Matthew Kabwe is a renowned Canadian actor, celebrated for his outstanding performances in Shakespearean plays and his versatility in film, television, video games, and commercials. Born in Pointe-Claire, Quebec, a suburb of Montreal, Matthew is the son of Maureen Scott, a retired minister with the United Church of Canada, and Wilbroad Kabwe, an accountant, who passed away.
Matthew's parents, of Irish, Scottish, and Bemba (Zambian) descent, raised him alongside his older brother Robert, a web designer, video game designer, and animator, and his grandmother Audrey Scott Shilliday, who sadly passed away. He also has seven younger half-siblings: Chilufya, Pamela, Dora, Chisela, Wilbroad, Mulenga, and Chikonkolo.
Matthew's academic journey began at Dawson College in Montreal, where he graduated from the Professional Theatre Program in 2003. He later became a member of The Soulpepper Academy with the Soulpepper Theatre Company in Toronto, Ontario, in 2009.
Initially, Matthew was not drawn to the arts. He spent his teenage years and early twenties drifting in and out of school, trying his hand at various jobs, and even served four years in the Canadian Army, following in the footsteps of his grandfather Donald Scott, a Wing Commander in the RCAF.
However, fate intervened when a friend encouraged Matthew to try his hand at acting, leading him to stumble upon auditions for the Dawson Theatre Collective's production of Anne-Marie MacDonald's "Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet)". Matthew landed the role of Othello and has since become a prominent figure in the Canadian theatre scene.
