Matt Ross

Although most comfortable when portraying complex baddies like Alby Grant in the HBO hit "Big Love," Matt Ross could take up the other side of the camera just as easily. Discovering his love of directing when he helmed the critically successful black and white short film "Language of Love" in 1997, he would continue to dabble in directing along with his penchant for acting in both television and film.

Even with the chance to act under the direction of such legendary directors as Martin Scorsese in "The Aviator" (2004) and George Clooney in "Good Night, and Good Luck." (2005), Ross would return to television as his first and most successful medium again and again. Born in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1970, he found his calling as an actor when he attended the Julliard School of New York in the late 1980s. He met his wife, food writer Phyllis Grant, while at the school and was in his first film, "Desperation Rising" (1989) before he graduated. His first television role was on the family hit "Life Goes On" (ABC 1989-1993).

Throughout the 1990s he bounced between small film roles and the occasional guest star role on such television series as "Party of Five" (Fox 1994-2000) and "Oz" (HBO 1997-2003). With the turn of the 21st century, Ross began to get a bit more notice in unlikeable roles in such films as "American Psycho" (2000) as well as his excellent turn as Eddie Scott in the award-winning "Good Night, and Good Luck." (2005). But it was his role as Alby Grant, complicated son of The Prophet in "Big Love" (HBO 2006-2011), which finally made people sit up and take notice. He was connected with the show for all five seasons and moved directly to "American Horror Story" (FX 2011- ), an anthology series where he was featured for a six-episode story arc.

Ross then returned to his familiar role as the heavy in "Magic City" (Starz 2012-13), an organized crime story set in Miami in the 1950s. Not content to just be an actor, Ross ventured into film again when he wrote and directed his first feature film, "28 Hotel Rooms" (2012) and even had the buzz of seeing it featured at the Sundance Film Festival. His role of nerd boss Gavin Belson in Mike Judge's sitcom "Silicon Valley" (HBO 2014- ) proved that he remained a versatile actor who moved beyond the stereotypical bad guys of television.