Matthew Chapman was born in Cambridge, England, but has spent many years living in America, initially in Los Angeles and later in New York. This talented individual is a multifaceted creative force, working as both a writer and director in the film industry, as well as a journalist and author.
Throughout his career, Matthew has written for a variety of esteemed publications, including Harpers Magazine, Huffington Post, and National Geographic. His second book, "40 Days and 40 Nights - Darwin, Intelligent Design, God, OxyContin, and Other Oddities On Trial in Pennsylvania," published by Harper/Collins, tells the captivating story of a small town torn apart by the conflict between fundamentalism and science.
This thought-provoking book was praised by Christopher Hitchens as "A book that restores faith - but faith in culture and free inquiry." Matthew's other notable work includes "Trials Of The Monkey - An Accidental Memoir," published by Picador, which is an account of the Scopes Trial told through a road trip he took to the Tennessee town where the trial took place, intertwined with a memoir of his childhood as a descendant of Charles Darwin.
The Spectator described this book as "The publisher's blurb nudges us in the direction of bestsellers like Bill Bryson and Paul Theroux, but, while Chapman can be as funny and revealing as either in the travel sections of his book, the autobiographical element plumbs greater depths."
As a filmmaker, Matthew has written and directed five independent movies, including the cult classic "Strangers Kiss" starring Jennifer Jason Leigh, and most recently the thriller "The Ledge" starring Charlie Hunnam, Liv Tyler, Terrence Howard, and Patrick Wilson. "The Ledge" was selected for the main competition at Sundance, acquired by IFC, and sold to over 50 territories.
In addition to his independent work, Matthew has written several mainstream pictures, including "Consenting Adults" (1992),"Color of Night" (1994),and "Runaway Jury" (2003). He has also co-written "Reaching For The Moon" with Miranda Otto and Glória Pires, directed by Bruno Barreto.
Matthew is the founder and president of ScienceDebate.org, a non-profit organization that advocates for presidential candidates to hold a live debate focused solely on science and technology issues. In 2008, 2012, and 2016, all final candidates responded to a list of science policy questions, which were published online and reached nearly a billion people, making this the largest science policy initiative in history.
In his personal life, Matthew is married to Brazilian actress, record producer, and documentary filmmaker Denise Dumont, with whom he has a daughter, Anna Bella Chapman-Smith, and a stepson, Diogo Marzo.
