Hollywood is full of child actors who grew before the eyes of movie audiences. One such child actor is Matthew Lawrence, whose professional career began when he was only 4. Lawrence may not be a famous actor today, but he has appeared in several recent works in film and television.
Born Matthew William Lawrence in Abington Township, Pennsylvania, on February 11, 1980, Lawrence is an American actor and singer. Lawrence is easily remembered for playing the teen Matt Roman in Brotherly Love. Here are 7 things you didn’t know about Brotherly Love‘s Matthew Lawrence.
1. The TV Shows You Remember Matthew Lawrence From
Matthew Lawrence’s first notable appearance was in film when he played 12-year-old Christopher “Chris” Hillard. Lawrence’s character was the middle child of Robin Williams‘ character Daniel Hillard in the highly successful comedy-drama Mrs. Doubtfire (1993). Lawrence again played the middle child in the NBC/The WB sitcom Brotherly Love. He was cast alongside his real-life brothers, Joey and Andrew Lawrence. The show ran for 2 seasons with 40 episodes. As one of the show’s main cast, Lawrence appeared in all 40 episodes from 1995 to 1997.
By September 1997, Lawrence was cast to play Jack Hunter in ABC’s coming-of-age sitcom Boy Meets World. Lawrence joined the cast and stayed on the show until its final seasons and episode in 2000. Lawrence appeared in 68 of the show’s 158 episodes.
2. How Matthew Lawrence Got Started In Acting
As a child actor, Matthew Lawrence’s parents enrolled him at HB Studio to study acting. It wasn’t long before a 4-year-old Lawrence landed his first role in television as Danny Carrington. Lawrence appeared as the character in 3 episodes of the ABC TV soap opera Dynasty from 1984 to 1985. Luckily, Lawrence landed a recurring role as Jesse Webber on 13 episodes of the short-lived NBC sitcom Sara. Lawrence also guest-starred as Matt in ABC’s anthology series ABC Afterschool Special.
3. Matthew Lawrence Competed In Worst Cooks In America
Matthew Lawrence participated in the twenty-fourth season of Worst Cooks In America in 2022. The season was the show’s seventh celebrity edition. The season was hosted by Anne Burrell, who was joined by Jeff Mauro. Lawrence was one of nine contestants and ended the show as a finalist alongside Clueless star Elisa Donovan. The season was won by Growing Pains star Tracey Gold, with Jodie Sweetin of Full House and Fuller House as Runner-Up.
4. Matthew Lawrence’s Musical Career
Matthew Lawrence and his brothers may not be as popular as the Jonas Brothers, but they have a successful musical career. Lawrence and his brothers, Joey and Andrew, formed a band in 2017. They called the band Still Three. In February 2017, the band released its debut single titled “Love Myself.”
5. Matthew Lawrence Has Dated Career Co-Workers
Matthew Lawrence’s first high-profile relationship was with actress Heidi Mueller. Lawrence engaged Mueller from 2004 until 2006 when they separated. The next year, in 2007, Lawrence began dating Cheryl Burke, a professional dancer. Burke is known for being a professional dancer on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars.
Lawrence and Burke ended their relationship in 2008 but got back together in 2017. Lawrence engaged Burke in May 2018, and the couple married a year later, on May 23, 2019. The couple’s divorce was finalized on September 19, 2022. Lawrence began dating TLC’s singer, Chilli, towards the end of 2022.
6. Other TV Shows Matthew Lawrence Was In
Matthew Lawrence was cast in the main role of Sam Collins/Servo in the TV series Superhuman Samurai Syber-Squad. The show had only a season with 53 episodes. The show ran from September 12, 1994, to April 11, 1995. Lawrence played Matthew Donovan in NBC’s Gimme a Break!, Walker in Drexell’s Class, and Zach Collins in Walter & Emily.
Lawrence has also guest-starred in popular TV shows. He appeared in CSI: Miami (2003), Workaholics (2015), Girl Meets World (2015), and Hawaii Five-0 (2019). Lawrence has also appeared in 13 TV films, with his last appearance in the 2021 Mistletoe Mixup as Austin Wright.
7. Other Movies Matthew Lawrence Was In
Matthew Lawrence made his film debut in John Hughes’ comedy Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987). Lawrence played Neal Page Jr., the son of Steve Martin’s character, Neal Page. Before starring in Mrs. Doubtfire (1993), Lawrence played Stevie and Timmy in Pulse (1988) and Tales from the Darkside: The Movie (1990). Matthew Lawrence‘s last three appearances in film were as Greg in The Office Mix-Up (2020), The Cowboy in Money Plane (2020), and Double Threat (2022).
