How Many Kids Does Matthew Lillard Have?

The Short Answer

Matthew Lillard has children. Lillard has credited his children as inspiring him both to take on the role and to give a dominating, assertive performance as the franchise's overarching villain.

Details on the family are set out in the children section below.

Matthew Lillard: Early Life and Background

Matthew Lyn Lillard (born January 24, 1970) is an American actor, director, and producer. His early film roles include the black comedy Serial Mom (1994) and the crime thriller Hackers (1995). He achieved a career breakthrough for his portrayal of Stu Macher in the slasher film Scream (1996), which bolstered Lillard into the mainstream. Afterwards, he starred in prominent roles in SLC Punk! (1998), She's All That (1999), Thirteen Ghosts (2001), and Without a Paddle (2004).

Lillard portrayed Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in the live-action movies Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), and became the official animated voice of the character following Casey Kasem's retirement from the role in 2009. Starting in the 2010s, he was frequently cast in dramatic roles in films such as The Descendants (2011), Trouble with the Curve (2012), Match (2014), and Twin Peaks: The Return (2017). He also starred in the NBC series Good Girls (2018–2021).

Lillard gained renewed recognition in the 2020s for playing William Afton in the horror film Five Nights at Freddy's (2023) and its 2025 sequel. He has since starred in the film The Life of Chuck (2025), the Disney+ series Daredevil: Born Again (2026), and the horror miniseries Carrie (2026).

Early life

Lillard was born in Lansing, Michigan, on January 24, 1970, the son of Paula and Jeffrey Lillard (b. 1948), and grew up in Tustin, California. He has a younger sister, and attended Foothill High School in North Tustin, California. He later attended Fullerton College and then went to the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in Pasadena, California, with fellow actor Paul Rudd. He also attended Circle in the Square Theatre School in New York City.

After high school, Lillard was co-host of a short-lived TV show titled SK8-TV, and afterwards was hired as an extra in Ghoulies 3: Ghoulies Go to College (1991). In 1994, he was cast in the John Waters black comedy Serial Mom. The following year he was cast in five films, including Hackers, a thriller about a group of high school kids who thwart a multimillion-dollar corporate extortion conspiracy. In 1996, he was cast in his breakthrough role as Stu Macher in the horror film Scream. He was originally meant to reprise his role in 2000's Scream 3 but the plans were changed. He also played Stevo in the independent film SLC Punk! (1998), Jack Fisher in Spanish Judges (1999), Brock Hudson in She's All That (1999), and supporting character Dennis Rafkin in Thirteen Ghosts (2001).

Lillard was cast as Norville "Shaggy" Rogers in the 2002 live-action film Scooby-Doo, a role he later reprised in the 2004 sequel Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed. When Casey Kasem, who had voiced the character from the show's debut in 1969, retired in 2009, Lillard was chosen to take over and voice Shaggy in the three subsequent animated series, Mystery Incorporated, Be Cool Scooby-Doo!, and Scooby-Doo and Guess Who?, as well as every animated direct-to-video film since 2010's Scooby-Doo! Abracadabra-Doo. He also reprised the voice role of Shaggy in the crossover episode in the television series Supernatural in 2018. Lillard, however, did not voice Shaggy in the animated Scooby-Doo reboot Scoob!, with the character instead being voiced by SNL alum Will Forte. Although Lillard was disappointed with the casting decision, he still wished the film good luck.

In 2004, Lillard starred in the comedy film Without a Paddle. In 2009, he directed the short film Come Home Soon.

Career and Rise to Fame

In 2011, Lillard guest starred on the Fox series House. Also in 2011, he produced and directed his first feature film, Fat Kid Rules the World, based on the K. L. Going book of the same name. Later that year, he appeared in the comedy-drama film The Descendants. He also starred in the sports drama Trouble with the Curve (2012) and the drama Match (2014).

In 2012, Lillard guest-starred in the Criminal Minds episode "The Apprenticeship". The following year, he played the role of Daniel Frye on the American TV series The Bridge. In 2014, he starred as Peter in the animated film Under Wraps, alongside Brooke Shields and Drake Bell. In 2016, Lillard landed the recurring role of FBI undercover agent Luke Goshen in the Amazon Series, Bosch. In 2017, he starred as William Hastings in the third season of Twin Peaks. The next year, he began co-starring as Dean Boland on the NBC series Good Girls.

