Born into a long line of female actresses, Samantha Mathis made her name initially in the classic brat-pack teen rebellion story “Pump up the Volume” (1990). As Christian Slater’s on-screen (and off-screen) love interest, she began a number of patterns that would persist throughout her career – including choosing films that made her an honorary pin-up for the geek sect, and while shooting these movies, becoming romantically involved with her fellow co-stars.
Mathis was born in Brooklyn, NY on May 12, 1970. When she was three years old, her parents divorced and her mother, actress Bibi Besch (who died in 1996), retained custody. Her grandmother Gusti Huber was a film actress as well, with over two dozen credits to her name. Coming from such creative pedigree helped determine the young girl’s career of choice. Her first role was in a commercial for baby products alongside her beautiful mother.
Although Mathis had appeared on screen prior to “Pump Up the Volume,” the film – about a shy young man who runs a pirate radio station – was undeniably her first significant role. Just as her character, Nora Diniro, fell in love with Slater’s Mark Hunter, the two actors also began a complicated relationship off screen. Her first off-screen relationship would not be her last.
Mathis worked frantically throughout the early nineties, accumulating close to 15 credits in six years. Notable appearances included a role in “Extreme Close Up” (1992) alongside her mother; voice work in the animated film “FernGully: The Last Rainforest” (1992), and a role in the live-action “Super Mario Brothers” (1993) video game-to-film adaptation, among numerous others.
While filming “The Thing Called Love” (1993), Mathis met troubled actor River Phoenix. As per the usual, the co-stars began dating throughout the filming and after the movie wrapped. Gaining instant notoriety on the night of Halloween, 1993, Mathis was with Phoenix on the Sunset Strip when he tragically overdosed on a lethal drug cocktail (a “speedball”) at buddy Johnny Depp’s club, the Viper Room. The young actor’s sudden death at age 23 left a bit of a hole in young Hollywood – to say nothing of impacting future film projects Phoenix was signed on for. Interestingly, Mathis’ ex-boyfriend Slater took over Phoenix’s role as the interviewer in “Interview with the Vampire” (1994) and donated his salary to charity in Phoenix’s honor.
After recovering from her tragic loss, Mathis began dating yet another actor, former “ER” (NBC, 1994- ) star Noah Wyle in 1995. Around that same time, she landed a supporting role in the hit Rob Reiner-helmed romance “The American President” (1995) and was briefly reunited with Slater – strictly on film this time – in the action thriller “Broken Arrow” (1996).
Following her brief mid-nineties career peak, Mathis nevertheless continued to land roles on the big screen, including notable parts in “American Psycho” (2000) and “The Punisher” (2004). However, the majority of her work into the new millennium, was limited to sporadic appearances on television, including roles on police procedurals shows such as “Law and Order: Criminal Intent” (NBC, 2001- ), and “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit” (NBC, 1999- ), as well as short-lived science fiction fare like “Harsh Realm” (FX, 1999-2000), “Night Visions” (FOX, 2001) and “The Twilight Zone” (2002-03). Her most recent project, the TNT mini-series “Nightmares and Dreamscapes: From the Stories of Stephen King” (2006) aired to great critical acclaim, giving the dependable actress some of her best reviews in years.