Matthias Hues
- Actor
- Writer
Matthias Hues was born on Valentine's Day in Waltrop, Germany, to the
late Dr. Josef Hues and Maria Humperdinck Hues who still resides in
Germany. Maria is the niece of
Engelbert Humperdinck,
composer of the opera Hansel and Gretel.
Matthias was very involved in sports from an early age on. By the time
he was 19 he was part of the team that won the German pentathlon
championship in Hannover and he later became Germany's hopeful in track
and field. He also took up martial arts due to his ability to move
extremely fast for his 6'5" height and 250-pound weight.
After graduating from school, Matthias moved to Paris to fulfill his
early dream of entering Hotel management. Once there he joined one of
the most prestigious health clubs in Paris, which had just been
bombarded with the new Jane Fonda aerobic
exercise program from the US. Matthias recognized an opportunity when
he saw one, then and after returning to Germany he gave up his idea of
going into Hotel management and instead opened two health clubs, flying
in aerobic teachers from the USA.
It was during that time when he became obsessed with America and the
American way of life, and due to his spectacular physique and
bigger-than-life appearance and personality, it wasn't long before some
people suggested that he should try to enter the entertainment
industry, so he sold his clubs and boarded a plane to Los Angeles.
He immediately joined Gold's Gym in Venice, California, the mecca of
bodybuilding and entertainment personalities. Within a few weeks
Derek Barton, a former Hollywood stuntman,
and formerly one of Gold's managing directors, received a frantic call
from a producer who had just lost
Jean-Claude Van Damme for his
movie and needed someone to replace him immediately. Derek didn't
hesitate to send Matthias to test for the role, and Matthias managed to
convince the producers to give him the part, despite having no acting
experience whatsoever. The movie,
No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987),
was a moderate success, and opened the door for Matthias to make more
films.
He established himself quickly as a powerhouse in the action genre and
began appearing in more films, his most successful to date being
Dark Angel (1990). Over the years he
recognized that his outstanding physique and size would not always be a
plus in his acting career, so if needed he would reshape his look,
dropping up to 40 pounds at times for various roles, and he began
studying with some of the industry's best acting and speech coaches.
Matthias played a variety of roles in his films, from a gladiator
turned private investigator in
Age of Treason (1993) to
an aging hit-man in
Finding Interest (1995) to a
bumbling idiot trying to kidnap a rich kid in
Alone in the Woods (1996) to a
dancing lion tamer in
Big Top Pee-wee (1988). He also
played a Klingon general in
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).
Matthias is one of the few foreign actors who managed to loose his
accent to the extent that many people in his own country don't even
know that he is from Germany.
Matthias recently began writing and producing. He is set to direct and
produce his first full feature film; a spy thriller to be shot in
Frankfurt and Rome.
late Dr. Josef Hues and Maria Humperdinck Hues who still resides in
Germany. Maria is the niece of
Engelbert Humperdinck,
composer of the opera Hansel and Gretel.
Matthias was very involved in sports from an early age on. By the time
he was 19 he was part of the team that won the German pentathlon
championship in Hannover and he later became Germany's hopeful in track
and field. He also took up martial arts due to his ability to move
extremely fast for his 6'5" height and 250-pound weight.
After graduating from school, Matthias moved to Paris to fulfill his
early dream of entering Hotel management. Once there he joined one of
the most prestigious health clubs in Paris, which had just been
bombarded with the new Jane Fonda aerobic
exercise program from the US. Matthias recognized an opportunity when
he saw one, then and after returning to Germany he gave up his idea of
going into Hotel management and instead opened two health clubs, flying
in aerobic teachers from the USA.
It was during that time when he became obsessed with America and the
American way of life, and due to his spectacular physique and
bigger-than-life appearance and personality, it wasn't long before some
people suggested that he should try to enter the entertainment
industry, so he sold his clubs and boarded a plane to Los Angeles.
He immediately joined Gold's Gym in Venice, California, the mecca of
bodybuilding and entertainment personalities. Within a few weeks
Derek Barton, a former Hollywood stuntman,
and formerly one of Gold's managing directors, received a frantic call
from a producer who had just lost
Jean-Claude Van Damme for his
movie and needed someone to replace him immediately. Derek didn't
hesitate to send Matthias to test for the role, and Matthias managed to
convince the producers to give him the part, despite having no acting
experience whatsoever. The movie,
No Retreat, No Surrender 2 (1987),
was a moderate success, and opened the door for Matthias to make more
films.
He established himself quickly as a powerhouse in the action genre and
began appearing in more films, his most successful to date being
Dark Angel (1990). Over the years he
recognized that his outstanding physique and size would not always be a
plus in his acting career, so if needed he would reshape his look,
dropping up to 40 pounds at times for various roles, and he began
studying with some of the industry's best acting and speech coaches.
Matthias played a variety of roles in his films, from a gladiator
turned private investigator in
Age of Treason (1993) to
an aging hit-man in
Finding Interest (1995) to a
bumbling idiot trying to kidnap a rich kid in
Alone in the Woods (1996) to a
dancing lion tamer in
Big Top Pee-wee (1988). He also
played a Klingon general in
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country (1991).
Matthias is one of the few foreign actors who managed to loose his
accent to the extent that many people in his own country don't even
know that he is from Germany.
Matthias recently began writing and producing. He is set to direct and
produce his first full feature film; a spy thriller to be shot in
Frankfurt and Rome.