Matthew Modine – Biography, Movies, Wife, Net Worth
Matthew Modine is an American actor and filmmaker best known for playing Private J.T. “Joker” Davis in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket and Dr. Martin Brenner in Netflix’s Stranger Things. Born on March 22, 1959, in Loma Linda, California, he has worked steadily in film and television since the early 1980s, according to his IMDb profile.
Modine is 66 years old in 2025. His career spans four decades, from intense 1980s dramas and blockbuster franchises to a prominent streaming-era revival.
His reported net worth is approximately $10 million, a figure that comes from celebrity-wealth trackers and should be treated as an estimate rather than a confirmed financial disclosure.
What Are Matthew Modine’s Most Famous Movies and TV Shows?
Full Metal Jacket, Birdy, Stranger Things
March 22, 1959 (66 in 2025)
Cari Modine
5’10” (1.78 m)
- Full Metal Jacket remains Modine’s most widely referenced credit and the role most often associated with his name.
- His 1980s work in Birdy, Vision Quest, and Married to the Mob established him as a leading man in thoughtful, character-driven films.
- Stranger Things introduced him to a younger generation of viewers who know him as Dr. Martin Brenner, the elusive “Papa” of Hawkins Lab.
- Oppenheimer (2023) added a major prestige-film credit to his career, with Modine playing physicist Vannevar Bush.
- His television résumé includes The West Wing, Weeds, and the TNT series Proof.
- Beyond acting, Modine has also worked as a filmmaker and producer across his career.
| Full Name | Matthew Avery Modine |
|---|---|
| Date of Birth | March 22, 1959 |
| Birthplace | Loma Linda, California |
| Occupation | Actor, filmmaker |
| Years Active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | Cari Modine |
| Children | 2 (including actress Ruby Modine) |
| Height | 5’10” (1.78 m) |
| Net Worth (est.) | ~$10 million |
What Role Did Matthew Modine Play in Full Metal Jacket?
Modine played Private J.T. “Joker” Davis in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket (1987). The role is repeatedly highlighted as his signature work and one of his highest-profile credits, as noted in his Roku profile and in IMDb’s listing of his notable projects.
Matthew Modine Movies and TV Shows: A Deeper Look
Beyond Full Metal Jacket, Modine’s filmography includes Birdy, Vision Quest, Married to the Mob, Memphis Belle, Pacific Heights, Short Cuts, Cutthroat Island, The Dark Knight Rises, Jobs, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, and Oppenheimer. Sources such as his Plex profile and Apple TV listing track this range in detail.
On television, his credits include And the Band Played On, The West Wing, Weeds, The Bedford Diaries, and Proof, as documented by Rotten Tomatoes and AceShowbiz. Stranger Things remains his highest-profile television credit.
Who Is Matthew Modine’s Wife?
Matthew Modine is married to Cari Modine. Publicly available profiles and biographical databases identify her as his wife. The couple has two children: actress Ruby Modine, known for her role in Shameless, and son Boman Modine.
Detailed sources provide limited information about the couple’s personal history. Marriage dates and relationship milestones are not consistently documented in the available biographical resources, so specific timeline details should not be treated as established fact.
Most celebrity databases confirm the names of Modine’s wife and children but offer little beyond that. His family has generally stayed outside tabloid coverage, leaving many personal specifics undocumented.
How Did a Young Matthew Modine Get Into Acting?
Modine began acting professionally in the early 1980s. His film debut came with Baby It’s You in 1983, followed the same year by appearances in Private School and Streamers, according to his BroadwayWorld profile. He quickly moved into lead roles with Birdy (1984) and Vision Quest (1985), which raised his profile significantly.
What Is Matthew Modine’s Net Worth?
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Modine’s reported net worth is approximately $10 million. Like most celebrity wealth figures, this is an estimate compiled from career earnings, public appearances, and reported project fees.
Where Does the $10 Million Estimate Come From?
Celebrity-wealth aggregators build these figures from industry reporting, known salaries, and longevity in the business. No public financial statement from Modine confirms the number, so it should be read as a benchmark rather than a precise figure.
What Has Built Modine’s Career Earnings?
His decades of steady film work, recurring television roles, and appearances in major franchises such as The Dark Knight Rises and Stranger Things all feed into the estimate.
