Matthew Gray Gubler

Background

Matthew Gray Gubler was born on March 9, 1980, in Las Vegas, Nevada, to a rancher and political consultant Marilyn (née Kelch), and attorney John Gubler. As a kid, he always dreamed of an out-of-the-ordinary life. Looking to escape the regularity of his parents’ jobs in his eccentric hometown, Gubler was always looking for artsy extracurricular activities in his school. That’s how he became the main character in his first theatrical roles at school. But that was not enough for Gubler, however, as this great passion grew and other interests arose; his parents always made sure to support his dreams.

That’s how in 1998 he decided to study acting at the “Las Vegas Academy of Arts.” Though he originally wanted to study film-making, an acting career soon proved close enough to his real passion. It made him aware of his preference for dramatic roles rather than being a director on set. While studying, one of his classmates, Nicky Parker, suggested auditioning as a fashion model at Nicky’s uncle’s business — just on the outskirts of Las Vegas. He began modeling in underwear in 2001 and 2004, while doing this, Gubler auditioned for a role in Wes Anderson’s “The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou.” He was not the first choice of Anderson, as a young Chris Pratt had also auditioned, but after Pratt turned down the offer due to the project interrupting his schedule, Matthew was cast.

It was not long until he received offers from big-budget productions, like “Alvin and the Chipmunks”— in which he was a voice actor in 2007. In 2005 “CBS” chose Gubler to be the main character of “Criminal Minds” — a role he played for 15 years until 2020. An acting career has let this artist exploit other childhood interests like film-making, painting, and writing. He directed his first and only movie in 2005, and since that same year, he has been posting his paintings on his website. In 2019 he published his first book “Rumple Buttercup: A Story of Bananas, Belonging and Being Yourself.”