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Matthew Laurance

For other people with similar names, see Matt Lawrence.
Matthew Laurance
Born (1950-03-02) March 2, 1950 (age 74)
Queens, New York City, New York, US
MediumActor, comedian
Years active1980–present
Notable works and rolesSaturday Night Live, Beverly Hills, 90210

Matthew Laurance is an American actor and comedian[1] best known for starring as Ben Coleman in the Fox sitcom Duet and for his recurring role as Mel Silver on Beverly Hills, 90210.

Early life, family and education

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Matthew Dickoff was born in Queens, New York City and raised in suburban Hewlett, Long Island.[2][3] He has an identical twin brother, Mitchell (born four minutes earlier), who is also a professional actor.[4] Both brothers are graduates of Tufts University.[5]

Career

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Laurance appeared on Saturday Night Live during its sixth season.[6][7] He left SNL after one season (albeit a short season, only 13 episodes).[8]

Laurance portrayed bass player Sal Amato in the 1983 cult hit Eddie and the Cruisers, and he was the only cast member besides Michael Paré and Michael Antunes to appear in the 1989 sequel, Eddie and the Cruisers II: Eddie Lives![1] He also had a role in Streets of Fire,[1] as one of the two Ardmore police officers who enter the bus Tom Cody (Michael Paré) was on, making this the third film he appeared in with Paré.[9]

He starred as detective novelist Ben Coleman in the sitcom Duet on Fox, which ran from 1987 to 1989 for three seasons, at the time, one of few original programs during the Fox network's debut.[4] He also appeared on television in thirtysomething.[5]

From 1991 through 2000, he performed the recurring role of Mel Silver, father of David Silver and Erin Silver on Beverly Hills, 90210.[2]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "Matthew Laurance". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-06-18. Retrieved 2017-07-12.
  2. ^ a b Matthew Laurance at IMDb
  3. ^ Helou, Paul (March 28, 1993). "The Episodic Life of a TV Actor". The New York Times. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
  4. ^ a b Collins, William B. (May 31, 1987). "His Dual Passions For Life And Role How Matthew Laurance Has A Lot In Common With His Character On Fox's 'Duet'". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 7 January 2014.
  5. ^ a b Schwarzbaum, Lisa (May 1, 1992). "Identical twins on TV". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
  6. ^ Graham, Mark (2009-09-10). "The Michaela Watkins Club: 21 Other SNL Cast Members Who Only Lasted a Season (or Less)". New York.
  7. ^ Gus Wezerek (2019-12-14). "The 'S.N.L.' Stars Who Lasted, and the Ones Who Flamed Out". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2019-12-14. Retrieved 2019-12-16. Some of the names here will be familiar only to die-hard fans; others, like Murphy, defined what was funny for generations of viewers.
  8. ^ "Saturday Night Live (TV Series) Episode List: Season 6". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 13, 2017.
  9. ^ "Most Popular Documentaries/Feature Films/TV Episodes/Videos/TV Movies/TV Specials/TV Mini-Series/Video Games/Short Films With Michael Paré And Matthew Laurance". IMDb.com. Internet Movie Database. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
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