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Matt Dallas

Matthew Joseph Dallas (born October 21, 1982) is an American actor recognized primarily for portraying the enigmatic, amnesiac protagonist Kyle Trager in the ABC Family science fiction series Kyle XY, which ran for three seasons from 2006 to 2009. Born in Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended the Arizona School for the Arts, Dallas developed an interest in performing early in life and pursued acting after initial modeling work and minor television appearances. His performance in Kyle XY earned him a nomination for a Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout TV Star - Male in 2007, highlighting his breakthrough in the industry. Beyond that series, Dallas has starred in independent films such as the supernatural horror Along Came the Devil (2018), where he played a pastor confronting demonic possession, and various television movies including Lifetime's Tell Me Your Name (2018) as a father unraveling a kidnapping mystery. These roles demonstrate his versatility across genres, though he has not achieved the same level of mainstream prominence since his early career highlight.

Early life and education

Childhood in Phoenix

Matthew Joseph Dallas was born on October 21, 1982, in Phoenix, Arizona. He was raised in the city as the eldest of four siblings, including two younger brothers and one younger sister. During his early childhood, Dallas showed a strong inclination toward athletics rather than the arts, participating actively in sports. This focus shifted around age 12, when his grandmother enrolled him in an audition for a local children's musical production, marking his initial exposure to acting. The experience ignited an interest in performance, though he continued balancing athletic pursuits with emerging creative inclinations through his pre-teen and early teenage years in Phoenix. Dallas has later reflected on his family's deep roots in the area, which influenced his periodic returns to Phoenix even after pursuing opportunities elsewhere.

Formal education and initial interests

Dallas attended the Arizona School for the Arts, a public charter high school in Phoenix emphasizing performing and visual arts, where he developed skills relevant to his later career. Prior to this, his early interests centered on athletics, reflecting a typical "jock" orientation rather than dramatic pursuits. This shifted at age 12, when his grandmother introduced him to a community theater production—or audition process for—The Ugly Duckling, igniting a sustained passion for acting that he has cited as pivotal. Following high school graduation, Dallas moved to Los Angeles at 18 to chase professional opportunities in entertainment, forgoing further traditional academic paths in favor of industry immersion.

Professional career

Breakthrough with Kyle XY

Matt Dallas secured his breakthrough role as the titular character in the ABC Family science fiction drama series Kyle XY, which premiered on June 26, 2006, and concluded after three seasons on March 16, 2009, with a total of 43 episodes. In the series, Dallas portrayed Kyle Trager, a enigmatic adolescent discovered nude in a forest near Seattle, exhibiting amnesia, the absence of a belly button, and a lack of innate human emotions or social knowledge, gradually integrating into a foster family while uncovering his origins tied to genetic experimentation. The show blended elements of mystery, family dynamics, and ethical dilemmas surrounding human creation, drawing comparisons to earlier sci-fi narratives like The Outer Limits. Prior to Kyle XY, Dallas had pursued modeling for approximately five years following minor acting appearances, marking this lead role as his first significant television opportunity after auditioning late in the casting process. Producers selected him for his ability to convey Kyle's wide-eyed innocence and rapid learning curve, requiring extensive physical preparation including scenes without dialogue to emphasize the character's nonverbal communication. The role demanded Dallas maintain a youthful appearance despite being 23 at the premiere, contributing to the character's portrayal as a blank-slate savant adapting to adolescence. Kyle XY achieved notable success for ABC Family, becoming the network's highest-rated original series in its debut season with an average of 2.1 million viewers per episode early on, particularly strong among adults 18-34 and teens. This performance propelled Dallas to prominence, establishing him as a lead actor in genre television and opening doors to subsequent projects, though later seasons saw declining ratings culminating in cancellation after viewership dropped below 1.5 million for the third-season premiere. The series' cult following persisted post-run, crediting Dallas's performance for anchoring its exploration of identity and humanity.

