Matthew Douglas Salinger (/ˈsælɪndʒər/ SAL-in-jər; born February 13, 1960) is an American actor and producer known for his appearances in the films Revenge of the Nerds and Captain America.

Early life

Salinger was born February 13, 1960, in Windsor, Vermont, to author J. D. Salinger, known for Catcher in the Rye, and psychologist Alison Claire Douglas. His maternal grandfather was British art critic Robert Langton Douglas. He has one sister, Margaret Salinger. His father was of paternal Lithuanian-Jewish descent.

Salinger attended North Country School in Lake Placid, New York, for junior high school. He graduated from Phillips Academy Andover and attended Princeton University before graduating from Columbia University with a degree in art history and drama.

Career

Salinger made his film debut in 1984 in Revenge of the Nerds and played Captain America in the 1990 film Captain America.

He subsequently appeared in films including What Dreams May Come and on television in episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, and 24.

Salinger has produced several independent films, including Let the Devil Wear Black, and Mojave Moon.[citation needed]

Salinger made his Broadway debut in 1985 in Bill C. Davis's short-lived Dancing in the End Zone, performing at the Ritz Theater alongside veteran actresses Pat Carroll and Dorothy Lyman. In 2000, he produced the off-Broadway play The Syringa Tree, which received a Drama Desk Award, Drama League Award, Outer Critic's Circle Award, and the Village Voice Obie Award for Best Play of the Year in 2001.

Personal life

Salinger married jewelry designer Betsy Jane Becker in 1985. They live in Fairfield County, Connecticut, and have two sons, Gannon and Avery.

Unlike his sister, Margaret, who wrote a 1999 memoir about her childhood titled Dream Catcher, Salinger has sought to protect his father's privacy. A few weeks after Margaret's book was published, Salinger wrote a letter to The New York Observer, criticizing his sister's "gothic tales of our supposed childhood."

Filmography

Film

YearTitleRole
1984Revenge of the NerdsDanny Burke
1986PowerPhillip Aarons
1989OptionsDonald Anderson
1990Captain AmericaSteve Rogers / Captain America
1994Fortunes of WarPeter Kernan
1994BabyfeverJames
1996Mojave Moon
1998What Dreams May ComeReverend Hanley
1999Let the Devil Wear Black
2002The Year That TrembledProfessor Jeff Griggs
2005Bigger Than the SkyMal Gunn
2010HarvestProfessor Wickstrom
2014Learning to DrivePeter
2015Endless Night (Spanish: Nadie quiere la noche)Captain Spalding
2017Love After LoveMichael
2018WetwareMashita
2019A Call to SpyWilliam Donovan
2021The Ice RoadCEO Thomason

Television

YearTitleRoleNotes
1986Blood & OrchidsBryce Parker(Made for TV) crime-drama film
1986Manhunt for Claude DallasClaude Dallas Jr.(Made for TV)
1987Deadly DeceptionJack Shoat(Made for TV)
1993Picket FencesDr. Danny Shrevefamily drama television series
1993–1994Second ChancesMike Chulackdrama television series
2004Law & Order: Special Victims UnitSeth WebsterSeason 5 / Episode 13 – "Hate"
2004–200524Mark KanarDay 3 (Season 3 / 2004): 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m. Day 4 (Season 4 / 2005): 9:00 a.m.-10:00 a.m.
2008Law & Order: Criminal IntentBill PhillipsSeason 7 / Episode 19 – "Legacy"

Video

YearTitleRoleNotes
1993FirehawkTexaction film (Directed by Cirio H. Santiago)
2005The MarksmanGeneral Parent (as Matthew Salinger)action film (Directed by Marcus Adams)
2005Black DawnMyshkin (as Matthew Salinger)action film (Directed by Alexander Gruszynski)
2008Pistol WhippedDealeraction film (Directed by Roel Reiné)

Theatre

YearTitleRoleNotes
1985Dancing in the End ZoneJames Bernard
2000The Syringa Tree-----(Produced by Matthew Salinger)

External links