John Matthew Atkinson is an American actor and musician. Atkinson was born in Marietta, Georgia. His family moved around several times living in Alabama and Mississippi before settling in Kennesaw, Georgia. After high school Matthew moved to Atlanta taking college courses, while simultaneously pursuing acting, and eventually moved to Los Angeles. He made his television debut on The WB/CW drama series One Tree Hill. He appeared in the Academy Award winning film The Blind Side.