Film and television roles post-2009

In 2010, Dallas starred as Seth in the ABC Family television film Beauty & the Briefcase, a romantic comedy directed by John Schultz, where his character serves as a potential love interest for the protagonist amid a workplace experiment on office romance. That same year, he played Jake, a menacing figure in the direct-to-video thriller As Good as Dead, directed by Jonathan Kung, depicting a family's confrontation with a stalker. Dallas continued with supporting roles in Western and holiday-themed projects. In 2012, he portrayed Bat Masterson in Wyatt Earp's Revenge, a direct-to-video film directed by Michael Feifer, focusing on the early life of the legendary lawman and featuring Val Kilmer in the lead. Also in 2012, he appeared as Lance Leigh in the Hallmark Channel television movie Naughty or Nice, a holiday fantasy about a modern-day Scrooge narrative involving a magical Santa suit. Subsequent roles leaned toward independent horror and drama. In 2014, Dallas took on the part of Ben in Ghost of Goodnight Lane, a low-budget horror-comedy directed by Alin Bijan, centered on a film studio haunted by its past productions, co-starring Billy Zane and Lacey Chabert. He followed with Frank Dean, a ranch hand entangled in a tale of exploitation and revenge, in the 2017 Western Painted Woman, directed by James Cotten. In 2018, he played Pastor John Douglas in the supernatural horror film Along Came the Devil, directed by Jason DeVan, involving demonic possession and exorcism. Dallas's television appearances post-2009 were limited, with no recurring series roles after his brief stint on Eastwick (which spanned late 2009 into 2010 as Chad). He maintained a focus on feature films and TV movies, including smaller parts in projects like Nearly Married (2016) and Alaska Is a Drag (2017). More recently, in 2023, he appeared as Ira in the independent film Shoulder Dance. These roles reflect a shift toward genre-specific and indie cinema, often with direct-to-streaming or video distribution.

Indie projects and recent developments

Following the conclusion of Kyle XY in 2009, Dallas pursued roles in independent cinema, including the psychological thriller As Good as Dead (2010), in which he portrayed Jake, a husband and father targeted by a killer after intervening in an assault. He also starred as Will Earp in the independently produced Western Wyatt Earp's Revenge (2012), a period drama depicting the lawman's pursuit of outlaws. Additional indie credits during this period encompassed the horror films Ghost of Goodnight Lane (2013), where he played a supporting role in a story of spectral hauntings, and Along Came the Devil (2018), featuring Dallas as a character entangled in demonic possession narratives. In more recent developments, took the lead in romantic drama Shoulder Dance (2023), directed by Jay Arnold, playing —a man grappling with resurfaced romantic tensions during a reunion with his high school best friend after 24 years of separation. The film, which premiered at festivals before streaming release, centers on the blurred boundaries between platonic bonds and latent attraction, earning praise for its intimate character study despite mixed reviews on relational dynamics. By 2025, had signed on for the indie Sheepdog, co-starring opposite Steven Grayhm, who wrote, directed, and leads the project exploring themes of loyalty and personal reckoning; production updates surfaced in early October, indicating active development. These endeavors reflect Dallas's shift toward smaller-scale productions emphasizing mature, introspective roles over mainstream television.

Personal life

Relationships and marriage

Dallas began a relationship with singer-songwriter Blue Hamilton in 2007. The couple kept their partnership private initially, amid Dallas's rising fame from Kyle XY. In September 2013, Dallas publicly came out as gay via a blog post on his website, announcing his engagement to Hamilton and emphasizing the supportive role Hamilton played in his decision to live openly. Dallas and Hamilton married over the Fourth of July weekend in 2015, following eight years of dating. Dallas confirmed the union in an Instagram post on July 5, 2015, stating, "Introducing Mr. and Mr. Dallas." The ceremony was officiated by a close friend, with the couple sharing photos of themselves in matching attire. As of 2024, they continue to present as married, with Hamilton posting affectionate birthday tributes to Dallas on social media. Prior to his relationship with Hamilton, Dallas maintained privacy regarding his personal life, with no confirmed public romantic partners reported in reputable outlets. Unsubstantiated rumors linking him to figures like Jonathan Bennett or Katy Perry appear on gossip aggregation sites but lack corroboration from primary sources or direct statements.

Family and lifestyle choices

Dallas and Hamilton adopted their first child, a two-year-old boy named Crow (born circa 2013), through the foster-to-adopt process on December 22, 2015, with finalization occurring approximately five months later. The couple selected foster adoption over alternatives such as surrogacy or private adoption, citing an initial overwhelm with options but ultimate alignment with providing a stable home to a child already in the system rather than pursuing biological parenthood. In July 2022, they adopted a foster daughter named Rosa, expanding their family via the same pathway and emphasizing support for children removed from unstable environments. The decision to build their family through foster care reflected a deliberate choice to prioritize children in need over conventional reproductive methods, with Dallas later describing the process as redefining perceptions of adoptive parenting. Post-adoption, Dallas and Hamilton shifted their lifestyle away from Los Angeles, relocating to focus on parenting amid reduced acting commitments, a move Dallas attributed to escaping Hollywood's pressures and embracing family-centered routines. They maintain a joint YouTube channel documenting home renovations, daily family activities, and DIY projects, which serves as a platform for sharing their experiences in non-traditional family-building and domestic life. This approach underscores a lifestyle oriented toward stability, self-sufficiency, and public advocacy for foster adoption, contrasting with Dallas's earlier career-driven phase in entertainment.

