Matthew Maher

With his deep roots in the New York theater scene, Michael Maher built up such a respectable reputation as an actor that it's surprising to hear his initial interest in the craft was purely social. Growing up in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Maher noticed that the students who participated in his high school's plays seemed to have the most fun.

He was inspired to join their ranks initially as a member of the tech crew, but it wasn't until he was studying the Meisner technique at the University of California, Santa Cruz that Maher discovered his true love of acting. It quickly became Maher's passion, and he soon found success pursuing it, winning an Obie Award for his performance in "The Race of the Ark Tattoo" at New York's The Foundry Theater in 1999.

That same year, he appeared in Martin Scorsese's "Bringing Out the Dead" (1999) as well as in "Dogma" (1999). The latter would be his first in a long string of on screen collaborations with actor Ben Affleck. Maher and Affleck were former high school classmates and longtime friends, with a connection stretching back to their respective parents-who were college roommates.

Maher earned accolades for his performance in "Richard III" at The Public Theater in 2004, and later made forays into TV playing Dwayne on the comedy series "John From Cincinnati" (HBO, 2007). All the while, Maher maintained his reputation as a beloved and bankable theater actor, memorably starring in productions such as "Uncle Vanya" at the Soho Repertory Theatre and in Annie Baker's "The Flick," in a role written specifically for him.

But Maher would also continue to act on screen, notably appearing in Noah Baumbach's "While We're Young" (2014) and in a great number of Affleck's films, including "Gone, Baby, Gone" (2007), "The Finest Hours" (2016), and "Live by Night" (2016).