Matthew Lillard

Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor, director, and producer. His early film roles include the black comedy Serial Mom (1994) and the crime thriller Hackers (1995). He achieved a career breakthrough for his portrayal of Stu Macher in the slasher film Scream (1996), which bolstered Lillard into the mainstream. Afterwards, he starred in the television drama If These Walls Could Talk (1996), the comedy drama SLC Punk! (1998), the teen comedy She's All That (1999), and the adventure comedy Without a Paddle (2004).Lillard increased his comedic profile playing Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in the live-action movies Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), and in several animated releases, serving as the voice of Shaggy since Casey Kasem retired from the role in 2009. He also gave dramatic performances in the drama films The Descendants (2011), Trouble with the Curve (2012), Match (2014), and Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). He further made his directorial debut with the coming-of-age drama Fat Kid Rules the World (2012), and starred in the crime drama series Good Girls (2018–2021).After a series of sporadic film successes, Lillard gained renewed recognition for playing William Afton in the horror film Five Nights at Freddy's (2023). The movie had the third highest ever domestic box office return during its opening weekend for a horror film, and became his highest-grossing film. Media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter noted his return to mainstream popular culture, and the role has cemented Lillard as a "scream king" in the genre.