Experiences with Hollywood norms on sexuality

During his time starring as the lead in the ABC Family series Kyle XY from 2006 to 2009, Matt Dallas faced explicit directives from studio executives to conceal his homosexuality to safeguard his career viability. He was advised against discussing his sexuality publicly and encouraged to attend red carpet events accompanied by women to project a heterosexual persona, reflecting a prevailing industry norm that openly gay actors, particularly young male leads in mainstream teen-oriented projects, risked diminished marketability and fewer opportunities. This pressure manifested in high-profile incidents, such as Dallas's 2006 appearance on The Howard Stern Show, where he refuted rumors of his sexual orientation despite privately identifying as gay, an experience he later characterized as "the worst day of my life" due to the internal conflict it induced. Dallas has described the broader psychological toll, noting that internalized industry expectations created a cacophony of external voices dictating his behavior and self-presentation, compelling him to live incongruent with his identity for professional survival. Dallas publicly acknowledged his homosexuality via Twitter in July 2013, marking a departure from these norms after the series concluded. In subsequent reflections, including a 2019 interview, he highlighted how such mandates persisted as a deterrent even post-Kyle XY, underscoring Hollywood's entrenched prioritization of perceived audience preferences over personal authenticity for rising stars. Coming out, he stated, ultimately alleviated the burden, allowing him to prioritize family and independent projects over conforming to these dated conventions.

Filmography and media appearances

Feature films

Dallas made his feature film debut in the independent drama The Indian (2007), portraying the character Danny in a supporting capacity. He followed with a role as Rick, a college student entangled in a babysitter's nightmare, in the horror thriller Babysitter Wanted (2008), which received mixed reviews for its suspense elements but was noted for its tense pacing. In the romantic musical You, Me & the Circus (2011), Dallas played Max, a performer navigating love and ambition in a traveling circus setting. Subsequent indie projects included Ghost of Goodnight Lane (2013), where he starred as Ben, a man confronting supernatural hauntings in his childhood home, co-writing and producing the film. Dallas took on the lead role of Declan, a drag club owner, in the comedy-drama Alaska Is a Drag (2017), which explored themes of community and resilience in a remote Alaskan setting. That same year, he appeared as Frank Dean in the Western Painted Woman (2017), a supporting role in a story of revenge and frontier justice. In the horror film Along Came the Devil (2018), Dallas portrayed Pastor John Douglas, aiding in an exorcism narrative centered on demonic possession. More recently, he featured as Ira in the drama Shoulder Dance (2023), contributing to a story of personal redemption and dance as therapy. His film work predominantly consists of low-budget independent productions, often in genres like horror and drama, with limited wide theatrical distribution.

Television series

Dallas portrayed the titular character, Kyle Trager, in the ABC Family science fiction drama series Kyle XY, which aired from June 26, 2006, to March 16, 2009, across three seasons totaling 43 episodes. The series followed a mysterious teenage boy with no belly button who possesses advanced abilities and is taken in by a family, exploring themes of identity and human development. He made a guest appearance as a male model in the second-season episode "Chinatown" of the HBO comedy series Entourage, which originally aired on July 17, 2005. In the 2009 ABC supernatural drama Eastwick, Dallas played Chad, the husband of character Roxie Torcoletti, appearing in multiple episodes during the show's single season from September 23 to December 30, 2009. Dallas recurred as Fitch, a charming but unreliable love interest, in five episodes of the Freeform (formerly ABC Family) comedy Baby Daddy during its third and fourth seasons, from 2013 to 2014. In the 2023 limited series Shoulder Dance, he starred as Ira, a role in a narrative centered on personal and relational dynamics.

Other media contributions

Dallas made early screen appearances in music videos, including a leading role alongside Mischa Barton in James Blunt's "Goodbye My Lover" released in 2005. He also participated in a television commercial for Arizona Jeans, portraying a character who drives a truck and delivers spoken lines. These contributions preceded his breakthrough acting roles and provided initial exposure in visual media.

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