Matthew Thomas Carmody was born in Silver Spring, Maryland, a suburb just outside of Washington, D.C. He is the youngest of five boys raised by his mother, Kathleen and father, Donald. He grew up in the small town of Kensington where he studied art, played guitar and supported himself by owning and operating a carpet cleaning business. He eventually moved to Hollywood to pursue an acting career. While working as a production assistant on commercials and music videos, Matt began studying acting at the famed Loft Studio in Hollywood, the former school of Sean Penn, Meg Ryan, Michelle Pfiefer, Nicolas cage and many others. Soon he began perfoming in local theater and booking commercials and guest appearances on television. His first big break was landing a leading role in the television pilot, "West Point, USMA". The show wasn't picked up but Matt has been working steadily ever since. He still plays music and draws editorial cartoons (some even published!), but he is no longer cleaning carpets.