Al Matthews (actor)

Music

Similar to US supply sergeant Chuck Bennett who was stationed in Germany, sang soul music and had a couple of chart hits as well as acted,^[5][6][7] Matthews was stationed away from his home and he had an earlier career in music.^[8]

In 1975, he scored a musical hit in the UK Singles Chart, "Fool", which reached number 16 in the fall of that year.^[9] One of the session singers on the record was Maxine Nightingale who had appeared in the German production of Hair in the early 1970s. Pierre Tubbs who produced Matthews' hit was impressed with Nightingale and he asked Nightingale's Hair co-star, J. Vincent Edwards to co-write a song with him which turned out to be “Right Back Where We Started From”.^[10]

In August 1976, Al Matthews & the Last Word were appearing at the Clouds in Brixton, The Pavilion in Bath and the BLue Lagaoon in Newquay.^[11]

In 1977, he recorded the single "It's Only Love". Backed with "Stormy Days and Lonely Nights" it was released on Mercury 6007 152.^[12]

In 1978, he released the single "People Are People" / "Run to You".^[13]

At some stage, Alan Mair played bass in the Al Matthews Band.^[14]

Film

Matthews played various acting roles, such as Ferguson in Rough Cut (1980), a workman in Omen III: The Final Conflict (1981), a Vietnam veteran in The Sender (1982), a fire chief in Superman III (1983), Benedict in The American Way (1986), Sergeant Apone in Aliens (1986), General Tudor in The Fifth Element (1997) and Master Sergeant #3 in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997). He also worked in British television, appearing in Grange Hill as Sam Green, the father of Benny Green, as well as in theater and radio; for the latter, as both an actor (on BBC Radio 4) and a presenter (on BBC Radio 1 and Capital Radio).^[9]

He reprised his Aliens role 27 years later, providing the voice of Apone for the video game Aliens: Colonial Marines (2013).