Matt Whelan

Matt Whelan is a New Zealand actor and comedian. Born in Christchurch in 1985, he studied at Hagley Theatre Company and later completed his training at Toi Whakaari in 2007, joining the cast of Show of Hands alongside Melanie Lynskey right after. In 2008 he took the recurring role of Brad Caulfield on the comedy-drama Go Girls, became a series regular, and won Best Supporting Actor at New Zealand's 2010 film and television awards. He starred in My Wedding and Other Secrets (2011) with Michelle Ang and played Zach in a 2014 Silo Theatre production of Belleville. He portrayed Hugh Hefner in the Amazon series American Playboy: The Hugh Hefner Story and played DEA agent Van Ness during Narcos's third season. Later credits include The Sounds and The Luminaries in 2020, A Remarkable Place to Die in 2024, and We Bury the Dead (2026).