The Biography

Matthew Beard (born 25 March 1989, London, England) is an English actor and model, active since 1991. He attended King Ecgbert School in Sheffield before graduating from the University of York with a degree in English and French Literature. He made his feature film debut as Blake Morrison (Teen) in And When Did You Last See Your Father? (2007), earning a Best Newcomer nomination at the British Independent Film Awards. His breakthrough screen roles were Graham in An Education (2009) and Peter Hilton in The Imitation Game (2014, for which he received a SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Performance by a Cast). He worked with director Lone Scherfig across three films: An Education, One Day (2011), and The Riot Club (2014). On stage he starred as Edward Sergeant in David Hare's Skylight (2014–2015, West End and Broadway) and as Edmund Tyrone in Long Day's Journey into Night (2018, West End and Brooklyn Academy of Music). His filmography spans over 20 productions across film and television. Notable film credits include Chatroom (2010, as Jim), The Look of Love (2013, as Howard Raymond), The Lovers (2015, as Matt), Elizabeth Harvest (2018, as Oliver), Johnny English Strikes Again (2018, as P), and The Party's Just Beginning (2018, as Alistair). On television he is best known for Max Liebermann in the BBC series Vienna Blood (2019–2024, 11 episodes), Deputy Alan Lewis in HBO's Avenue 5 (2020, 7 episodes), James Taylor / James Fraser in Magpie Murders (2022, 6 episodes), Bill Gardiner in Funny Woman (2023–2024, 10 episodes), and George Fitzsimmons in Monsieur Spade (2024, 6 episodes). His most recent credits include James Taylor in Moonflower Murders (2024) and James Whittaker in The Testament of Ann Lee (2025).