If you’re a fan of the short-skirt-wearing, pom-pom tossing cheerleaders on Hellcats, you will recognize Matt Barr. He plays the too-cool-for-school Dan Patch, Marti’s best friend and Savannah’s boyfriend. But, Matt didn’t always think his life would turn out so great. Before he started hanging out with cheerleaders (fictional ones, of course), Matt was just a normal guy.
From Texas to Hollywood
Matt Barr (born February 14, 1984) hails from Allen, Texas, where he got his start with his high school’s drama club. He admits that he was a total drama geek, participating in as many plays and musicals as possible. His first professional appearance was in Levelland, an indie film about seven skateboarding friends. Despite his lack of experience, Matt landed the starring role, and the movie launched him into the acting scene.
From there, Matt started making guest appearance on popular shows like ER, CSI: Miami, American Dreams and The O.C. In 2006 Matt was cast for a recurring role on One Tree Hill. His character, Derek Banks, stalks Peyton and causes all sorts of mischief on season four of the popular show. This was Matt’s first experience playing one character for a prolonged period of time, and he found he really enjoyed it! After One Tree Hill Matt starred in the one-season TV thriller Harper’s Island and appeared on The Big Bang Theory and Friday Night Lights.
All Cheered Up
In 2010 Matt found his big break when he was cast as Dan Patch on the new show Hellcats. The show follows a team of competitive university cheerleaders – including Marti (Aly Michalka) and Savannah (Ashley Tisdale) – as they live together and struggle to come out on top. Matt’s character Dan is Marti’s best friend. When he starts hanging out with Marti’s new cheerleading friends he falls for her roommate Savannah. But, this just complicates his relationship with Marti, who realizes that she has romantic feelings for him. Unfortunately, Hellcats was cancelled after the first season so we won’t be seeing any more of our cheerleading friends. What will Matt take on next? He just appeared in the pilot episode of Necessary Roughness, a TV series about a woman who is a therapist for a professional football team. Although we’re not sure if he will be a recurring character on the show, we hope he finds something permanent soon!
Matt Barr Interview
Did You Know?
- Matt had his first kiss when he was six years old!
- He loves the show Man vs. Wild on the Discovery Channel.
- Matt has a bad habit of losing important things like his keys and wallet.
- He is obsessed with Chick-fil-A chicken nuggets.
