Matthew Modine, the youngest of seven children, was born in Loma Linda, California, to Dolores Warner, a bookkeeper, and Mark Alexander Modine, a drive-in theater manager. After graduating high school in Imperial Beach, California, Modine moved to New York City in 1979 to pursue his passion for acting.
Under the guidance of renowned acting coach Stella Adler at her Conservatory of Acting, Modine began landing starring roles in film, theatre, and television. His impressive resume boasts collaborations with some of the most acclaimed directors in the industry, including Christopher Nolan, Oliver Stone, Sir Alan Parker, Stanley Kubrick, Robert Altman, Abel Ferrara, Alan J. Pakula, John Schlesinger, Tony Richardson, Robert Falls, Sir Peter Hall, Spike Lee, Tom DiCillo, Mike Figgis, Jonathan Demme, and John Sayles.
Throughout his illustrious career, Modine has appeared in a wide range of films, including The Dark Knight Rises (2012),Birdy (1984),Vision Quest (1985),Full Metal Jacket (1987),Married to the Mob (1988),Gross Anatomy (1989),Memphis Belle (1990),Pacific Heights (1990),Short Cuts (1993),The Browning Version (1994),and Any Given Sunday (1999).
Modine's numerous accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Venice Film Festival Volpi Cup, and a Golden Lion. His film Mary (2005),directed by Abel Ferrara and co-starring Juliette Binoche and Forest Whitaker, won the Special Jury Prize at the Venice Film Festival. Birdy won the Cannes Film Festival Grand Prix, while Equinox (1992),directed by Alan Rudolph, received four Independent Spirit Award nominations, including Best Actor and Best Film.
In television, Modine has been part of the Emmy-winning Showtime series Weeds (2005) and has received Golden Globe and Emmy Award nominations for the M.O.W. What the Deaf Man Heard (1997) and HBO's Emmy-winning And the Band Played On (1993).
In addition to his acting career, Modine has also ventured into directing, having created several distinguished short films, including When I Was a Boy (1993),Smoking (1994),Ecce Pirate (1997),I Think I Thought (2008),and To Kill an American (2008).
