Matt Smiley was born on October 28, 1981, in Montréal, Québec, Canada. His parents, Charles Smiley, an entertainment Lawyer and his mother Michelle Lefrançois, also a Lawyer, divorced when he was only 3. From a very young age, Matt was tuned into the world of arts, being practically raised on film sets that his father was working on; this would be his playground. Nonetheless, his childhood was well-guarded from the business, his parents wanting Matt to pursue school and ski racing instead of working in film. At the age of 16, however, this all changed. No one could hide the fact that Matt was destined to be in the movies or the world of the arts. After ski races and at camp, he would often put on one-man shows for any crowd. When he wasn't putting on a show, he'd be locked in a drawing, a painting, or a short story. It was only a matter of time before Matt pushed his passion to a new level.Acting took a front seat in High School. In 1997, Matt began to take his theater class a little more seriously. The effort paid off, not only in his acting but in all his school subjects. It wasn't long before his teachers took notice. Upon receiving the principal's approval, Matt was selected to represent his school, along with two girls in his class to join a theater group, two years their senior, in Wisconsin, USA, to play Cléante in Molière's "The Imaginary Invalid." Local film and television casting agents started to turn to the young actor for services, asking him if he'd like to try out for some small roles for movies shooting in town. On his very first audition, Matt was chosen to play the role of Jeffery Teal in the made-for-TV movie _Secret Pact, The (1999)_, starring Rider Strong. Then, over the following years, he managed to book parts on popular television shows, such as "Are You Afraid of the Dark?" (1992) and "Student Bodies" (1997). As the movies continued to pour into town, Matt would often find work acting in commercials and more TV movies to add to his filmography. Among them was Believe (2000/I), a fun and spooky film for the Disney Channel, Starring Elisha Cuthbert and Ricky Mabe. Back at school, he was again chosen to star in William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew (1911) for the School's annual drama tour that took place in British Columbia after a three-day run in Montréal (spring 1999).At the age of 18, Matt had the opportunity to go to the Cannes Film Festival. Viewing tons of international films and dining on croissants with world-renowned filmmakers fueled more fire in the young actor, wanting to further pursue his goals in the film industry. Turning his attention to the pen, Matt scripted, produced, directed, and starred in "Mindosis," a 30-minute short-length film that was shot in Montréal. After finishing the post-production on Mindosis, Matt returned to the screen as Jack Craig in Chasing Holden (2001), starring DJ Qualls and Rachel Blanchard. During the shoot, he also worked as an assistant on City of Ghosts (2002), the directorial debut of Matt Dillon.Back in Montréal Matt worked on two episodes of MTV's "Undressed" (1999). Once the show wrapped, he relocated to Paris, France, in order to study theater and work with some local writers. While there, Matt had the opportunity to study with acting coach Jack Waltzer, a former Actor's Studio teacher and coach for the likes of John Voight, Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Sigourney Weaver. Among his theater studies in Paris, he also worked on classical French plays and traditional character development with Agnès Arneau, a French theater actress. At present, Matt divides most of his time between Montréal and Los Angeles, keeping in tune with his list of projects and business requirements. He has finished penning his first feature, "Mystical," the production slated for summer 2004 in Montréal and Québec City. Meanwhile, he has started to work on two other projects, "Tenth of a Second," a feature film and "12," a TV series, under his own film production company, Finesse Films Inc. He also serves as Director of Development for Screen People International, a Montréal-based production company. Most recently, he starred in Kamataki (2005), a Japanese-Canadian feature film shot in HDTV.With a fueling passion for a fast-paced lifestyle, he traveled to Thailand in order to further his study in Muay-Thai boxing, a sport he had been practicing for the past few years. He left Thailand only to travel to Los Angeles, California, where the close proximity to the mountains and the film business could serve him well. An avid ski racer never loses his love for the snowy mountains--he's often spotted on Mammoth Mountain, kicking back and having a good time with close family and friends.
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