Matthew MacKendree Lanter (born April 1, 1983) is an American actor. He began his career in modeling in 2004, the same year he appeared in the film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius and the television series Point Pleasant. He gained fame for his role of Liam Court in 90210 (2009–2013). Lanter is also known for his extensive voice work in the Star Wars franchise, voicing Anakin Skywalker / Darth Vader in projects such as the animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008) and its subsequent television series, Star Wars Rebels, and other Star Wars media. From 2016 to 2018, he played a lead role as Wyatt Logan in the sci-fi television series Timeless. His works also include Jupiter's Legacy, Disaster Movie, Sorority Row, Vampires Suck, The Roommate, and Pitch Perfect 3. Beyond film and television, his voice work also includes roles in video games and narration for audiobooks.
Early life Lanter was born on April 1, 1983, in Massillon, Ohio. His father worked in insurance, and his mother was a school secretary. He has one older sister. When Lanter was eight, the family moved to Atlanta, Georgia. Lanter played baseball in his youth and was a batboy with the Atlanta Braves for two seasons. He majored in business at the University of Georgia.
Career
In 2004, Lanter was a contestant on Bravo's reality show Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model. He did not win the competition. In November of that year, Lanter appeared as a caddie in the biographical film Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius. Between June and July 2005, Lanter appeared in three episodes of the Fox supernatural drama series Point Pleasant, playing the role of Nick. The show received low ratings and did not last a full season. He has since appeared in television shows such as Grey's Anatomy and Big Love. In April 2005, he signed on to become a series regular portraying the role of Horace Calloway on ABC's political drama series Commander in Chief. The series premiered in September 2005, ran for one season and was cancelled in June 2006.
In 2008, he took on the lead role as Zach Conroy in The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream, as a member of a figure skating pair. Later that year, Lanter starred in Disaster Movie as the character Will. The film later appeared on Empire's 2010 poll The 50 Worst Movies Ever, in which it scored number 14. Lanter appeared in the slasher film Sorority Row, which was released in September 2009. It received negative reviews from both critics and audiences.
In 2009, he began a major recurring role on the CW's 90210 portraying Liam Court and he joined the regular cast in season two. In March 2010, he signed on for another parody project with Jason Friedberg and Aaron Seltzer, 20th Century Fox's Vampires Suck. He played Edward Sullen, a spoof of Edward Cullen from the Twilight saga. The film was released in August 2010 and received negative reviews. In 2011, Lanter appeared in the psychological thriller The Roommate as Jason. Although it received unfavorable reviews from critics, it was a moderate success at box office in North America; however, it was overshadowed by that year's Super Bowl. In 2012, he worked on the films Liars All and A Chance of Rain. He also voices Harry Osborn, Flash Thompson and Venom in the TV series Ultimate Spider-Man, which premiered on April 1, 2012. He also voiced the role of Sled in Secret of the Wings, which was released later that year.
In March 2013, Lanter was cast as a co-star in The CW's science fiction drama series Star-Crossed (originally titled Oxygen). Star-Crossed is about a romance between a human girl and an alien boy (Lanter) when he and six others of his kind are integrated into a suburban high school 10 years after they landed on Earth and were consigned to an internment camp. From 2016 to 2018, Lanter began playing the role of Wyatt Logan in the NBC series Timeless. In February 2019, it was announced that Lanter was cast as George Hutchence in the Netflix superhero series Jupiter's Legacy.
Star Wars Lanter played Jedi Knight Anakin Skywalker in the 2008 animated film Star Wars: The Clone Wars and later all seven seasons of the TV series of the same name. He has stated that his fellow cast members and the other people who worked on the show are "like family" to him. He also portrayed the character in Star Wars Battlefront II and Star Wars Rebels. He has said that Hayden Christensen, the actor who had previously had the role in Episode II – Attack of the Clones and Episode III – Revenge of the Sith, had a "very, very difficult job" demonstrating the character's arc from hero to villain, and considers himself fortunate that he had more time to show the transformation.
Lanter had not known for whom he was auditioning when trying for the role. He was told he would be playing a character called "Deak Starkiller" who Dave Filoni, the director of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars animated film, suggested he portray as a mixture of Luke Skywalker and Han Solo. Lanter had minor roles in Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015) as various alien scavengers and stormtroopers. On December 13, 2019, he appeared in The Mandalorian episode "Chapter 6: The Prisoner", portraying Lant Davan, a New Republic soldier. He returned to his role as the voice of Anakin Skywalker in the miniseries Tales of the Jedi, which became available on Disney+ on October 26, 2022.
