2005, published Full Metal Jacket Diary, based on his experiences making the 1987 Stanley Kubrick film
• Made his Broadway debut in 2010's The Miracle Worker
• Founded the non-profit green initiative Bicycle for a Day