A stage-trained Canadian actor, the curly-haired Matt Craven was tapped by Ivan Reitman to support Bill Murray in the low-brow summer camp comedy "Meatballs" (1979). That same year, he was featured in the Oscar-nominated National Board of Canada short "Bravery in the Field". Other lesser roles in such forgettable efforts as "Hog Wild" (1980) followed before he took a break from features to concentrate on TV and the stage. When he resumed his big screen career in 1985 with the Canadian-produced comedy "That's My Baby" (1985), it appeared Craven would once again be stuck in unfulfilling parts. That began to change when Barry Levinson cast him as a car salesman in "Tin Men" (1987). Craven followed with a leading role as an advertising executive in the gangster comedy "Palais Royale" (1988) and garnered attention as a mental patient in "Chattachoochee" (1990). In 1991, he delivered a strong turn as an introspective mountain climber tackling "K2" with a womanizing district attorney (Michael Biehn). More recently, he was an inept sidekick to hit man Anthony LaPaglia in "Bulletproof Heart/Killer" (1994), a communications officer in "Crimson Tide" (1995) and as the father of a boy held hostage in "Masterminds" (1997).
Craven has also carved out a career on the small screen. He appeared as a fellow patient of the cancer-stricken hero in the biopic "The Terry Fox Story" (HBO, 1983), was a steelworker-turned-restaurateur in "Hearts of Steel" (ABC, 1986) and was the corrupt assistant to John Goodman's governor in "Kingfish: A Story of Huey P Newton" (TNT, 1995). He was a regular on three short-lived series. Co-starring with Robby Benson and Adam Arkin in "Tough Cookies" (CBS, 1986), Craven was a bartender who had been a childhood friend of Benson's plainclothes cop. He went on to work with Arkin's father and stepmother (Alan Arkin and Barbara Dana) in "Harry" (ABC, 1987). Craven was among the ensemble of the DreamWorks-produced police drama "High Incident" (ABC, 1996-97), but the series failed to catch on with viewers. He was back with the studio for the feature "Paulie: A Parrot's Tale" (1998), about a lost bird, in a cast that also included Gena Rowlands, Jay Mohr and Bruce Davison. Craven followed with a regular role as a caring physician in the CBS drama series "L.A. Doctors" (1998-99).