Personal life Lanter married his longtime girlfriend Angela Stacy on June 14, 2013. The two had been in a relationship since 2009. They had a daughter in 2017 and a son in 2025. In March 2022, Lanter underwent emergency surgery for a closed-loop intestinal obstruction, which had given him "intense abdominal pain". He is a Christian.
Filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2004 Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius Bobby Jones's caddy2008 WarGames: The Dead Code Will Farmer Star Wars: The Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker (voice) A green check mark indicates that a role has been confirmed using a screenshot (or collage of screenshots) of a title's list of voice actors and their respective characters found in its credits or other reliable sources of information. Disaster Movie Will Clayton 2009 Sorority Row Kyle Tyson 2010 Vampires Suck Edward Sullen 2011 The Roommate Jason Tanner 2012 Secret of the Wings Sled (voice) 2013 Liars All Mike2015 Justice League: Throne of Atlantis Arthur Curry / Aquaman (voice) Star Wars: The Force Awakens Additional voices 2016 USS Indianapolis: Men of Courage Brian "Bama" Smithwick 2017 Pitch Perfect 3 Chicago Walp 2018 The Death of SupermanArthur Curry / Aquaman (voice) 2020Justice League Dark: Apokolips War Chasing the Rain Eric 2021 DC Showcase: Blue Beetle Ted Kord / Blue Beetle (voice) Short film 2024Justice League: Crisis on Infinite EarthsTed Kord / Blue Beetle, Ultraman (voice)
Television Year Title Role Notes 2004 Manhunt Himself Contestant2005 8 Simple Rules Brendon Episode: "The After Party" Point Pleasant Nick 3 episodes 2005–2006 Commander in Chief Horace Calloway Main role2006 Big Love Gibson Episode: "Eviction" Heroes Brody Mitchum Recurring role Shark Eddie Linden 3 episodes2007 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Ryan Lansco Episode: "Fallen Idols" Monk Clay Bridges Episode: "Mr. Monk and the Birds and the Bees" Grey's Anatomy Adam Singer Episode: "The Heart of the Matter" Judy's Got a Gun Isaac Prentice Television film2008 The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream Zack ConroyTelevision film Life Patrick Bridger Episode: "Everything... All the Time" The Oaks Mike Episode: "Pilot" 2008–2014, 2020 Star Wars: The Clone Wars Anakin Skywalker, Okalin, Ratter (voice) 95 episodes 2009–2013 90210 Liam Court Main role2012 Scooby-Doo! Mystery Incorporated Baylor Hotner (voice) 3 episodes The High Fructose Adventures of Annoying Orange Matt the Pear Episode: "Generic Holiday Special" 2012–2017 Ultimate Spider-ManHarry Osborn / Patrioteer, Flash Thompson / Agent Venom, Venom, Klaw, additional voices 46 episodes 2014 Star-Crossed Roman Main role2015 The Astronaut Wives Club Ed White 3 episodes CSI: Cyber Tristan Jenkins Episode: "Corrupted Memory" 2016 Star Wars Rebels Anakin Skywalker (voice) 2 episodes 2016–2018 Timeless Wyatt Logan Main role 2017–2018 Star Wars Forces of Destiny Anakin Skywalker (voice) 6 episodes2019 Avengers Assemble Winter Soldier, Reporter (voice) Episode: "Vibranium Curtain" The Mandalorian Lant Davan Episode: "Chapter 6: The Prisoner" 2020 Lego Star Wars Holiday Special Anakin Skywalker, Rodian (voice) 2021 Jupiter's Legacy George Hutchence Main role 2022 Lego Star Wars Summer Vacation Anakin Skywalker, Rodian (voice) Tales of the Jedi Anakin Skywalker (voice)Episode: "Practice Makes Perfect" 2023 S.W.A.T. Aaron Skinner Episode: "Blowback" 2024 Star Wars: The Bad Batch Olly, Stormtrooper #1 (voice) Episode: "Point of No Return" 2025 Motorheads Darren Recurring role
Video games Year Title Role Notes 2008 Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Lightsaber DuelsAnakin Skywalker Star Wars: The Clone Wars – Jedi Alliance 2009 Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Republic Heroes 2011 Lego Star Wars III: The Clone Wars Star Wars: The Old Republic Darth Sadic2012Kinect Star WarsAnakin Skywalker 2014 Disney Infinity 2.0 Venom 2015 Disney Infinity 3.0 Anakin Skywalker, Venom 2016 Lego Marvel's Avengers Ulysses Klaue 2017 Star Wars Battlefront IIAnakin Skywalker 2022Lego Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga
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