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Matthew Nile Ashford was born on January 29, 1960 in Davenport, Iowa, the sixth of eventually eight children. Matthew’s interest in acting did not evolve full-force until his high school years, where he became involved in drama at school. After high school, Matthew was accepted into the North Carolina School of the Arts where he studied acting. During college, Matthew and his friend performed as street performers to earn money. Matthew learned how to juggle and ride a unicycle for the gig.
Matthew entered into what would become his most famous role when he was signed on as the third actor to play the character Jack Deveraux on NBC’s soap, Days of our Lives. Being the second recast for the part in only a matter of months, Matthew had much pressure on him to make the part his. Mary Beth Evans (ex-Kayla, DOOL), recalled the beginning of Matt’s tenure at Days and recalls that he did just that: “There were two guys that played Jack before Matt, and not to knock them, but it wasn't anything that special… Matt walked over to the kitchen counter, turned around, and with just one look in his eye, he changed the character completely.” Jack started off as an innocent, unknowingly adopted son of the senator. Like Matt's past character of Drew, Jack was sick; the character had Hodgkin’s Disease. Only months after Matthew joined was Jack turned into a villain, who came between Days’ most popular couple at the time, Steve and Kayla. Matthew dealt with much flack from fans for how Jack behaved, as he explained early on, “I really have to make it clear that I don't condone what Jack has done. I'm not asking people to like Jack or think he's a nice guy. In fact, I think if they did, it would be surprising. I've experienced people being attacked and raped first hand, and that's some of what I've had to share with people to let them know that I'm personally not insensitive or glib to how devastating that pain is.” During the time when Jack was a villain, Matthew aimed to make Jack more humane that what was being written. He reflected in 1990 on the situation: “With Jack, I was always trying to find the positive because they always wrote the negative. I didn't have to be menacing.” Matthew was paired with Lisa Trusel (Melissa) in 1988, who once said about Matt, “He’s got a great sense of humor, he’s a lot of fun, and he’s nothing like his character.” Despite the backlash against Jack’s on-screen schemes, the ever-loyal Days fans voted for Matt as “Favorite Villain” at the 1989 Soap Opera Digest Awards.
In 1991, Matt’s contract was soon to be up, and contract negotiations came around. For awhile, it didn’t seem like a deal was going to be made, and Jack was written out of the show. But at the last minute, Matt and Days came to an agreement, and so Jack was back on after a six-week absence from the screen. Matt was happy to be staying at Days, and with his co-star: "I'm especially glad that I'm going to get to continue to work with Melissa Reeves, There's so much more to do with Jack and Jennifer. I would have hated to leave not only Jack and Jennifer hanging, but the fans hanging as well. I really want to say a special thanks to all the fans out there who have been so supportive.” Melissa Reeves revealed she was pregnant in early 1992, and so the character of Jennifer was written to be pregnant as well on-screen. Coincidentally, Matthew and Christina were thrilled when Christina found out she was pregnant. In April of 1992, Matthew guest-starred on Quantam Leap as a soap star. On June 15, 1992, Grace Ashford was born. Matthew spoke often about his new pride and joy: “It was really kind of an amazing thing at the end, that this baby comes out - blinking, talking, squawking. Obviously, you check that she's safe, she's clean, got all the fingers and toes, like that's going to help them through life. It'll help them walk, but you can't pull them out and check their IQ or anything.” In 1992, Matt and Missy won the Soap Opera Digest awards of “Best Wedding” and “Best Love Story.” Their popularity was enduring through headwriter changes and a drought in airtime.
During his break from daytime, Matt became heavily involved in theatre. “It seemed it was the supporting actors who did the best, except for Matthew Ashford, who was excellent," one review of the play ‘Dracula’ said in 1994. Also in 1994, Matthew had a guest spot on Burke’s Law. Matt became a member of the Interact theatre, and regularly acted in plays. 1995 brought about great opportunities for Matt; he had a guest role on Pacific Blue, a small role in the movie Species, and was signed onto ABC’s General Hospital as Tom Hardy. At General Hospital, Matthew was reunited with several old Days cast mates including Mary Beth Evans, Stephen Nichols, and Wally Kurth. Matt joked about in a column he wrote with Mary Beth, saying, “Being together can be confusing. I just shot a scene with Wally Kurth. He says: ‘So Jack...’ And then we did a scene where I enter the Foundation offices to find a crowd, including Wally and Mary Beth. I walked in, looked at them both there and said: ‘Justin! Kayla! I found you! I found you, at last!’” During his second break from daytime, Matt’s career took a back seat to taking care of his child’s illness, though he did remain very much involved with the Interact theatre. He also guest-starred on Charmed in 1998 and Providence in 1999. He had roles in two movies during those years, respectively: Billy’s Hollywood Screen Kiss in 1998 and Paper Bullets in 1999.
Written by Sarah; © 2003
Quotes documented are from such publications as Soap Opera Digest, Soap Opera Weekly, and Soap Opera Update.
~ ...On Melissa Reeves ~ ...Others On Matt ~ Quotes from the DOOL book by Maureen Russell On Jack and Jennifer... Back to Top
"There is a kind of, well, not teacher-pupil thing, but she is an avid student or whatever and wants to learn. So it is developing like that and we're going to see where it takes us. At this point I think I have feelings that I can't quite describe. I think we're both sort of on the rebound."
"On Days, my character had been labeled as being like the non-sexy part of the non-sexy couple, the bad kissers. We had carefully developed Jack, but that's the way it had played out. It was very hard for Jack to express himself sexually, but it made it much more intense when he did. It increased the sexual tension underneath. I mean, this was not an accident. But you get these general labels from magazines. One magazine we were labeled "Worst Kissers" and "Best Love Story." Go figure."
"Jenn and Jack are so different, yet they have this connection. They have a different way of doing things and it seems they're working against each other. But for some reason, something pulls them together." "Jack and Jenn have a love that's different. Marriage for them is like that horse they had at their wedding — it was nice, but they couldn't ride it."
"Whether he realizes it or not, Jennifer is a part of Jack. He has to resolve things with her. There are people in your life that, whether you like it or not, love them or not, they have to be dealt with in a good way or in a bad way. Jack may think he's going to win and go on with this. But Jennifer is a force to be reckoned with, that's for certain."
"...[Jack] isn’t afraid to be an idiot, although in his mind he’s never an idiot he takes himself very seriously, far too seriously which kind of leads you to make mistakes in situations like that. I think Jack wants very much to be happy but he has no idea how. But no matter what he won’t give up and in terms of life I think that’s the type of thing that we all hope that we have, ‘no matter what, I’m gonna pick up and I’m gonna go on." "He likes who he is right now. Jack does believe he has changed. I do think Jack is a good father."
"I mean, they have such diverging views of the world and yet at the same time, without Jennifer being there, Jack just isn’t a whole person, nothing really works or makes sense or resonates. But that’s not something that you can necessarily put into words." "It’s the kind of thing where if she’s not there, he wonders where she is. He’s just crazy about her, and without that, his life is pretty useless. They’re in each other’s blood. The time in his life when things started working and clicking, she was there. Whether he realizes it or not. They talk a lot about their days of working together, and it was really when they were working side by side that things happened. They didn’t agree on anything, but it was exciting. They had joint goals and dreams even if they didn’t agree on how to go about it." "After surviving two serial killer dads, I took over a newspaper and took on a cub reporter, Jennifer Horton, to train, but she trained me, from shipwrecks to carwrecks to trainwrecks in the snow, hanging off ledges and disguised together wherever we go... Now I've lost her, as is common from my slick and scandlous ways, but I will get her back even if it means wearing pushup bras, pumps and stays...Don't ask, don't tell, I'm working for her now, my girl is now my boss - But it ain't over yet, because Jack Deveraux is never at a loss!" On Melissa Reeves... Back to Top
"I'd always watched [Melissa] from afar because she was a cute girl and there's a really good vibe about her as a person. The show kept allowing her to do the same thing over and over again, and it killed me to watch sometimes. I think she has unlimited potential and I'm just so glad we got the chance to work together because she pulled more out of me and I pulled more out of her."
"I enjoy working with her. She's generous in everything she does - in her scenes, in her acting work, in helping you... She's willing to do anything for anybody. And she likes to have fun, and try to do different things. She has a great sense of humor." (On J&J fans blaming Missy for his 1993 departure from Days): "Missy seems to be bearing the brunt of this. People have been writing cruel, unrealistic things to her. She has nothing to do with the decision. She's just doing the best job she can."
Responding to the question, "Who is the most fun co-worker on the set?":
"In the course of this life we'll meet people and make great friendships, but there are times when you connect, and that is what I have with Missy. People don't realize what a good actress she is, how she can make things work. She's a great listener, and she just stays in the moment. I realize I would have bounced off the walls and floated away in some cases if it hadn't been for her being the string that holds the balloon down. My first day back, I came in and Missy was the first person I saw coming down the hall, which was very nice. I'm glad it worked out that we could be together to do this."
"Melissa Reeves is just wonderful to work with and very natural. You can sometimes go into a scene not quite knowing where it's going to go and it goes a whole different direction. What else could you ask for?"
Others on Matthew... Back to Top "The Bijou Theatre took a bite out of the past Halloween weekend with a production of Dracula. The play starred Matthew Ashford, formerly Jack Deveraux on Days of Our Lives, as Count Dracula ... It seemed it was the supporting actors who did the best, except for Matthew Ashford, who was excellent."
"Both Matthew Ashford and Don Fischer are perfect as the self-absorbed princes. Ashford doubles as the devious Wolf in Act I, complete with wild wolf hair and fangs. Ashford's strong vocals allow him the freedom to create two distinctly different characters."
"As she spoke, dozens of women crowded around a seated Ashford, who signed autographs and put his arm around their shoulders as their friends snapped photos. It was after midnight, and he would stay until everyone got the autograph and snapshot they wanted."
"There were two guys that played Jack before Matt, and not to knock them, but it wasn't anything that special. Matt walked over to the kitchen counter, turned around, and with just one look in his eye, he changed the character completely. Even on General Hospital, he's made his character so interesting."
"Matt is the most relaxed, most spontaneous actor that I have ever worked with. He is so in control."
"Matt Ashford is so fun to work with. He's out of his mind, but fun! Ha Ha. He really makes me work hard as an actress. I really love that."
"I was very fortunate because I got to work with Matthew (Ashford) right off the bat. Matt definitely believes you're 100 percent responsible for creating your character. He used to give me pep talks about that. He'd tell me, 'You decide what your character is going to do, and how you do that is by having a hidden agenda, regardless of what [the writers] are giving you to do.' That's how he transformed his character."
"I have had such fun working with Matt Ashford. He is funny, and so talented, he always brings a spark to each scene. Admittedly, I was a little nervous at first - before I even started on Days, I was a huge Jack & Jen fan, and I always thought Matt was such a cutie. And now, having the chance to work with him?"
When Ashford began on the show, Jack was a villian, and Ashford played the part well. Fellow actor Wayne Heffley describes exactly how well.... "I did not like him when I came on the show. I thought, "I don't even want to get near that slimebag." I thought that was the way he was. I didn't know he was a nice, sweet young man. I thought he was a horse's a$$. He was Jack Deveraux. And Genie (Francis) invited him to lunch one day--we were going out to lunch together--and I found him very charming. But still I thought, "Well, Vern doesn't have anything to do with him, he is not on the paper." Little did I know he would soon be leading me by the nose, up the garden path from here to hell and breakfast. And that I would willingly follow. But by then I liked him."
Actor George Jenseky (Nick) remembers the so-called "Phantom" storyline in which he was involved and the often silent world it recalled. "I really loved that Phantom story... The funny thing about the Phantom storyline is that it was Matt's idea. He went to the producers with that concept for Jack and the producers thanked him very much and thought about it and they liked the idea, but they didn't like it happening to Jack. So they had it happen to Nick. Thank you, Matthew Ashford. Every time anybody mentions that storyline I always trot out that story because I think it is important."
“He’s got a great sense of humor, he’s a lot of fun, and he’s nothing like his character.”
Quotes from Days of Our Lives: A Complete History of the Long Running Soap Opera by Maureen Russell... Back to Top Ashford strives for Humanity with Jack. "I think I understand what humanity is. It's just to be human. And it's to have a lot of faults. I think it takes a careful looking at people, looking at a tiny situation, finding just tiny moments and not just running through on the plot. All the human weaknesses that are exploited and self-exploited and developed and fought against and standing up and falling down, and everybody has got them. I campaign to make my character really human. But I am the first one to laugh at him and poke fun and then, when he has 20 seconds in the sun, it really makes a big difference. I don't want Jack to be a hero. Not a hero like Superman, but a normal, regular guy full of so many problems, but who has a moment. And when that moment comes, it makes you think everybody has that inside of them. Everyone has that potential inside them. So that's the kind of humanism I strive for, much more understanding towards a person. A lot of people have written to me and said "I've made a lot of mistakes in my life, and it was such a slow process." Then they could see by watching it happen, day by day by day, falling down and gettingup and say, "Wow, I feel like I can change, too". I think we all need to be a little more human." Ashford strives to make Jack stand for something, even if it is only for the simple things. "The writers write the big headlines and underneath that I just try to say very simple things about people. What people like, what human beings are like. I just try to be honest about simple things, regular things. And especially if I dont' feel well, I say, "why should Jack, why?" I think you have your down days and your not-so-great days, and I totally play into it. So when I have a good day, it's different. But that is just the way this character is. Sometimes they write it very hard for a lot of very good characters to have a down day. And just simply because they woke up and didn't fell well, they're not wearing their favorite outfit, they're not, they're not. Simple things. Things that we used to study in theatre school. I used to think, "I could never think of these things at once to create a character." And then I realized, you don't have to. But maybe one thing will key you into a whole world, a whole exploration. You realize you don't feel comfortable and say, "There's nothing wrong with that, go with that." Rather than trying to be something that you are not. I try to do these kinds of truths on a daily basis. It's not a big deal, but I think people respond to it. I get a lot of letters from people saying, 'You are so real, you are like someone I know." And to me, that's one of the things that I have strived for." Matt on Jack's sexuality: "His sexuality comes out in lots and lots of foreplay, mental foreplay. When it really comes down to it, Jack has gone beyond that point. He is a much older man in a younger man's body. And so he enjoys the maneuverings. It is like Dangeous Liaisons. I think there was so much more playing with people and that's where the whole sexual enjoyment came from, just as much as the doing. But to seduce someone to your way, to your way of thinking, to make people do what you want to do. Power was sex. So the enjoyment is there, too. But when it really gets down to it, when he (Jack) actually gets the thing there, he is actually very nervous. And for me that is the counterbalance. That he is not totally in control and to be out control because he is in love. So it is either be in control or be out of control. Jack is definitely pent up in a lot of ways. But it comes down to a lot of control and power. I don't know. I don't think he is sexual in the normal wayu, but I think he is sexual. Jack is not a balanced person." Matt on Jack's appeal.... "If Jack had any appeal, I hope that it is because he is a regular kind of guy. I try to show him good, bad and ugly. Then people pick up on that and write and say, "You're really having fun, aren't you?" A lot of guys write and say they are into Jack because he responds like a guy. He's not all "I love you dearest, sweet," and the male audience is picking up on that. And a lot of women who watch write and say, "YOu're just like my husband, boyfriend, father, little brother, whatever." Of course, I have a lot of fans who are six years old. Mutant turtles and me." Matt tells the tale of Jack as Elvis... "The Elvis thing was totally put together at the last minute. It was thrown together. I was supposed to be like Tony Curtis-looking in his white tux and stuffed white evening dinner jacket. And I said I looked like Jack in a white dinner jacket. Billy Hufsey was being Brando in the fifties, I said, "Well, don't you have somebody in music in the fifties?" "What about Elvis?" "Well, Elvis wore black leater in the fifties too" OR blue jeans or something that did not work. But then they came up, they said "Well, we do have something else." But they Elvis in the seventies. And I thought, "That would be like Jack to miss his decade." And we put it together in an hour. The costume designer sent out for it, they got it, they called in for these special glasses, the hairpiece, and it all came together." Ashford also likes to create lines that skewer Jack's attempts at machismo or his lack therefore... "The line everyone liked so much, is, one day, Roman is saying "This is the plan." And I said "One question. Wait, what is it?", I said, "You guys are going to go off and risk your lives to get Isabella out of this, right?"
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After graduating in 1982 with a degree in theatre, Matthew went to New York City, and was signed to play Drew Ralston on ABC’s One Life to Live. The character of Drew was sick, and Matt told Soap Opera Digest in 1989 that he regretted how he had portrayed Drew. “I think I played too much of Drew's physical weaknesses. He was always tired. There were days when Drew just seemed to lie around,” Matt said. Matthew stayed on One Life to Live for a year, and then was let go in 1983. While working for a theatre group shortly after OLTL, Matthew was discovered yet again and signed to play Cagney McLeary on NBC’s soap opera, Search For Tomorrow. Matthew described his character as being “too good to be true.” Matthew stayed on Search For Tomorrow until it was cancelled in 1986. During his time on the show in 1985, Matthew met Christina Saffran, who was the choreographer for the World Peace Culture Festival, in which Matthew was participating. It was not love at first sight, as Matthew explained, “She thought I was the biggest jerk. She thought, 'Oh, he's on a soap. He probably thinks he's too good to come to rehearsal.' But that wasn't it. I was doing Search For Tomorrow during the day and doing a play at night, and I was trying to fit this in because I wanted to do it. But I was missing rehearsals, so she said, 'Bump him.' She wanted to get me kicked out of the thing. The funny thing is, I never knew any of this until later. But I ended up not getting bumped and we got to know each other a little in Hawaii.” Matthew and Christina eventually fell in love, and were married on June 6, 1987.
In 1989, Matthew was thrown for the first time into a scene with Melissa Reeves, who had been on the show since 1985 and portrayed Salem’s sweetheart, Jennifer Horton. Months later, their characters were interacting more and more, and there was a buzz going around about the rapist and the virgin. Matt and Missy were happy to be working together. “I've learned a lot from working with Matt. He has great comedic timing. I didn't really know about that. I'd never done [comedy] before," Missy told Soap Opera Digest in 1990. As Matt’s character was slowly and gently redeemed and turned into a ‘good guy’, Matt had the chance to show off his acting talents with the complex storyline. Soon, Jack and Jennifer gained the spot as Days of our Lives’ most popular couple, and Matt turned from his unpopular stance with fans to being a heartthrob sought after by many. In 1991, Matt and Missy were the award winners of Soap Opera Digest’s “Outstanding Supercouple”.
Matthew started off 1993 by winning “Best Comedic Performance” at the SOD awards. In March of that year, he expressed, “I want to stay and work here [on Days] as long as it's creative. That's one of the reasons I re-signed last year, because the character had more to say." In late 1993, Matt was shocked when he was let go from Days. He wasn’t the only one, as Melissa Reeves recalled in 2000 – “I remember our show was firing people left and right, and he came in my dressing room and said, "Hey, guess who's next?" and pointed at himself. I just couldn't believe it, you know. I think it was very unfortunate and I don't want to say anything bad. It was just awful that it happened because I thought we had something really good going." Matt remained very diplomatic and dignified about the turn of events, as he told SOD, “I think they wanted to go a different way, and they needed a different actor to do that. I would have had to change the kind of person I was becoming, and there comes a point where you have to ask what's more important.” Fans were heartbroken when Jack walked out the door for good on October 12, 1993.
Unhappy with how things were going at General Hospital, Matt left in 1997. In 1997, Matt and Christina had their second child, Emma. When Emma was still a baby, Christina noticed that the reflection of her eyes in pictures did not look normal. Matt and Christina had doctors look into it, and Emma was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. “We were told that Emma had six tumors in each eye, which is common," Matt told USA Today. USA Today’s definition of retinoblastoma was that it’s a “malignant tumor of the retina — the light-sensitive layer of the eye that allows us to perceive images.” It was a heart-wrenching experience for the Ashfords, as Emma had to undergo chemotherapy and many surgeries at her young age. Matt and Christina soon made campaigning for 
The soap world was not surprisingly shocked when it was announced Matt would return for short stint to Days of our Lives in 2001. After his firing in 1993, it had seemed unimaginable that he would ever return to the show. Melissa Reeves, who had departed from Days in 1995, returned in late 2000, and since, fans had clamored for Matthew to return as well. Reeves had reportedly requested only him back as Jack (the role had been re-casted another two times after Ashford left). Originally, Matthew was only supposed to return for a handful of episodes, to tie up the Jack and Jennifer storyline. Due to the huge fan response, Ashford was signed to contract, and he announced in June 2001 that he was signed on until January 2004. Matt and Missy were thrilled to be working together again, as Missy relayed in March 2003: “Every day, I come in to work and say, 'I am so lucky.' We laugh so much, even when we have hard-core scenes. It's rare to find someone you work so well with, and we respect each other. It's one of those perfect working situations that you rarely fall into."
Matt continues to campaign to raise the awareness about retinoblastoma, and he and wife Christina have recorded songs together over the years. Matt values his fans and how loyal they are to him: “For any amount of support I received or am still receiving, I appreciate it. To me, that kind of [feedback] indicates people appreciated and enjoyed what I did, that is still to be remembered.”
Thanks to Kimberly (surfergirlJUVY) for the Matt quotes from Maureen Russell's book!
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