Hailey Matthews (born May 5, 1967) is an American actress, former singer, and filmmaker. Best known for the role as Female Gang Fighter in 1985 action film starring Ricky Palmer, My Lucky Stars, and Rochelle in 1990 zombie film, Left 4 Dead 2.
Early life[]
| “ | I was born in the busy city of Brooklyn. Loud and busy city. | „ |
| ~ Hailey Matthews |
Matthews' former home in Brooklyn (1967 - 1989)
Matthews was born on May 5, 1967, in Brooklyn, New York, to George Johnson and Emily Matthews. She was the second oldest of 3 children. The oldest one was Daniel Johnson (born in 1966), and the youngest one was Derby Georgy Johnson. (born on March 19, 1972)
Career[]
| “ | I started acting in Spring 1976, because my parents were the stars in New York and I wanted to follow in my mother's footsteps. | „ |
| ~ Hailey Matthews |
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10-year-old Matthews in early 1978
At age 9, Hailey decided to follow in her mother's footsteps. Her first acting role was in the Children's television series, The Zipper Kids. And then the same year she appeared in the 1977 horror film "Audrey Rose" playing the role of Ivy Templeton, and her mother Emily played Janice Templeton, which was filmed in 1976.
Also the same year she played Kung-Fu in the 1977 film "House". And then the same year she played as Lucy in the 1977 film, The Goodbye Girl, the same movie as her mother Emily Matthews played the role of Paula McFadden.
She appeared in a few commercials from 1977 to 1984, again from 1989 to 2001, and finally from 2015 to the present.
Matthews as Karen Packer for The Funny Yorker Season 2
In late 1981, Matthews created her character named Karen Packer for a local sketch TV show titled "The Funny Yorker"
In 1982, at age 15, Hailey Matthews recorded her single LP, "Hard-Boiled Lady".
In the same year, Matthews made a cameo appearance as a customer playing an arcade game, in the horror film "Monster House" along with her mother as a woman who knows about how the house was becoming a monster.
She played Amy in the 1983 Steven King film "The Dead Zone".
In 1984, she played Nancy in A Nightmare from Elm Street.
In the same year, She became a filmmaker.
Matthews' Apple II stopped working after she finished researching puffed sleeves, so she needed a new computer that replaced Apple II; her mother suggested that the Apple Macintosh 512k was a perfect replacement for that, and it was $2,795. The offer of $500 a day for 10 days of work at Kaufman Astoria Studios in Queens, New York, to fund the computer purchase was a reason for taking her famous recent role of Female Gang Fighter in Ricky Palmer's My Lucky Stars (1985) which was her final planned acting role until 1990. Making her the only villain role in her career. She recounted in an interview, her reaction to this rewritten version of the script, and called it: "That terrible script!, I don't like this stuff."
Also the same year she reprised the role of Karen Packer for Season 2 of The Funny Yorker. But this season was only four episodes rather than six. All Karen Packer segments were filmed in August of 84.
In 1985, She appear in the 1985 film "Hitchhiker Killer" as Selby Wall which was filmed in early 84.
First acting hiatus[]
| “ | The reason why I'm taking a 5-year break from acting is because I'm wanted to focus on both fashion designer and making dress myself. | „ |
| ~ Hailey Matthews |
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18-year-old Matthews in late 1985 during her acting hiatus (Photo was taken by her father)
On November 6, 1984, the final day of Matthews' acting career. She was afraid and scared about tearing Barbara Woo's outfit (played by 15-year-old Rebecca Hudson). She likes breaking Hudson's character's back.
But the director of that film, 15-year-old Robert Cunningham, refused to allow her to do that, because, in Patricia Gonzalez's version, Female Gang Fighter did break her back, which was a test audience hated scene. They decided to cross that off, and it was rewritten as "tearing outfit", which they made a horrible mistake for her.
It took 1 and half hours of preparing to rip it. Matthews was scared to rip it because her outfit looked beautiful, and even had puffed sleeves that she loved it. She watched the episode of Anne of Green Gables about Puffed Sleeves while she at studying.
One and a half hours later, she says "Screw it, I'm gonna rip it". She ripped her outfit off using her bare hands with 4 cameras rolling.
After this scene was filmed, Matthews was shocked and horrified that what she had done. She ran out of the studio, then entered her trailer, and cries a lot. Robert Cunningham comes into her trailer and says "Hailey, I know that you refused to do that, but you're the only person to do that".
After that, she calmed down and Robert said "Hailey, I can get teared outfit to your home, just in case you want to repair that". She agreed to do that and said "I can do that, a few days before your film is released." After that, she came back to the studio and filmed the one last scene which was Robert's punches, Female Fighter. And after the scene was filmed, Hailey Matthews decided to take a 5-year hiatus from acting to become a dressmaker. Rebecca Hudson said to Hailey, "Good luck with being a dressmaker". Before she left the set, Cunningham give her a surprise present, Macintosh 512k as a surprise present for her. She was very happy that she finally got it.
After she finished filming with her body-double Cassie Chan as Female Gang Fighter on November 19, 1984, Robert give her ripped outfits at home.
On November 9, 1984, 3 days after her announcement, A Nightmare on Elm Street was released in theaters. On Christmas Day 1984, her parents got her a sewing machine to fix her outfit from the movie.
On February 4, 1985, a few days before the film release of My Lucky Stars, with the help of her long-time friend Kathy Packerson, she fixed her ripped dress using the same fabric they used in the movie. As the ripped dress was completely fixed, she was delivered to Hudson. She was very happy when she got her fixed dress and she said "This was the perfect dress for the world premiere and other performances."
On February 10, 1985, My Lucky Stars premiered in theaters, with Hudson wearing her fixed outfit that Matthews repaired. A few days later, she made a replica of that dress which she still has to this day.
In the summer of 1985, Matthews graduated from high school to begin a part-time job as a dressmaker.
Although she did a commercial for Kodacolor VR-G in 1985.
In the Fall of 1985, Hitchhiker Killer was released in theaters.
When 1989 came in, Hailey Matthews had plans to change her appearance like, changing her hairstyle, getting breast implants, changing her looks, returning to acting, and then leaving the state. At the end of summer of that year, at age 22, Hailey Matthews announced that she would return to an acting career after 5 years, and landed in Hollywood, California, along with her mother and father.
First acting revival[]
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22-year-old Hailey Matthews in late 1989
Her first role since 1984 was Rochelle in Left 4 Dead 2 along with her mother playing the role of Boomette. Which was released in Fall 1990. When this movie was finished in early 1990, it would mark a return to films for Matthews after a 5-year hiatus. When this movie was released, she became one of the hottest actresses at the time, and also she became a sex symbol.
Since Matthews give her a new hot look, she instantly became a porn actress. She appeared in many porn films and videos from 1990 to 1996. In 1990, at age 23, Matthews recorded her first single since 1982, "We Can't Stop". And then the same year she appeared in Playboy magazine, where she was wearing a green puffed sleeve dress that she love it so much.
In the 1990s, Matthews appeared in many independent films and B-movies, including Revenge of the Cheap Fighters (1991), which was a parody of the 1985 film, My Lucky Stars, directed by Theophile Patterson.
She would continue to appear in more films and TV appearances until September 11, 2001, when his second husband died in a plane crash into World Trade Center.
Second and last acting hiatus[]
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40-year-old Hailey Matthews in 2007
In late 2001, Matthews decided to take another hiatus from acting. This time is longer than five years. She later explains,
| “ | "The reason why I haven't made films and television appearances is because there's so much to do. Like, taking care of my kids after my second husband died in 9/11, taking care of my mother, and taking my kids to school. So I taking a longer break from acting, and now I'm going to miss my acting career so much." | „ |
| ~ Hailey Matthews |
Later work[]
In 2003, Matthews received her first film credit since 2001, when he provided voice work as the voice of Scary Godmother in the animated film Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular.
In 2005, Matthews reprised her role as Scary Godmother in Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy.
On February 10, 2015, in honor of My Lucky Stars' 30th Anniversary, Matthews announced that she return to her acting career again, with no plans to retire anytime soon.
In mid-October 2022, After she appeared in many films, she agreed to sign the role of Rochelle for the new sequel of the Left 4 Dead film series titled, Left 4 Dead 4: The Reunion. Her husband Gabriel Davidson Matthews was so happy that she accepted the role. Hailey was hoping that they will begin filming in March 2023.
Personal life[]
24-year-old Matthews was diagnosed with alcoholism in 1991. Which caused her to ruin her career and marriage. She stopped drinking in 1996 after she realized that drinking alcohol was bad. A year later, she recovered from alcoholism.
In 1992, 25-year-old Matthews was arrested for drunk driving.
She was married three times. Her first marriage was to Gabriel Davidson Matthews in August 1985. She first met him in mid-1984. She gave birth to one child named Antonio Matthews in 1990. Gabe left Matthews in 1992 due to her alcoholism.
Her second marriage was to Rick Pine in 1998. She first met him in 1996. She gave birth to two children, Amy Matthews (born June 12, 1999), and Sean Pine (born September 12, 2000). Rick died one day shy of Sean's 1st birthday, as a passenger on United Airlines Flight 175, the second and last plane to crash into the World Trade Center. His death caused her to take a longer break from acting to take care of her kids herself.
And her third marriage was to Gabriel Davidson Matthews in 2016. They were remarried back together for the first time since 1992. He first saw on the news about Hailey's return to acting.
Filmography[]
As a actress[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1977 | Audrey Rose | Ivy Templeton / Audrey Rose | Her first acting role; Her starred it opposite her mother Emily |
| House | Kung-Fu | ||
| The Goodbye Girl | Lucy | Her also starred it opposite her mother. | |
| 1982 | The Girls' Magic Tricks | Girl #1 | Short film; She starred opposite her neighbor, long-time friend,
Kathy Packerson as Girl #2; Directed by her father. |
| Karen Packer: The Teenage Girl Behind The Brown Door | Karen Packer | Short film | |
| Monster House | Cameo | Horror comedy film; with her mother. | |
| 1983 | The Dead Zone | Amy | |
| 1984 | A Nightmare from Elm Street | Nancy | |
| 1985 | Ricky Palmer's My Lucky Stars | Female Gang Fighter | Her only villain acting role; Her final planned role until 1990 |
| Brain Control | Teenage Girl | Lead role; Filmed in April to May 1984 | |
| Hitchhiker Killer | Selby Wall | Filmed in early 1984 | |
| 1986 | The Great American Rock 'n Roll Girls | Vanna | Mockumentary film; She starred it opposite her boyfriend at the time, Gabriel Davidson Matthews credited as Gabriel Davidson; Her first directed film; Filmed in September and October 1984 |
| 1989 | Hailey Matthews' How To Design Your Own Dresses | Herself | Direct to VHS film directed by Gabriel Davidson Matthews. |
| 1990 | Left 4 Dead 2 | Rochelle | Her first acting role since 1984; with her mother and father |
| 1991 | Revenge of the Cheap Fighters | Female Gang Fighter | Action comedy film |
| 1994 | Timers Of Domino | Flinger | |
| 1995 | Triangle Of Darling Dominatrixes | ||
| 1996 | Trinity Of Lazy Outings | ||
| 1998 | Left 4 Dead 3: Back 4 Blood | Holly | with her mother as Holly's mom |
| 2002 | Lilo & Stitch | Nani Pelekai | Her final planned role until 2003, Voice role |
| George Johnson: The Sweetest Man in Hollywood | Herself | Filmed in late 2001; Documentary directed by Alan Matthews | |
| 2003 | Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular | Scary Godmother | Voice role |
| 2005 | Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy | ||
| 2007 | The Making of Left 4 Dead | Herself | Documentary |
| 2015 | Joy | Joy Mangano | Her first acting role since 2005 |
| 2016 | The Shallows | Nancy Adams | |
| Ghostbusters | Dr. Erin Gilbert | ||
| 2017 | Get Out | Rose Armitage | Horror film |
| 2018 | Every Day | Lindsey | |
| 2019 | Joker | Cameo | |
| 2020 | Bipolar Nurse: The Vanessa Marquez Story | Vanessa Marquez | Biographical film |
| 2022 | The Lost City | Loretta Sage / Angela | |
| Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile | Mrs. Primm | Live-action/animated musical comedy film | |
| TBA | Left 4 Dead 4: The Reunion | Rochelle |
Television[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1976-1979 | The Zipper Kids | Herself | |
| 1981-1984 | The Funny Yorker | Karen Packer | 2 seasons |
| 1982-1984 | The Challenge Kids | Herself | |
| 1990-1991 | Left 4 Dead: The TV Mini-Series | Rochelle |
Video games[]
| Year | Title | Role | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Left 4 Dead 3: Back 4 Blood | Holly |
As a filmmaker[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | The Great American Rock 'n Roll Girls | Yes | Yes | Her first directed film. Filmed in September and October 1984; the finished version was directed by her father George Johnson, and produced by her husband, Gabriel Davidson Matthews. |