Matthew Ansara may be best remembered as the only child of the American actors – Michael Ansara and Barbara Eden but he has more to his name than having famous parents. He was also an actor in his own right and a bodybuilder who would have reached the peak of success in the entertainment industry had he lived long enough.
Unfortunately, the rising star was put out at 35, on the 25th of June 2001 by what was ruled as an accidental heroin overdose. Read up the details.
Matthew Ansara Bio
It was on the 29th of August 1965 that he was born and named Matthew Michael Ansara. His birthplace was in Los Angeles, California, the United States.
He made his stage debut at barely 2 years when his mother sang to him on The Mike Douglas Show. He eventually debuted as an actor at the age of 15 in an episode of his mother’s series, Harper Valley P.T.A. Thereafter, he appeared with his mother in the TV film, Your Mother Wears Combat Boots.
Matthew Ansara attended several schools including the University of California, Los Angeles, the University of California, Santa Barbara, and Los Angeles Valley College. While he was changing schools, he was also deep into drug addiction and as such, had to spend time in and out of rehab more than he spent in any of the schools. Moreover, he was diagnosed with clinical depression at the age of 29. After a long battle with addiction, he reportedly went sober in 2000 after going public with his addiction in October of the previous year.
He became an amateur bodybuilder shortly after. Furthermore, he landed more acting roles including in the 2001 comedy film, To Protect and Serve, and Con Games (2001) which was released posthumously, a few months after his death. Matthew Ansara had also featured in the television series One World in 1998.
He married Julie Ansara in 1993 but their union only survived two years, ending in divorce in 1995. At the time of his death, he was engaged to his girlfriend, Leanna Green, and they were set to have a September 1, 2001, wedding before his untimely demise.
His Parents
Michael Ansara was a renowned actor who is known for his works as a voice actor, on stage, and on screens. Of Lebanese descent, he was born on the 15th of April 1922 in Syria but moved to the US with his parents at the age of 2. He lived for over nine decades before submitting to death on July 31, 2013, at aged 91. Some of his notable roles include Cochise on the TV series Broken Arrow, the Klingon commander Kang on three of the Star Trek television series, and the voice of Mr. Freeze in Batman: The Animated Series as well as in several of its spin-offs.
Matthew’s parents married in 1958, three months after they met on a blind date in October 1957. His mother is an actress and a singer known for I Dream of Jeannie and Irwin Allen’s Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea (1961), co-starring her husband. After a 16 year ride at matrimony avenue, his parents’ marriage hit the rocks, ending in divorce in 1974.
The Death of the American Actor – How Did He Die?
Matthew Ansara’s death was a sad event and must have been a big blow on his parents, fans, and the entertainment world as well. One year after supposedly going sober, he was found dead in his pickup truck at a gas station in Monrovia, California, on June 25, 2001. Vials of anabolic steroids were found in the truck by the police and subsequent toxicology tests revealed that he had a lethal level of heroin in his body. The cause of his death was ruled as an accidental heroin overdose as announced on August 13, 2001, by an LA County coroner’s spokesperson; no foul play was suspected.
The actor was laid to rest in Forest Lawn, Hollywood Hills, Los Angeles, California, on the 2nd of July, 2001, one week after his death. His tombstone bears the inscription “Beloved Son and Fiance”. He was aged 35 at the time of his death, two months away from what would have been his 36th birthday and only weeks away from his wedding which was slated for September 1st.
