Matthew Gray Gubler

Matthew Gray Gubler is an American actor, film director, sketch artist, and former fashion model, best known for his role as the young genius Dr. Spencer Reid in the television show Criminal Minds.

Biography
Matthew Gray Gubler was born and raised in Las Vegas, the son of an attorney, and a rancher, political consultant, and the first woman to serve as chairwoman of the Nevada Republican Party. When he was 6, his parents got him a private magic tutor, and by the time he was 11, he was performing as Matt the Hat at parties in his hometown.

He was raised in a quiet neighborhood near Bob Baskin Park, attended The Meadows School and is a high school graduate of the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts, where he majored in acting because the school didn't offer his first love, film making; while there he acted in plays like Picnic, The Importance of Being Earnest, and also got to play The Cat in the Hat and The Mad Hatter, two of his favorite fictional psychopaths.

After he graduated from the Academy in 1998, he began studying at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Two years later, Gubler left California and moved to New York City where he enrolled at the New York University's Tisch School of the Arts and graduated in 2002 with a major in film directing.

While attending NYU film school, he was stopped outside a drugstore by a model scout, a serendipitous encounter that led him to work as a model with DNA Model Management for some of the biggest fashion designers like Burberry, Louis Vuitton, Tommy Hilfiger, Marc Jacobs, Sisley and American Eagle.

After he began modeling, Gubler landed an internship with writer-director Wes Anderson as part of his college program, who encouraged him to audition for a part in his movie The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. He did and he landed the role of Intern #1 (later named Nico the Intern), his big screen debut that led to the beginnings of a promising acting career, something he never sought.

That eventually led to an exploratory visit to Hollywood, where his directing agent suggested he tried out for Criminal Minds. In the words of exec producer Mark Gordon ''When he came in to read for the pilot, we just fell in love with him. He's an original''. The role of FBI SSA Dr. Spencer Reid was his and he suddenly found himself in primetime TV.

In hiatuses and down time from shooting the series, he has got several other small roles in films like R.V., The Great Buck Howard, 500 Days of Summer, How to be a Serial Killer and Magic Valley. And his most dear work of all, putting the voice to Simon in the big-screen adventures of Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) and its 2009 Squeakquel (Nickelodeon Kid's Choice Award for Favorite Movie).

Gubler had created several short movies and documentaries that were mostly filmed in Las Vegas and New York City prior to his graduation from NYU. While Filming The Life Aquatic, he made the mini-documentary Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal, which was a behind-the-scenes look at the movie. Several amateur critics claimed the documentary was better than the movie itself. It was later included in some DVD releases.

He directed, edited, and co-produced the music video for Don't Shoot Me Santa by the rock band The Killers, where his younger brother can be seen.

And to keep things loose on the set of Criminal Minds, he has been making self-deprecating mock-u-mentaries, featuring himself, co-stars and members of the crew. Called Matthew Gray Gubler: the Unauthorized Documentary and its follow-up Matthew Gray Gubler: The Authorized Documentary, they are viewable on YouTube. Finally, in 2010 he got to direct one episode of the series

Helping to keep him sane is his art; he has exhibited his water-color paints in the Czech Republic and on his handwritten Web site Gubler-land. He also took up photography and wrote and illustrated a children's book. More recently he started a record label (Corn Stalk Recordings), a T-shirt company, has been getting into puppet manufacturing and finished the album artwork for a friends record. He got to collaborate with Jacques Cousteau's son on this environmental zine for the Warped Tour (he designed and painted the cover).

Filmography

 * Hot Air (2015) - Lesley
 * Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip (2015) - Simon (voice)
 * Band of Robbers (2015) - Joe Harper
 * Beautiful Girl (2014) - Ziggy
 * Desire (2014) - James
 * Batman: Assault on Arkham (2014) - Edward Nigma/The Riddler (voice)
 * Suburban Gothic (2014) - Raymond
 * Life After Beth (2014) - Kyle Orfman
 * The Learning Curve (2013) - David Sedaris
 * The Beauty Within (2012) Short web series episodes - The Best Night of My Life (2012) - Alex #42 - It Has to Be Tonight (2012) - Alex #26
 * Excision (2012) - Mr. Claybaugh
 * Alvin and the Chipmunks: Chipwrecked (2011) - Simon (voice)
 * Scooby-Doo! Legend of the Phantosaur (2011) - Winsor (voice)
 * All-Star Superman (2011) - Jimmy Olsen (voice)
 * Magic Valley (2010) - Mok
 * The Ugly Life of a Beautiful Girl (2010) - Ziggy
 * Criminal Minds - All episodes (2005-present) TV episodes - Dr. Spencer Reid
 * Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (2009) - Simon (voice)
 * (500) Days of Summer (2009) - Paul
 * How to Be a Serial Killer (2008) - Bart
 * The Great Buck Howard (2008) - Russell
 * Alvin and the Chipmunks (2007) - Simon (voice)
 * Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized Documentary (2006) - Matthew Gray Gubler
 * RV (2006) - Joe Joe
 * Arrested Development - Burning Love (2005) TV episode (unaccredited) - Hiker
 * The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou (2004) - Intern #1

DIRECTOR

 * Criminal Minds - TBA (2015/2016) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Mr. Scratch (2015) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Blood Relations (2014) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Gatekeeper (2013) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Alchemy (2013) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - The Lesson (2012) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Heathridge Manor (2012) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Lauren (2011) TV episode
 * Criminal Minds - Mosley Lane (2010) TV episode
 * Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized Documentary (2006) (as Strudel Goolar)
 * The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man (2005)
 * Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal (2005)
 * Dead or Retarded (2005)
 * Claude: A Symphony of Horror (2005)

WRITER

 * Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized Documentary (2006) (concept)
 * The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man (2005) (writer)
 * Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal (2005) (writer)

PRODUCER

 * Matthew Gray Gubler: The Unauthorized Documentary (2006) (producer)
 * The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man (2005) (producer)
 * Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal (2005) (producer)

CINEMATOGRAPHER

 * The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man (2005)
 * Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal (2005)

EDITOR

 * The Cactus That Looked Just Like a Man (2005)
 * Matthew Gray Gubler's Life Aquatic Intern Journal (2005)

LINKS

 * For an up-to-date filmography: imdb.com/Matthew Gray Gubler