Dakin Matthews (born November 7 1940) is an American actor with a long history of work in film, television and theater. He is also a playwright, director and theatrical scholar.

Matthews was born in Oakland, California. He initially aspired to become a Roman Catholic priest, studying in San Francisco and then at Gregorian University in Rome in the 1960s. His growing interest in drama, however, led him to teach at Juilliard where he taught, among others, Kevin Kline and Patti LuPone. He also acted and taught at American Conservatory Theatre in San Francisco where Annette Bening was one of his students. He is also an Emeritus Professor of English from California State University at Hayward.

In the 1980s, settling permanently in Los Angeles, Matthews began guest starring in television series, and appearing in films. He starred in series such as Down Home, Soul Man and, most successfully, The Jeff Foxworthy Show. He also has made many guest appearances on television, including Remington Steele, Dallas, Murder, She Wrote, L.A. Law, Just Shoot Me!, Star Trek: Voyager, The West Wing, Gilmore Girls, Ally McBeal, The Practice, Charmed, The King of Queens (as Doug Heffernan (Kevin James)'s father, NYPD Blue, Desperate Housewives and Carnivàle.

Matthews has also broadened his career with appearances in more than twenty feature films, including Nuts, Clean and Sober, Thirteen Days and Funny Farm and a number of television movies, including And the Band Played On, Baby M and White Mile. He is also a stage actor, most recently for his portrayals of C.S. Lewis in South Coast Repertory's Shadowlands as "Warwick" in Shakespeare's Henry IV at the Lincoln Center Theater, as "Undershaft" in Major Barbara for South Coast and as "The Fixer" in Water and Power for the Center Theatre Group in Los Angeles.

He is also a playwright, director, and theater scholar who has published books and articles on Shakespeare and translations of 17th-century Spanish theater. He has been a dramaturg on numerous theatrical productions, including the 2005 Broadway revival of Julius Caesar starring Denzel Washington and the 2003 revival of Henry IV, winning a Drama Desk Award Special Award for his adaptation of the latter.

Matthews was also artistic director of the Berkeley Shakespeare Festival and the California Actors Theatre; an associate artist of the Old Globe Theatre; and a founding member of the John Houseman's Acting Company and the Antaeus Company.

Matthews currently resides with his wife, director Anne McNaughton, in Los Angeles; they have four children.

A former teacher, he has a degree in theology and studied at the Vatican.

Taught drama at Juilliard and is an Emeritus Professor of English from California State University. Among his former students are Kevin Kline, Annette Bening and Patti LuPone.

Founding member of John Houseman (I)'s Acting Company.

A playwright, director and theatre scholar, he has published books and articles on William Shakespeare (I) and 17th century Spanish theater. *

From 1960-1963 was a student of Catholic Theology receiving a degree in that subject and studying at the Vatican and at Rome's Gregorian University with the intentions of one day being a priest.

Won a Drama Desk special adaptation award created especially for him for his condensation of Shakespeare's "Henry IV" at Lincoln Center in 2004.

Was artistic director of the Antaeus Company, which he helped found in 1991 for classically-trained actors. He resigned in 2003. Later formed the Andak Stage Company.

Divided his time between Los Angeles and San Francisco until 1990, then settled in L.A.

Wife is actress/director Anne McNaughton who directed Dakin's play "The Prince of L.A." at San Diego's Old Globe Theatre in September, 2005.

Has four children.