Net worth figures for actors are rarely audited. The $10 million estimate comes from industry trackers, not from Modine’s own financial disclosure.
How Tall Is Matthew Modine?
Celebrity profiles list Modine at 5’10” (1.78 m). This figure appears across biographical databases, although height listings for actors are often estimated and can vary from one source to another.
Why Height Reports Vary Across Sources
Entertainment databases frequently rely on self-reported or visually estimated measurements. As a result, the same actor can appear with slightly different heights depending on the platform.
Height listings in celebrity databases are not always verified against official records. The 5’10” figure is the most commonly reported measurement in current profile sources.
How Has Matthew Modine’s Career Evolved Over Time?
- : Born Matthew Avery Modine in Loma Linda, California.
- : Made his film debut in Baby It’s You; also appeared in Private School and Streamers.
- : Gained critical attention in the lead role of Birdy.
- : Starred as Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, his defining role.
- : Played Police Commissioner Peter Foley in Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises.
- : Played Dr. Martin Brenner in Netflix’s Stranger Things across multiple seasons.
- : Appeared in Oppenheimer as Vannevar Bush.
- : Stranger Things Season 5, the final season, is expected to involve his character.
What Is Known and What Remains Unclear About Matthew Modine?
| Established Information | Information That Remains Unclear |
|---|---|
| Date and place of birth: March 22, 1959, Loma Linda, California | Exact height: most profiles list 5’10”, but reported figures vary across sources |
| Primary acting credits, including Birdy, Full Metal Jacket, The Dark Knight Rises, and Stranger Things | Net worth: reported at ~$10 million, but this remains an estimate from industry trackers |
| Wife Cari Modine and children Ruby and Boman | A precise public timeline of the marriage is not consistently documented in available sources |
Why Does Full Metal Jacket Still Define His Career?
In 1987, Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket gave Modine the role of Private J.T. “Joker” Davis, a performance that became his most recognizable screen credit. The film’s anti-war themes, demanding direction, and heavily quoted dialogue have kept it in constant circulation as both a cinematic landmark and a source of cultural references.
Stranger Things gave his career a second major wave. Modine plays Dr. Martin Brenner, the lead scientist at Hawkins National Laboratory and the man who trained Eleven. Known as “Papa,” Brenner drives much of the first season’s mystery and later appears in flashback material. According to a NYFA filmography resource and an IMDb role search, his involvement runs from 2016 through later seasons, with listings extending to 2025. For a closer look at another major character from the series, Billy Hargrove – Actor, Death, and Character Arc Explained examines one of Hawkins’s most polarizing figures.
Which Sources Document Matthew Modine’s Career?
“Matthew Avery Modine (born March 22, 1959) is an American actor and filmmaker.”
“Matthew Avery Modine (March 22, 1959) is an American film actor who rose to prominence through his role as United States Marine Corps Private Joker in Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket.”
What Is the Bottom Line on Matthew Modine?
Matthew Modine remains one of those actors whose career bridges distinct eras of American entertainment, from 1980s auteur cinema to modern streaming television. With Full Metal Jacket securing his place in film history and Stranger Things introducing him to a new generation, his body of work offers a rare combination of critical credibility and popular reach. Readers who enjoy detailed celebrity profiles may also find Chris Pratt – Biography, Movies, Net Worth, and Wife (2024) a useful comparison in the same biographical format.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who does Matthew Modine play in Stranger Things?
He plays Dr. Martin Brenner, the scientist who ran Hawkins National Laboratory and trained Eleven. The character drives much of season 1’s mystery and later appears in flashbacks.
What is Matthew Modine’s age?
He was born on March 22, 1959, making him 66 years old in 2025.
Does Matthew Modine have children?
Yes — he has a daughter, actress Ruby Modine (Shameless), and a son, Boman Modine.
What was Matthew Modine’s first movie?
His film debut was Baby It’s You in 1983. That same year he also appeared in Private School and Streamers.
What role did Matthew Modine play in Full Metal Jacket?
He played Private J.T. “Joker” Davis, a Marine in Stanley Kubrick’s 1987 Vietnam War film. The role is widely considered his signature performance.
When did Matthew Modine begin acting?
He started acting professionally in the early 1980s, with early work in theatre and television before his 1983 film debut.
Is Matthew Modine still acting?
Yes. He appeared in Oppenheimer in 2023, and Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to mark his return to the series in 2025.
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