Matthew Lillard is an American actor, director, and producer, who has been in a host of movies, most notable of which are “Serial Mom”, “Hackers”, “Scream”, “SLC Punk!”, “She’s All That”, “Summer Catch”, and “Scooby-Doo”.
While he has done very well for himself in all the movies that he has appeared in, the role of Shaggy in “Scooby-Doo” is his longest-running and most successful role, especially in the animated versions.
Lillard is the definition of a person who loves his work so much that he works for the joy he gets rather than for the money, as he once revealed. His most loved role, to this day, is his recurring role as Shaggy, which he has held on to since he took over from former actor Casey Kasem.
Top 10 facts about Matthew Lillard Scooby-Doo
- Matthew Lillard was born on the 24th of January, 1970, and he is 51 years old in 2021.
- Matthew Lyn Lillard has been active in Hollywood since 1990.
- Lillard is married to Heather Helm, and the couple has three children.
- Lillard appeared in two Scooby-Doo live-action films, “Scooby-Doo: The Movie” (2002) and “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed” (2004).
- In 2009, Matthew Lillard took over from Casey Kasem as the voice of Shaggy.
- Matthew Lillard is six foot four inches tall.
- Lillard attended the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California.
- Lillard’s parents own a medical company.
- Matthew Lillard fell in love with acting after taking an acting class when he was young.
- Lillard is currently worth 2 million dollars.
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Early life
The actor was born Matthew Lyn Lillard in Lansing, Michigan, to Paula and Jeffery Lillard, owners of a medical company.
Lillard has one younger sister named Amy Lillard, and he attended Foothill High School in Tustin, California, before going to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in California. In school, Lillard was voted the class clown. He loved to play with action figures, but it was an acting class that convinced him that acting was for him.
Career
After making up his mind, Lillard relentlessly pursued his dream. On leaving high school, he snagged his first role as an uncredited extra on the movie “Ghoulies III”.
This role, though uncredited, included one spoken line in the film, which then helped him get his foot through the door. That single line in the movie got him a Screen Actors Guild card, which then helped him to get a film agent, which was incredibly important if he wanted to bag more roles in the future.
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Lilliard also moved to New York to attend Circle in the Sky Theater School. While he lived in New York, he worked odd jobs and slept on his friend’s floors to keep his dream alive.
It was not all bad, though, as Lillard also got the opportunity to perform on Broadway. He got a hosting job on Nickelodeon’s “SK8TV”, where he worked as co-host with skater Grand Master Tate.
About his role on the show, Lillard has said his presence there was to be the ‘all American boy’ to cater to the mothers of the children who watched the skating pros on the show.
Movies, TV shows, and “Shaggy” role
In 1994, Lillard was cast in the film “Serial Moms”. One interesting fact is that he nabbed this role after what was only his third ever film audition. The following year, he was cast in five films, including “Hackers”, “Tarantella”, and “Animal Room”.
In 1996, he was cast as Stu in the horror movie “Scream”, and his improvised lines are still used in conversations today. After his performance, he received many accolades, with the press calling him one of Hollywood’s newest talents.
Following that, he played one of his most critically acclaimed characters yet as Stevo in “SLC Punk!”.
Then, Matthew Lillard’s journey with the character Shaggy started when he was cast in the 2002 live-action Scooby-Doo movie. He later reprised his role in the sequel “Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed”.
When Casey Kasem, who voiced the character of Shaggy from the show’s debut in 1969, stepped down due to health concerns, Matthew Lillard was hired for the role. He was the voice of Scooby’s sidekick Shaggy in “Scooby-Doo Mystery Incorporated”, “Scooby-Doo Zombie Island”, and “Scooby-Doo! and the Curse of the 13th Ghost”.
Subsequently, he has voiced Shaggy in every Scooby-Doo animated series since 2010. In 2020, however, he did not voice Shaggy in Warner Bros. live adaptation “Scoob!” and took to Twitter to express his disappointment, writing:
“Well, this sucks. What a crappy way to find out…. thanks Hollywood. You never cease to amaze me.”
In 2011, Lillard produced and directed his first feature movie “Fat Kid Rules the World”, he also guest-starred in the hit show “House” in the same year.
Later in 2011, he appeared in the critically acclaimed movie “The Descendants”, alongside George Clooney and Shailene Woodley. In 2018, he began appearing on the NBC series “Good Girls”.
Matthew Lillard has won several awards for his acting as well as his directing and production. Here are some notable ones:
