After receiving his start on the stages of New York, Bomer made his small screen debut with a small role on "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011), before playing the more significant part of Ben Reade for three years on "Guiding Light" (CBS, 1952-2009). He made the leap to primetime with a powerful performance as an ill-fated man dealing with his girlfriend's extraordinary powers of communicating with the dead on the supernatural drama "Tru Calling" (Fox, 2003-05). Moving over to features, Bomer had a supporting role in the Jodie Foster vehicle "Flightplan" (2005) and starred in the prequel "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" (2006). But it was on television that his talents truly shined. Whether playing a two-timing CIA agent on "Chuck" (NBC, 2007-2012) or a con artist-turned-FBI informant on "White Collar (USA Network, 2009- ), Bomer embodied his characters to become one of Hollywood's most sought after performers.
Matthew Staton Bomer was born on Oct. 11, 1977 in Spring, TX to father, John Bomer, a former Dallas Cowboy football player, and mother, Sissi Bomer. He had one brother, Neill, and a sister, Megan. He attended Klein High School outside Houston; the same high school as fellow entertainers Lyle Lovett, Sherry Stringfield, and Lee Pace. The future star received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Carnegie Mellon University before moving to New York where he began acting in theater. Bomer found himself acting on daytime television after doing stage work in New York. He appeared opposite soap queen Susan Lucci on an episode of "All My Children" (ABC, 1970-2011) that aired in December 2000. This gig landed him a recurring role on "The Guiding Light" (CBS, 1952-2009) as serial killer Ben Reade a year later. Bomer was the third actor to play the role (after Gregory Burke and Brian McElroy) and also the last. The troubled and tragic character ended up committing suicide during a July 2003 episode.
Armed with a solid acting résumé, Bomer sought out meatier roles. Primetime television gave the actor the opportunity to showcase his acting range, beginning with a starring role on the science fiction drama, "Tru Calling." Bomer played Luc Johnston, a photographer and star Eliza Dushku's love interest on the show. Because he had no knowledge of her supernatural powers that helped save people's lives, he could not understand his girlfriend Tru's strange behavior. Sadly for the actor, his character ended up getting killed by the end of the first season.
Bomer began appearing in feature films in 2005, with a supporting role in the thriller "Flightplan" opposite Jodie Foster. He took the lead a year later in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning" as a young soldier who goes on a road trip with his brother and their girlfriends and ends up victimized by a deranged Texan family. Bomer said he was working in New York when he found out about casting for the film and sent in two audition tapes. He flew out to Los Angeles and met with producer Michael Bay, who was impressed with Bomer's layered performance of the tragic character. Around the same time, the actor was director Brett Ratner's favorite choice to play Clark Kent/Superman in a planned remake of the classic 1978 film. However, Ratner left the project and was replaced by Bryan Singer, who turned it into a sequel titled "Superman Returns" (2006). Bomer reportedly auditioned to play the Man of Steel but was passed over for Brandon Routh.
After the success of "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and the "Superman" ordeal, Bomer wasted no time getting back to acting on the small screen. He landed a starring role as Jay Burchell, a grad student who gets framed by his former roommate for planning a terrorist attack inside a museum on ABC's "Traveler" (2007). The action-packed series followed Bomer's character as he fights to prove his innocence while uncovering dark secrets involving the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security. Mixed critical reviews and low ratings caused the show's cancellation after only eight episodes.
In 2007, Bomer joined the cast of "Chuck," NBC's spy comedy series that starred Zachary Levi in the title role as an electronics store employee who gets the entire CIA and National Security Agency database downloaded into his brain. Bomer's character Bryce Larkin was Chuck's college roommate and the man responsible for sending his friend the highly-guarded database. Audiences saw Bomer not only as the anti-hero but also the exact opposite of Levi's character: dominant, confident and charismatic. Bomer's onscreen charm and striking good looks made him the perfect choice to play criminal mastermind Neal Caffrey on "White Collar," a USA Network series about an FBI agent and the con man he has been chasing for years. The show's twist involved Bomer's character escaping from prison and working with the same FBI agent to help catch other criminals.
