# Barry Watson (actor)
**Barry Watson** (birth name Michael Barrett Watson; born 1974) is an American actor best known for playing Matt Camden, the eldest son of a minister's family, on the family drama *7th Heaven* from 1996 to 2006[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He later starred in *What About Brian* and *Samantha Who?*, and has continued working in television film and series roles into the 2020s[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1974, Traverse City, Michigan; birth name Michael Barrett Watson[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/) |
| Signature role | Matt Camden on *7th Heaven*, 1996–2006, 155 episodes[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) |
| Health | Diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease in 2002; in remission by 2003[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/) |
| Lead roles after *7th Heaven* | Brian Davis in *What About Brian* (2006–2007, 24 episodes); Todd in *Samantha Who?* (2007–2009, 35 episodes)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) |
| Films | *Teaching Mrs. Tingle* (1999), *Ocean's Eleven* (2001), *Sorority Boys* (2002), *Boogeyman* (2005), *A Dog's Way Home* (2019)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/) • [1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) |
| Award | 2002 Teen Choice Award for TV Choice Actor, Drama[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/) |
| Recent work | Lachlan Murdoch in *[The Loudest Voice](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-loudest-voice)* (2019); Bruce in Lifetime's *Highway to Heaven* (2021); Greg McDuffie in *Naomi* (2022)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) |
## Early life and first roles
Watson was born in [Traverse City, Michigan](https://www.edgepedia.org/traverse-city-michigan), the third of four children, to an attorney father and a paralegal mother[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). The family moved to [Richardson, Texas](https://www.edgepedia.org/richardson-texas), a Dallas suburb, where he began modeling at age eight and appeared in print ads and local commercials[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/) • [4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/barry-watson-48047.php). He studied acting under director Linda Seto at the Dallas Young Actors Studio[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/).
His parents divorced when he was 14, and a year later he moved to [Burbank, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/burbank-california), to look for acting work[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He almost immediately landed a part on the NBC soap opera *Days of Our Lives*, but the job lasted only six months and he could not secure another role[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He returned to Texas and graduated from [Richardson High School](https://www.edgepedia.org/richardson-high-school) in 1992[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/).
At 19 he moved back to Los Angeles, working odd jobs including parking cars at the [House of Blues](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-blues) on the [Sunset Strip](https://www.edgepedia.org/sunset-strip), where he parked [Tori Spelling](https://www.edgepedia.org/tori-spelling)'s car[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). After guest appearances on shows such as *The Nanny* and *Nash Bridges*, he was cast in the TV movie *Co-ed Call Girl* (1996) and then, on Aaron Spelling's short-lived NBC series *Malibu Shores* (1996)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). Spelling was impressed enough to promise him another job after the series ended[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/).
## 7th Heaven
Spelling delivered on that promise by casting Watson as Matt Camden, the oldest of the seven children of the Reverend Eric Camden and his wife Annie on *7th Heaven*, which ran on the WB network from 1996 to 2006[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). TV Insider describes the series as the most successful in WB network history[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). Watson appeared in 155 episodes as Matt Camden[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/).
His shaggy hair became a point of contention with producers on the conservative family drama; he refused to cut it, fans liked it, and executives eventually came to accept both the hair and the actor[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). In 2002 he won the Teen Choice Award for TV Choice Actor, Drama[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/).
## Illness and return
In 2002, after a routine check, Watson was diagnosed with Hodgkin's disease, a form of lymphatic cancer[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He took a sabbatical from *7th Heaven* to undergo chemotherapy, and the cancer was reported to be in remission in 2003[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/) • [3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/). He returned to the series for its 150th episode and continued as a cast member[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He later said his early struggles in Los Angeles and his brush with the disease had made him, in his words, "hopefully, a better human being, a better dad, maybe even a better actor"[4](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/barry-watson-48047.php).
## Film and later television work
Watson made his feature film debut in 1999, when *Scream* director Kevin Williamson cast him as bad boy Luke Churner opposite [Katie Holmes](https://www.edgepedia.org/katie-holmes) in *Teaching Mrs. Tingle*, in which the teenage characters hold their spiteful teacher, played by [Helen Mirren](https://www.edgepedia.org/helen-mirren), hostage[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He followed with *Ocean's Eleven* (2001), the comedy *Sorority Boys* (2002), in which he played a cross-dressing college student, and the horror film *Boogeyman* (2005)[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/) • [5](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/barry-watson-4160/biography/).
Back on primetime, he took his first grown-up leading role as Brian Davis, the last single man in his circle of friends, in ABC's *What About Brian* (2006–2007), a series produced by J.J. Abrams[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He then played Todd, an ex-boyfriend trying to win Samantha back, opposite [Christina Applegate](https://www.edgepedia.org/christina-applegate) in *Samantha Who?* from 2007 to 2009[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/). Guest roles in this period included *Gossip Girl*, *Drop Dead Diva*, *Hart of Dixie*, and *Masters of Sex*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/).
His later credits include [Lachlan Murdoch](https://www.edgepedia.org/lachlan-murdoch), son of [Rupert Murdoch](https://www.edgepedia.org/rupert-murdoch), in the 2019 miniseries *The Loudest Voice*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/), Gavin in the film *A Dog's Way Home* (2019)[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/), Bruce in Lifetime's 2021 remake of *Highway to Heaven*, and Greg McDuffie in the 2022 series *Naomi*[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/). He has also worked behind the camera, with directing credits on *7th Heaven* and *The Secret Life of the American Teenager* and a writing credit on *7th Heaven*[6](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/credits/3030000005/).
In 2025 he joined Alex Dvorak's short film *Bad Survivor*, about a teenager overcoming cancer, as an executive producer, with the aim of securing distribution and adapting it for television; Watson is himself a Hodgkin's lymphoma survivor[7](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/news/).
## Personal life
Watson's first marriage, to Laura Payne-Gabriel, whom Tori Spelling introduced to him on the set of *Malibu Shores*, ended in divorce[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). He later married Tracy Hutson, an actress and designer on *Extreme Makeover: Home Edition*, and became a father with the birth of his son Oliver in May 2005[2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/). According to [TV Guide](https://www.edgepedia.org/tv-guide), he has two sons, Oliver and Felix, with Hutson, and a daughter, Clover Clementyne Watson, born in 2012, with actress [Natasha Gregson Wagner](https://www.edgepedia.org/natasha-gregson-wagner), whom TV Insider lists as his spouse[3](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/) • [2](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/).
## References
1. [Barry Watson, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/)
2. [Barry Watson, TV Insider](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/barry-watson/)
3. [Barry Watson Biography, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/bio/3030000005/)
4. [Barry Watson Biography, The Famous People](https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/barry-watson-48047.php)
5. [Barry Watson Biography, Showtimes](https://www.showtimes.com/celebrity/barry-watson-4160/biography/)
6. [Barry Watson List of Movies and TV Shows, TV Guide](https://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/barry-watson/credits/3030000005/)
7. [Barry Watson News, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005538/news/)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames U to We*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license