# Matt Lanter
**Matt Lanter** (Matthew Mackendree Lanter) is an American actor and voice actor, born in 1983 in Massillon, Ohio, known for playing Liam Court on [The CW](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-cw) teen drama *90210* and for voicing Anakin Skywalker in *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* and *Star Wars Rebels*.[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1782667/bio/) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) He has also starred as time traveler Wyatt Logan in NBC's *Timeless* and played George Hutchence, the supervillain Skyfox, in Netflix's *Jupiter's Legacy*.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name, birth | Matthew Mackendree Lanter, born 1983 in Massillon, Ohio[1](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1782667/bio/) |
| Breakthrough role | Liam Court on The CW's *90210*, a spin-off of *Beverly Hills, 90210*; 114 episodes from 2008[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) |
| Signature voice role | Anakin Skywalker in *Star Wars: The Clone Wars* (119 episodes plus the 2008 film) and *Star Wars Rebels*[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) |
| Live-action lead | Wyatt Logan, a soldier and time traveler, on NBC's *Timeless*[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) |
| Other franchise voice work | Aquaman in DC animated films and Blue Beetle in DC Showcase shorts[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) • [3](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/1220315-interview-matt-lanter-on-voicing-the-blue-beetle-debunking-imdb-trivia) |
| Career ratings spread | Rotten Tomatoes lists his highest-rated film as *The Death of Superman* (93%) and his lowest as *Disaster Movie* (1%)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter) |
## Start in television
Lanter's first television exposure came not through acting but through a reality competition. He appeared on Bravo's *Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model* in 2004, competing in modeling challenges and finishing in the top 10; the show became a springboard to an acting career.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter) • [5](https://www.mediavillage.com/article/matt-lanter-on-his-dream-role-in-nbcs-new-hit-timeless/print/) He has described the transition as exchanging modeling credentials for a SAG card.[5](https://www.mediavillage.com/article/matt-lanter-on-his-dream-role-in-nbcs-new-hit-timeless/print/)
His early acting credits were on established network series. In 2005 he played Horace Calloway, the President's son, in 18 episodes of ABC's *Commander in Chief*, and he later appeared in *Shark*, *Big Love*, and five episodes of NBC's *Heroes* as Brody Mitchum.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) • [6](https://starrymag.com/matt-lanter-commander-in-chief/) In interviews he has pointed to *Commander in Chief* as an early break, saying he was "playing with the big boys very early on".[5](https://www.mediavillage.com/article/matt-lanter-on-his-dream-role-in-nbcs-new-hit-timeless/print/)
## 90210 and film work
In 2008 Lanter won the role of Liam Court on The CW's *90210*, a revival of the 1990s Fox series *Beverly Hills, 90210*, and appeared in 114 episodes through the series' run.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) The part made him a teen heartthrob; Rotten Tomatoes' profile describes how he leveraged an all-American-boy image while also playing "darker shades of smarmy prom-king stereotype".[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter)
The same year he took the male lead in the parody film *Disaster Movie*, and he followed with roles in the horror remake *[Sorority Row](https://www.edgepedia.org/sorority-row)* (2009), playing a senator's son dating the sorority president, the parody *Vampires Suck* (2010) as Edward Sullen, and the thriller *[The Roommate](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-roommate)* (2011).[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) • [7](https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/714025-excl-sorority-row-the-roommates-matt-lanter) These films sit at the bottom of his review record: *Disaster Movie* holds a 1% rating on Rotten Tomatoes and *The Roommate* 3%, while *Sorority Row* stands at 24%.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter)
## Voice acting and Star Wars
Lanter's most durable role is a voice role. He became the voice of Anakin Skywalker in *Star Wars: The Clone Wars*, the animated series that ran on [Cartoon Network](https://www.edgepedia.org/cartoon-network) from 2008 to 2013 and on Netflix in 2014, and he carried the part into *Star Wars Rebels* and later animated projects including *Tales of the Jedi* (2022) and the LEGO Star Wars specials.[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter) • [2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) The 2008 animated film and series introduced [Ahsoka Tano](https://www.edgepedia.org/ahsoka-tano) as Anakin's padawan, a character voiced by [Ashley Eckstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/ashley-eckstein) who became central to later Star Wars storytelling.[8](https://time.com/6307162/ahsoka-star-wars-premiere/)
In interviews Lanter has drawn a line between his Anakin and the character's fall: discussing his *Jupiter's Legacy* role, he noted "a lot of similarities" between pre-Darth Vader Anakin and Skyfox, calling both charismatic rule-breakers.[9](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/jupiters-legacy-star-matt-lanter-compares-skyfox-to-the-chosen-one/) StarWars.com has written that he achieved "Star Wars immortality" with the portrayal.[10](https://www.starwars.com/news/from-the-pages-of-star-wars-insider-matt-lanter)
