Matt is the oldest kid in the Camden clan, a position that brings a lot of pressure with it. Not only does he have to deal with the trials and tribulations of growing up a minister's son, he also has to be a role model for his younger brothers and sisters.
From a long-haired, somewhat rebelious teenager, Matt has grown into a very responsible young adult. After graduating with honors from the public high school in Glenoak-and flirting with the ideas of moving to California or joining the army-Matt went on to attend the local university.
While Matt is a hero to his yougner brother Simon, he is sometimes regarded by sisters Mary and Lucy as a dictator. That's because, where his sister are concerned, Matt is...well, a bit protective.
"I know trouble when I see it, and my sisters are trouble," Matt once said.
Though he has had several casual girlfriends, and a serious relationship with a young deaf woman named Heather, Matt often seems clueless when it comes to memebers of the opposite sex. And Matt's troubles with women are constant source of amusement to his oldest sister, Mary. Although he is sometimes forced to take on responsibilies far beyond his years, in most ways, Matt Camden is a typical 18-year-old.
Matt is playing by BARRY WATSON, sho was born in Traverse City, Michigan, on April 23, 1974. Barry was a mischievious kid. But luckily, he had an imaginary friend called Booey to blame for his misbehavior.
"Anything bad I did, i blamed it on Booey, the evil twin I created."
(Fan note: Booey turned up as ruthie Camden's imaginary friend in a 1999 episode of 7th Heaven.)
By the time he was eight years old, Barry's good looks and natural ability in front of a camera had already won him modeling jobs. but Barry didn't want to live the glamorous life of a fashion icon. "I was doing some modeling," Barry explained to Teen Beat magazine. "I was young and thought it was really stupid. I just wanted to be a kid, so I quit."
As it turned out, fashion modeling's loss was the theater's gain. Not too long after his modeling career ended, Barry turned to acting. But like many teens just starting out in a high-powered career, Barry did things a little backward.
"I started auditioning and doing theater and regional commercials," Barry remembers. Only then did he start taking acting classes and siminars. Luckily for 7th Heaven fans, Barry quickly got over his "just being a kid" idea and was bitten by the acting bug. A talent agent wame to Dallas and saw Barry perform. "[The agent] pulled me aside and asked me if I wanted to come to Los Angeles. I said, 'Sure!"
Success came quickly after that. Barry's first California acting job was a part in a toy commercial. Once he was established in Hollywood, Barry soon became a regular on TV commercials.
But Barry's family always stressed the importance of an education. No matter what career path their son ultimately took, they wanted him to finish school. So it was not until after he graduated from high school that Barry's serious acting career really took off.
First came anumber a bit parts for the six-foot, 170-pound actor with the long brown hair and hazel eyes. Barry appeared in Baywatch; The Nanny; Sister, Sister; and the daytime drama, Days of Our Lives.
Television series work soon led to TV movies, with Barry appearing in such films as Daryl Hannah's remake of the classic 1950's science fiction movie Attack of the 50-Ft. Woman. He also appeared in a poignant film called Marina's Story, about the wife of John F. Kennedy's assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald. After that, Barry took a small part in the feature film The Circle Game.
His work-and his obvious charms-soon landed barry a gig as a recurring character on a television show called Malibu Shores. The some vital TV series experience.
It also put Barry in touch with two young actresses who would later make their mark on the WB Network-Keri Russell of Felicity and Charisma Carpenter of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
Aaron Spelling, who had produced Malibu Shores, spotted Barry's phenomenal talent early on. The producer knew he would cast the young heartthrob in a future show.
Then along came 7th Heaven.
Barry instantly related to both the show and his character. He explained his feelings to a reporter from 16 magazine during the show's first season: "I'm kind of like my character in a sense. He cares a lot about his family. He truly does. I have a really good, close relationship with my siblings, too."
It wasn't too long after the debut of 7th Heaven that the fan mail started pouring in for Barry. And soon, even jaded television executives were impressed by the newcomer's fan base. Some were conviced he was the reason teenage girls were tuning in every week.
"He's such a Rolls," said Tia, a 14-year-old fan from Ohio. "Compared to Barry, Leo [Leonardo DiCaprio] is a tuba."
7th Heaven turned Barry into a star-and a teen obsession-practically over-night. YM quickly named him one of the "50 Most Beautiful Guys in the World." Television's Inside Edition dubbed Barry one of TV's "Hot Hunks of Fall 1996."
Luckily, Barry took all his fame and fortune in stride and didn't let them change him. Barry is not satisfied with becoming just a sex symbol. He considers himself a professional actor. He cares about his craft and the roles he plays.
In summer 1999, Barry starred in his first major motion picture-Scream producer Kevin Williamson's newest thriller, Teaching Mrs. Tingle. Barry was able to stretch his acting muscles in a juicy new role, appearing along with Katie Holmes, Molly Ringwald, and Vivica A. Fox. He played one of a group of high school students who kidnap a cruel teacher in a revenge scheme. in July, Barry was also named one of Entertainment Weekly's "100 Most Creative People in Entertainment."
Needless to say, with a successful ongoing TV series like 7th Heaven and a budding movie career, Barry doesn't have much time to go out on dates. In fact, the 25-year-old hunk doesn't have a steady girlfriend. Instead, Barry spends most of his free time with his family, which includes three younger brothers and sisters.
For fun, Barry likes to go camping and hiking. He also enjoys tennis, skiing, rollerblading, scuba diving, swimming, and surfing.
Barry loves animals and has two dogs, Harsky and Stutch. Their names are a clever play on the title of Barry's favorite old television series, Starsky and Hutch.
(Fan note: Harsky is a golden retriever-pit bull mix, and Strutch is a beagle.)
