| Al Matthews | |
 Matthews as Sergeant Apone in "Aliens" (1986) | |
| Born | November 12, 1942 Brooklyn, New York, United States |
| Died | September 22, 2018 (age 75) Orihuela, Spain |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Actor Singer U.S. Marine Sergeant |
| Years Active | 1975-1997 2011-2018 |
| Children | Samantha Matthews Lewis Matthews |
| Website | |
| http://almatthews.co.uk/ (defunct) | |
Al Matthews (November 21, 1942 - September 22, 2018) is a UK-based American actor and singer, best known for his role as Sergeant Apone in the James Cameron film Aliens, alongside Mark Rolston and Jay Benedict. He would reprise this role 28 years later, voice only, for the video game bomb Aliens: Colonial Marines.
Al Matthews provided the voices for Caliban and Professor Hagen. His role was uncredited due to the show reusing the end credits edited for the first episode. His role was confirmed via e-mail correspondence with Louis Elman.
Life and career[]
Matthews was a member of the United States Marine Corps and served during the Vietnam War. He holds 13 combat awards and decorations, including two purple hearts, and was the first African-American Marine in the 1st Marine Division in Vietnam, to be meritoriously promoted to the rank of Sergeant (E-5).
He has played various movie roles, including the Fire Chief in Superman III (1983), General Tudor in The Fifth Element (1997), Master Sergeant #3 in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Gunnery Sergeant Apone in Aliens as mentioned above.
He has also worked in British television and theatre, and has worked in radio, both as an actor (on BBC Radio 4) and as a presenter for BBC Radio 1 and Capital Radio. In 1975, he scored his only hit in the UK Singles Chart, "Fool" which reached number 16 in the autumn of that year.
Matthews was found unresponsive by a neighbor at 10 PM on September 22, 2018. He was pronounced dead at age 75.
Filmography[]
Films and Television[]
- Grange Hill (1978) as Mr. Green
- Rough Cut (1980) as Ferguson
- Funny Money (1982) as 1st Hood
- The Sender (1982) as Vietnam Veteran
- Star Fleet (1982) as Caliban & Professor Hagen (uncredited)
- Superman III (1983) as Fire Chief
- The Bullshitters: Roll Out The Gunbarrel (1984) as Admiral
- Aliens (1986) as Sergeant Apone
- The American Way (1986) as Benedict
- Out of Order (1987) as U.S. DJ
- American Roulette (1987) as Morrisey
- Soul Survivors (1995) as Grover Cleveland
- The Apocalypse Watch (1995) as Wesley Sorenson
- The Fifth Element (1997) as General Tudor
- Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) as Master Sergeant #3
Video Games[]
- Operation Flashpoint: Red River (2011) as Col. Shannon J. Hardaway
- Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013) as Sergeant Apone
Discography[]
- All I Have to Do Is Dream (1975) - Single
- Fool (1975) - Single
- Your Affair (1975) - Single
- People are People (1978) - Single
- I Can't Face The Music (Without You) (1978) - Single
External Links[]
- Al Matthews at the Internet Movie Database
- Al Matthews at wikipedia