His [Star Wars](https://www.edgepedia.org/star-wars) work extends to live action in a small way: he appeared in one 2019 episode of *The Mandalorian* as Davan, a New Republic soldier aboard a prison ship.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) • [10](https://www.starwars.com/news/from-the-pages-of-star-wars-insider-matt-lanter) In 2026 he reprised Anakin Skywalker in *Star Wars Zero Company*, a single-player turn-based tactics game developed by Bit Reactor with [Respawn Entertainment](https://www.edgepedia.org/respawn-entertainment) and [Lucasfilm Games](https://www.edgepedia.org/lucasfilm-games), announced alongside fellow Clone Wars veteran Dee Bradley Baker.[11](https://www.starwars.com/news/sdcc-star-wars-zero-company-cast-announce) • [12](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/the-voice-actors-behind-anakin-skywalker-and-the-clone-troopers-in-the-clone-wars-are-returning-for-star-wars-zero-company)
Beyond Star Wars, Lanter has a record in DC animation. He voiced Arthur Curry, Aquaman, in films including *Justice League Dark: Apokolips War* (2020) and *The Death of Superman* (2018), his highest-rated screen credit at 93% on Rotten Tomatoes, and he voiced the Ted Kord Blue Beetle in a DC Showcase short, an approach he described as channeling [Adam West](https://www.edgepedia.org/adam-west)-era bravado.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter) • [3](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/1220315-interview-matt-lanter-on-voicing-the-blue-beetle-debunking-imdb-trivia)
## Timeless and Jupiter's Legacy
Lanter's best-known live-action lead after *90210* is Wyatt Logan on NBC's *Timeless*, a soldier traveling through history with a team chasing a stolen time machine. He called the part an actor's dream and compared the character to [Han Solo](https://www.edgepedia.org/han-solo) and [Indiana Jones](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-jones), and described Wyatt as willing to deviate from the mission to try to bring his wife back.[5](https://www.mediavillage.com/article/matt-lanter-on-his-dream-role-in-nbcs-new-hit-timeless/print/)
In 2021 he played George Hutchence, also known as Skyfox, in eight episodes of Netflix's *Jupiter's Legacy*, a founding member of the Union of superheroes who turned against it; the character's whereabouts and loyalties are left a mystery in the story.[2](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US) • [9](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/jupiters-legacy-star-matt-lanter-compares-skyfox-to-the-chosen-one/)
## Personal life
Lanter married Angela Stacy on June 14, 2013, and their daughter MacKenlee Faire Lanter was born in 2017.[13](https://importantquote.com/authors/matt-lanter) In 2022 he underwent emergency surgery for a closed-loop intestinal obstruction, an event he later described in interviews as reinforcing gratitude toward his family.[13](https://importantquote.com/authors/matt-lanter) He grew up in Ohio and Georgia, played sports, and worked as a batboy for the [Atlanta Braves](https://www.edgepedia.org/atlanta-braves) before acting; his first film-set experience was as a background performer on *Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius*, where he was given a feature role without lines.[14](https://newyorkmoves.com/celeb-profile/matt-lanter/)
## References
1. [Matt Lanter Biography, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1782667/bio/)
2. [Matt Lanter, The Movie Database (TMDB)](https://www.themoviedb.org/person/34202-matt-lanter?language=en-US)
3. [Interview: Matt Lanter on Voicing the Blue Beetle, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/features/1220315-interview-matt-lanter-on-voicing-the-blue-beetle-debunking-imdb-trivia)
4. [Matt Lanter Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matt_lanter)
5. [Matt Lanter on His Dream Role in NBC's New Hit "Timeless", MediaVillage](https://www.mediavillage.com/article/matt-lanter-on-his-dream-role-in-nbcs-new-hit-timeless/print/)
6. [Matt Lanter – Commander In Chief, StarryMag](https://starrymag.com/matt-lanter-commander-in-chief/)
7. [EXCL: Sorority Row, The Roommate's Matt Lanter, ComingSoon.net](https://www.comingsoon.net/horror/news/714025-excl-sorority-row-the-roommates-matt-lanter)
8. [How Ahsoka's First Two Episodes Set Up a Long-Awaited Star Wars Story, TIME](https://time.com/6307162/ahsoka-star-wars-premiere/)
9. [Jupiter's Legacy Star Matt Lanter Compares Skyfox to The Chosen One, Bleeding Cool](https://bleedingcool.com/tv/jupiters-legacy-star-matt-lanter-compares-skyfox-to-the-chosen-one/)
10. [From the Pages of Star Wars Insider: Matt Lanter, the Animated Anakin, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/from-the-pages-of-star-wars-insider-matt-lanter)
11. [SDCC 2026: Star Wars Zero Company Mobilizes at San Diego Comic-Con, StarWars.com](https://www.starwars.com/news/sdcc-star-wars-zero-company-cast-announce)
12. [The voice actors behind Anakin Skywalker and the Clone Troopers are returning for Star Wars Zero Company, TechRadar](https://www.techradar.com/gaming/the-voice-actors-behind-anakin-skywalker-and-the-clone-troopers-in-the-clone-wars-are-returning-for-star-wars-zero-company)
13. [Matt Lanter – Life, Career, and Memorable Insights, ImportantQuote](https://importantquote.com/authors/matt-lanter)
14. [Matt Lanter, New York Moves](https://newyorkmoves.com/celeb-profile/matt-lanter/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 2000s onward › Surnames Kn to La*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license