In 2023, Lillard starred in the live-action movie adaptation of the Five Nights at Freddy's video game series. He gained renewed recognition for his role as William Afton, a manipulative serial killer. U.S. entertainment publication The Hollywood Reporter stated that he had entered "his Renaissance era" in popular culture, noting that the movie had the third highest ever domestic box office return for a horror film during its opening weekend. Lillard has credited his children as inspiring him both to take on the role and to give a dominating, assertive performance as the franchise's overarching villain. He reprised his role in the 2025 sequel.

In an interview, Lillard elaborated,

"The hard part about playing this part is the pressure I put on myself to honor the fans, to deliver a great performance in an iconic role. There are millions of kids worldwide, and people that started playing as kids and are now adults, that have an expectation that this film will deliver on a really great level. So, being this iconic bad guy, the amount of pressure I put on myself to not suck is pretty extraordinary. That’s the hardest part."

In 2024, Lillard appeared in filmmaker Mike Flanagan's film The Life of Chuck. In 2026, Lillard reprised his role as Stuart "Stu" Macher in Scream 7. He also starred in the second season of the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) television series Daredevil: Born Again.

Other ventures

Lillard was one of the co-founders of Beadle and Grimm's, a company that publishes licensed expanded products, usually of a limited edition, from Wizards of the Coast games including Dungeons and Dragons and Magic: The Gathering.

Lillard co-founded the company Find Familiar Spirits, which develops and sells specialized alcoholic beverages.

Age and Birthday Details

Matthew Lillard was born on January 24, 1970.

As of 2026, Matthew Lillard is 56 years old.

Birthday milestones for public figures like Matthew Lillard routinely trend on social media, which is why "how old is" questions generate such consistent search demand.

Matthew Lillard's Children

Lillard has credited his children as inspiring him both to take on the role and to give a dominating, assertive performance as the franchise's overarching villain.

Personal life On August 26, 2000, Lillard married Heather Helm, with whom he has a daughter, a son, and a child who is nonbinary.

Personal Life and Relationships

Personal life On August 26, 2000, Lillard married Heather Helm, with whom he has a daughter, a son, and a child who is nonbinary.

Recent Years

In 2022, it was announced that Lillard, along with writer and director Bill Whirity, had launched a non-fungible token (NFT)-based project called Midnite Movie Club, which lets holders participate in a first-of-its-kind "Decentralized Movie Studio". The first film to come from the company will be a vampire movie called Let Them Die.

Personal life

On August 26, 2000, Lillard married Heather Helm, with whom he has a daughter, a son, and a child who is nonbinary. They currently reside in Los Angeles. Lillard's family has shaped how he addresses politics and current events: in 2026, he commented, "For me, I have queer kids. If I'm not standing up for queer kids or kids in the trans community, then what the fuck am I doing?"

In October 2005, he participated in a Dungeons & Dragons tournament, against members of the Quest Club Gaming Organization, at the Magic Castle in Hollywood, California. Lillard has also played Dungeons & Dragons with the online series Dice, Camera, Action with Christopher Perkins as the Dungeon Master; as well as with the Critical Role cast at a special one-shot with Sam Riegel as the Dungeon Master.

After returning in Scream 7, Lillard admitted that he felt "ashamed" for returning to the franchise after his would-be co-star Melissa Barrera was fired from the entry for her criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza. As Lillard reflected, "I was so excited to go back, I didn't really think about Melissa and that journey. I didn't say no." Lillard admitted to feeling "embarrassed" for his decision and concluded that "I blew that. I'm on the wrong side of history for that. I still like being in the movie [but] it may not have been the best idea."

Video games

Music videos

Awards and nominations

Matthew Lyn Lillard married Heather Helm on August 26, 2000. The couple have three children: a daughter, a son, and a child who is nonbinary. Lillard has credited his children with inspiring his performances, including his more recent villainous roles.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources