Inside Dept. Q star Matthew Goode's VERY varied 20-year career as he finally lands a leading role in new Netflix show

Daily Mail​

28-05-2025

He's a British actor and heartthrob who's charmed audiences for two decades - but until now, Matthew Goode has largely flown under the radar.
The 47-year-old actor, who hails from Exeter, will star as a cantankerous cop in Netflix 's highly anticipated crime drama Dept. Q, which lands tomorrow - in a leading role that could well make him a household name after more than two decades in the industry.
The series sees the actor trading drawing rooms for dark basements as he stars in the Scottish drama as cranky detective with PTSD Carl Morck, who tries to solve cold cases from a shabby office.
But as viewers watch a rugged Goode making darkly comical quips onscreen in the detective drama, some may recognise the tall, dark and handsome figure from his countless other roles in TV and film during his illustrious career - in which he is, more often than not, perfectly groomed.
Among Goode's many acting credits are the dashing Henry Talbot, race car driver and love interest of Lady Mary Crawley in Downton Abbey.
He also won hearts in The Crown as society photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in the second season of the biographical drama series, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series.
The British heartthrob has been busy working on varying roles throughout the years, from cult horror hit Stoker to The Imitation Game and even dabbling in vampire fantasy with A Discovery of Witches in 2018.
Despite his varied resume, he was never known as the biggest name, making him Hollywood's best-kept secret - until now.
The actor, who was born in Exeter, Devon, is the youngest in his family. He has a brother, two half-brothers and a half-sister.
His father, Anthony, was a geologist, and his mother, Jennifer, was a nurse and amateur theatre director.
Goode previously told Red Online of his mother: 'She did have a huge passion for the theatre, though, and ran The Campion Players, the local amateur dramatics group. She involved me from a young age.'
Matthew, who now lives in Surrey, grew up in the countryside in Cornwall which is why he still likes to avoid living in big cities.
'I do miss Cornwall a bit. It's one of the reasons it has been nice to retreat outside of London and be in a rural area. I grew up in a farming community. I adored it and had a fantastic childhood.'
He went to Birmingham University where he studied drama and theatre arts, and then to London's Webber Douglas Academy of Dramatic Art, a prestigious acting school that has produced talents like Hugh Bonneville and Minnie Driver.
This rigorous training laid the foundation for his successful acting career.
Speaking to The Telegraph he said: 'I'm a guy from a little village called Clyst St Mary near Exeter, and I didn't even know I wanted to be an actor before I went to university. So if you had told me then that this would be my career now, I would think that what I've achieved so far is pretty good.'
Matthew is good friends with Irish actor Jamie Dornan and briefly lived with actor-turned-controversial political commentator Laurence Fox after leaving drama school.
However speaking to the Telegraph he said of Fox: 'I don't know the man anymore.'
Best known to global audiences for playing the dashing Henry Talbot in Downton Abbey . He portrayed the race car driver and husband of Lady Mary Crawley in the hit series
Matthew stole hearts in The Crown as society photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, 1st Earl of Snowdon in the second season of the biographical drama series, for which he received a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series
In Chasing Liberty [2004] he played Ben Calder, a charming and mysterious man who becomes the love interest of the film's protagonist, Anna Foster, played by Mandy Moore
Despite their busy careers the actor said he often plays golf with Dornan, who he revealed is 'f***ing funny.'
However unlike many of his peers, Matthew shies away from the spotlight, preferring to keep a low profile - which is perhaps explaining why his star has risen more slowly.
He lives quietly in Surrey with his wife, Sophie Dymoke, who used to work in the fashion industry, and their three children, Matilda, 16, Teddie, 11, and Ralph, nine.
Speaking to RedOnline in 2018, he said: 'I'm very much based here [in the UK]. I have three children and a lovely wife and I just don't like being away from them. Of course, needs must occasionally. But I'm very lucky. I've been able to mix work and family.'
The couple have been together since 2005, marrying in 2014. He's spoken often about prioritising family over fame.
'I've got a lot of friends [who are famous] and I don't want that. I don't want to be a star, it seems like a f***ing nightmare to me,' he told The Telegraph.
'Like some people I know, but they've had to give up so much – they can literally do nothing normally for the rest of their lives.'
It appears Sophie shares her husband's dislike of the limelight and is unbothered when in rooms of 'very famous people.'
Speaking to Luxury London, Goode said: 'My wife is a very good judge of character and has been in rooms with very famous people, and most of the time she will come back to me and say 'shall we go to the bar, they're a bit of an ass'.'
Speaking about how he met his wife, Goode told the Scottish Herald he had come home from a trip filming in Europe to his home in Clapham and found her sitting on his doorstep.
He said: 'That's a good few years ago. She was best friends with my neighbour Emily in Clapham. She'd locked herself out.
'I was a bit flustered and quite tired. The way I remember it I opened the door and carried her bag up. But apparently I shrugged my shoulders, didn't speak to her, opened the door but didn't carry her suitcase upstairs.'
Goode's film debut came in 2002 with the television film Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister.
However his first major break came in 2004's Chasing Liberty, playing opposite American pop darling Mandy Moore as the roguishly charming British spy protecting a runaway First Daughter.
His performance earned him a nomination for the Teen Choice Award for Choice Breakout Movie Star.
The film caught the attention of Hollywood and soon after, he was cast in Woody Allen's Match Point, alongside Scarlett Johansson and Jonathan Rhys Meyers.
After this, he portrayed Colin Firth's lover, Jim, in A Single Man, before taking to rom-com as Declan in Leap Year, opposite Amy Adams.
Matthew had a role in Amma Asante's Belle (2013), The Imitation Game, an Oscar-nominated biopic of Alan Turing starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and Allied, a war thriller starring Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard.
From there, the roles kept coming. He starred in Brideshead Revisited and Watchmen showing a rare ability to disappear into wildly different roles, all while keeping a low profile in real life.
He also made notable television appearances even joining the cast of the legal drama The Good Wife from 2014 to 2015, portraying the enigmatic lawyer Finn Polmar.
However it was the role in Downton Abbey that really propelled his career. Goode joined the cast in the final episode of Series 5, first appearing in the 2014 Christmas special as Henry Talbot, a well-connected gentleman and professional racing driver.
His character quickly became a romantic interest for Lady Mary Crawley, played by Michelle Dockery, and he went on to play a key role throughout Series 6, the final full season of the ITV period drama.
He had reportedly asked to be part of the popular drama years before and it 'hadn't worked out' out the time but it was a job he was doing with Dockery that led to him being cast.
Matthew reprised his role as Henry Talbot in the first Downton Abbey feature film, released in 2019. His role was small, appearing briefly at the end of the film due to his limited availability during production.
'I was unavailable for the second [movie] because I was doing The Offer. Then [for the third] I was shooting [Netflix's Department Q]. But I also buggered my knee, and I had to have an operation.
'That takes weeks to get over, so I was never going to be able to do it', he explained in an interview with Radio Times.
'And let's face it, he was edging towards becoming a bit of a wet lettuce. So maybe it's a good thing.'
In 2017, Matthew joined the critically acclaimed Netflix series The Crown in season two, portraying the charismatic and controversial royal photographer Antony Armstrong-Jones, the man who would later become Lord Snowdon and the first husband of Princess Margaret.
The two characters married in the season finale, marking the first royal wedding of a commoner into the Queen's immediate family in centuries, a moment that shocked the establishment and thrilled viewers.
Despite several incredible opportunities, Matthew revealed he can't pinpoint a turning point in his career, saying he is just happy to be working.
Speaking to Luxury London he compared himself to some of his 'talented' peers who were not given the same opportunities he was - and said every job he has ever had made him 'stronger and bolder'.
He's now, at 47, finally a leading man in Dept. Q - but his career could have taken a very different turn, he has previously revealed.
The father-of-three previously opened up about once auditioning for the role of James Bond - but he didn't get a call back.
In 2016 during an appearance on This Morning, Matthew told hosts Phillip Schofield and Holly Willoughby: 'I went in for it last time and Barbara [Broccoli, James Bond producer] who is completely lovely but she hasn't brought me in this time.'
He continued: 'I think they should halve the budget. Reboot it. I don't think modern Bond is working as well [as old Bond].'
Phillip didn't beat around the bush and told him: 'Well, you've blown your chances now,' to which he replied: 'Well, I have now.'
Matthew swiftly changed the subject to who he would like to see replace Craig.
'I think either [Tom] Hardy or Hiddleston - he was so great in The Night Manager. Or Idris [Elba] so let's have some diversity if we're going to talk about it. He would be killer as a modern Bond,' he explained.
In his new role Department Q, Matthew takes on the gritty role of Carl Mørck, a troubled but brilliant Copenhagen detective relegated to the basement with cold cases that nobody else wants.
But when he starts unearthing shocking crimes buried by time and corruption, it becomes clear he's not just solving murders, he's disturbing some very dangerous forces.
Writer and director Scott Frank, who also directed The Queen's Gambit and Godless, revealed he knew Matthew was the man for the lead role.
'I've been working with him since 2006,' Frank tells Tudum. 'Matthew just felt like this guy. I was writing with him in mind.
'I knew that he could do this and that he would lend this undeniable intelligence with his flintiness, but that he could also be emotional without being sentimental.'
Matthew added: 'This is the second time that he's given me a role I don't think anybody else would've cast me in.'
Department Q is an adaptation of the novels of the same name by Danish author Jussi Adler-Olsen.
Frank revealed he has been living with Adler-Olsen's books in mind for more than two decades.
The series is set in Edinburgh, Scotland and the surrounding area, a shift from the novels' setting of Copenhagen, Denmark.
The director chose the location because it was the 'perfect combination between the modern and the medieval'.
What has Matthew Goode starred in?
2002
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister
Matthew's acting debut came in 2002 with the television film Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, a retelling of the Cinderella story from the perspective of one of the stepsisters.
Directed by Gavin Millar, the film aired on ABC as part of The Wonderful World of Disney series.
He portrayed Caspar, the apprentice to a local painter known as The Master.
Caspar becomes romantically involved with Iris Fisher (played by Azura Skye), the 'ugly' stepsister.
2003
Al sur de Granada
In the Spanish film Matthew plays, a British writer and scholar who travels to a small village in the Alpujarras region of southern Spain in the 1920s.
The film is based on Brenan's own memoir of the same name, chronicling his experiences living in rural Spain.
2004
Chasing Liberty
In this romantic comedy, Matthew played a Secret Service agent who accompanies the U.S. President's daughter on a European trip.
He played Ben Calder, a charming and mysterious man who becomes the love interest of the film's protagonist, Anna Foster, played by Mandy Moore.
2005
Match Point
In Woody Allen's psychological thriller Match Point, Matthew Goode plays Tom Hewett, the charming and affable fiancé of Chloe Hewett, Emily Mortimer, the woman who becomes the object of the protagonist's obsession.
He starred alongside Jonathan Rhys Meyers as Chris Wilton, the film's ambitious protagonist and Scarlett Johansson as Nola Rice, the femme fatale who complicates Chris's life.
Imagine Me & You
A romantic comedy where Goode's character navigates the complexities of love and relationships when his wife discovers her romantic feelings for another woman.
2006
Matthew portrayed the assistant to the legendary composer Ludwig van Beethoven, exploring the dynamics of their professional and personal relationship during Beethoven's final years.
2009
Watchmen
In this adaptation of the graphic novel by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Goode played the brilliant and morally ambiguous superhero, whose actions challenge the ethical boundaries of heroism.
Goode portrayed Ozymandias (real name: Adrian Veidt), one of the central and most complex characters in the 2009 film adaptation of Watchmen, directed by Zack Snyder.
Ozymandias is a former superhero known for his intellect, wealth, and physical prowess.
He is widely regarded as the 'smartest man in the world' within the story.
A Single Man
Goode's character is a romantic interest in this poignant story about a grieving professor in 1960s Los Angeles, exploring themes of loss and connection.
In the critically acclaimed film, Matthew plays Jim, a charming and attentive younger man who becomes a romantic interest for the film's protagonist, George Falconer, portrayed by Colin Firth.
Set in 1960s Los Angeles, the story follows George, a college professor grappling with the profound grief of losing his longtime partner.
Goode's character, Jim, offers a contrast to George's world — youthful, carefree, and full of life — representing a potential for new connection amidst the protagonist's sorrow.
2010
Matthew Goode portrays Declan O'Callaghan, an Irish innkeeper with a rugged charm and a sharp wit.
His character serves as a foil to Anna Brady (Amy Adams), a Bostonian who travels to Ireland to propose to her boyfriend on Leap Day, following an Irish tradition that allows women to propose marriage.
Due to a series of mishaps, Anna ends up hiring Declan to drive her to Dublin, leading to an unexpected journey that challenges both their perspectives on love and life
In this romantic comedy, Matthew's character assists a woman on a journey to propose to her boyfriend in Ireland, leading to unexpected romantic developments.
Cemetery Junction
Set in 1970s England, Matthew played a supportive father figure in this coming-of-age story about youth, aspiration, and societal expectations.
Matthew portrayed Mike Ramsay, a suave and ambitious insurance salesman in England.
He serves as a mentor to Freddie Taylor (Christian Cooke), teaching him the art of selling insurance by exploiting people's fears.
Mike is also the fiancé of Freddie's former love interest, Julie (Felicity Jones), adding a layer of personal tension to their professional relationship.
2013
Stoker
In this psychological thriller, Matthew portrays the character of Uncle Charlie Stoker.
He is portrayed as a mysterious and somewhat unsettling figure who returns to his brother's family after a 20-year absence.
He is initially shrouded in mystery, but his presence and actions gradually reveal a more complex and potentially dangerous side.
Matthew starred alongside Nicole Kidman, who played Evelyn, India's grief-stricken mother, and Mia Wasikowska, who played India Stoker.
However Matthew claimed it was 'fun' to play a darker character then he is used to.
'So with a darker character like this, it's quite fun. It's something that's very different to who I am. I'm not a sociopath and I don't go around strangling people. It's just like kids playing. That's really what our job is. We haven't grown up', he told IndieWire.
Belle
Matthew starred as Captain Sir John Lindsay in the 2013 period drama Belle, directed by Amma Asante.
The film was inspired by the true story of Dido Elizabeth Belle, the illegitimate mixed-race daughter of Sir John Lindsay and an enslaved African woman.
Dido was raised by her aristocratic great-uncle, Lord Mansfield, and his wife, Lady Mansfield, in 18th-century England.
Dancing on the Edge
Set in 1930s London, Matthew's character Stanley Mitchel is a jazz band leader navigating the challenges of fame and racial tensions in the music industry.
Despite facing societal barriers due to their race, the band gains popularity among the city's elite, including members of the royal family.
The series was nominated for three Golden Globe Awards, with Jacqueline Bisset winning Best Supporting Actress in a Series, Miniseries, or Motion Picture Made for Television.
Death Comes to Pemberley
Death Comes to Pemberley was a three-part television drama that aired on BBC One in December 2013.
The series was based on P.D. James's 2011 novel, which imagined a murder mystery unfolding at the Darcy estate.
Matthew played George Wickham, who finds himself at the center of a murder investigation.
2014
The Imitation Game
Matthew portrayed Hugh Alexander,, a British cryptanalyst who played a key role in breaking the Enigma code during WWII, contributing to the Allied victory.
The film, directed by Morten Tyldum and based on Andrew Hodges' biography Alan Turing: The Enigma, stars Benedict Cumberbatch as Alan Turing and Keira Knightley as Joan Clarke.
Speaking about how he prepared for the role, Matthew told Backstage: 'We had two weeks of rehearsal, which is very, very rare, and were able to get the feeling of what it would've been like to live there together.
'Myself and [co-stars] Allen [Leech] and Matthew Beard, we'd sit down and try to go through ideas of what the bomb was, and some of the mathematics behind it, and doing crosswords together.
'Just getting a feeling of camaraderie that I think comes across quite nicely on screen.'
The Good Wife
Matthew portrayed Finley 'Finn' Polmar in the CBS legal drama The Good Wife, making his first appearance in Season 5.
Finn was introduced as a hotshot prosecutor in the State's Attorney's Office who becomes involved in a high-profile case against Jeffrey Grant, defended by Will Gardner.
During a courtroom shooting that results in Will's death, Finn is injured while attempting to help Will, leading to a deepened connection with Alicia Florrick.
However, Finn's presence in the series concluded after Season 6, as Matthew chose not to return for the seventh season.
Downton Abbey
Matthew portrayal of Henry Talbot in Downton Abbey introduced a charismatic and adventurous love interest for Lady Mary Crawley.
Henry Talbot is a race car driver from a junior branch of the Talbot family, known for his aristocratic lineage.
He first appears in the Season 5 Christmas special, where he meets Lady Mary at a shooting party.
Their relationship faced challenges, particularly Mary's concerns about his dangerous profession, but they ultimately marry in 1925.
In the series finale, Mary revealed she is pregnant with their child.
2016
The Crown
Matthew portrayed Antony Armstrong-Jones, later known as Lord Snowdon, in Season 2 of The Crown.
Antony Armstrong-Jones was a renowned photographer who became the first commoner in centuries to marry into the British royal family.
His marriage to Princess Margaret in 1960 was groundbreaking, but their relationship was marked by infidelities and personal struggles.
Matthew loved the role and wished he could of stayed on for another series, he told Digital Spy: 'It wasn't that we walked away from it, we were told we were going to be replaced, which is a slightly different feeling.
'I think we would have probably done one more [season, with the old cast].
'It's a big change for them, for every single character to be different. It asks a lot of the audience, so I hope it works out.'
2017
The Hatton Garden Job
Matthew starred as 'XXX' in the 2017 British crime film The Hatton Garden Job (also known as One Last Heist), which dramatises the infamous 2015 Hatton Garden burglary—the largest in English legal history.
Directed by Ronnie Thompson, the film portrays a group of elderly criminals executing a meticulously planned heist over the Easter weekend
The actor starred alongside Larry Lamb, Matthew Goode, Joely Richardson, Phil Daniels, David Calder.
2018
A Discovery of Witches
Matthew portrayed a vampire and professor who becomes entangled in a forbidden romance with a witch, leading to a journey of supernatural intrigue and danger.
The series follows vampire Matthew (Matthew Goode) and witch Diana (Teresa Palmer) as they embark on a forbidden romance and become embroiled in a mystery about the origin of magical creatures.
Season 2 finds them traveling to 16th-century England in pursuit of the enigmatic Book of Life, as well as searching for a witch to help Diana master her powers.
Ordeal by Innocence
In this miniseries adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel, Matthew's character is a man whose arrival disrupts the investigation of a long-unsolved murder.
Goode portrays Philip Durrant in the 2018 BBC One drama. Philip is the wheelchair-bound, morphine-addicted husband of Mary Durrant (Eleanor Tomlinson), one of the adopted Argyll children.
A former RAF fighter pilot, he was left paralyzed after a car accident and now grapples with the physical and psychological aftermath of his wartime experiences.
2019
Downton Abbey
Matthew reprised his role as Henry Talbot in the film adaptation of the popular series, continuing his romantic involvement with Lady Mary Crawley
Matthew reprised his role as Henry Talbot in the film adaptation of the popular series, continuing his romantic involvement with Lady Mary Crawley.
Official Secrets
Matthew played Peter Beaumont in the thriller based on true events, as he portrayed a journalist involved in exposing a government cover-up related to the Iraq War
Matthew played Peter Beaumont in the thriller based on true events, as he portrayed a journalist involved in exposing a government cover-up related to the Iraq War.
The film is based on the true story of Katharine Gun, a GCHQ translator who leaked a classified memo exposing a covert operation by the U.S. and U.K. to spy on UN Security Council members to sway the 2003 Iraq War vote.
2021
The King's Man
Matthew starred in the prequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman series, entitled The King's Man
Matthew starred in the prequel to Matthew Vaughn's Kingsman series, entitled The King's Man.
He portrayed two characters Captain Morton and The Shepherd, a mysterious figure orchestrating global events.
Set in the 20th century, prefacing World War I, the film was released in December 2021.
Silent Night
In Silent Night Simon (Matthew Goode) and his wife, Nell (Keira Knightley), host a festive Christmas dinner at their countryside home, inviting close friends and family to join them
In Silent Night Simon (Matthew Goode) and his wife, Nell (Keira Knightley), host a festive Christmas dinner at their countryside home, inviting close friends and family to join them.
The gathering, however, carries a dark undertone: an impending environmental catastrophe, a toxic gas cloud, is set to wipe out humanity shortly after Boxing Day.
The Colour Room
In this biographical drama, Goode plays Colley Shorter, a key figure in the life of ceramic artist Clarice Cliff
In this biographical drama, Goode plays Colley Shorter, a key figure in the life of ceramic artist Clarice Cliff. The film focuses on Cliff's rise to fame in the 1920s and 1930s art world.
2022
The Offer
In this miniseries about the making of The Godfather, Goode portrayed Robert Evans, the legendary Hollywood producer behind the film's production
In this miniseries about the making of The Godfather, Goode portrayed Robert Evans, the legendary Hollywood producer behind the film's production.
The series offers a behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and triumphs of bringing the classic to the screen.
2023
Freud's Last Session
Matthew portrays C.S. Lewis in a compelling intellectual duel with Anthony Hopkins' Sigmund Freud
Matthew portrays C.S. Lewis in a compelling intellectual duel with Anthony Hopkins' Sigmund Freud.
Set in 1939 London, the film imagines a fictional meeting between the two men, who engage in a profound discussion about the existence of God, the nature of suffering, and the moral implications of war.
Liv Lisa Fries plays Anna Freud, Sigmund Freud's daughter, who grapples with her father's expectations and her own personal struggles.
2025
Department Q
In this upcoming Netflix series, Matthew stars as Carl Morck, a detective leading a cold case unit in Edinburgh
In this upcoming Netflix series, Matthew stars as Carl Morck, a detective leading a cold case unit in Edinburgh.
His character is tasked with solving long-forgotten crimes. Directed by Scott Frank, known for The Queen's Gambit, Dept. Q promises a gripping narrative that combines intricate crime-solving with deep character development.