Represented by: Michael Rodrick (1999-present)

VITAL STATISTICS

Appearances: 1999-present

Parents: Mr. and Mrs. Gray

Siblings: Jake Gray

Children: Tori Gray; stepson Billy Fisher

Grandchildren: Chiyo Tanaka

Relationships: Married to Sarah Fisher for the second time. Previously engaged to Andrea Yang. Dated Danielle Taylor. Had an affair with sister-in-law Nicole Gray.

Occupation: Head chef at Bill’s on the Pier

SUMMARY

Matt was accused of stealing valuable heirloom jewelry from his former fiancée, heiress Andrea Yang. Brent Taylor and Sarah Fisher Taylor were hired as P.I.s to solve the case but ultimately cleared Matt’s name, revealing that he’d been framed by Andrea’s jealous lover, Steve Parker. Matt and Sarah developed a bond and mutual attraction; during a low point in her marriage, she gave in to passion and slept with Matt. She attempted to pass the resulting pregnancy off as Brent’s child, but after she gave birth to a daughter, the truth came out and Brent left her.

Matt and Sarah grew closer as they co-parented baby Victoria. She encouraged him to pursue his passion for cooking, and Bill hired him to work at his restaurant, The Fisherman’s Pier. Sarah also got Matt to face his painful past: he’d had an affair with his sister-in-law, Nicole, who had gotten pregnant, had an abortion, and finally taken her own life out of guilt. Slowly, Matt was able to make amends with his estranged brother, Jake. Waitress Jennie Burkle accused Matt of rape after he declined her advances, but his innocence was proven. In 2005, Matt and Sarah were married.

Although Matt wanted to grow their family, Sarah was ambivalent, even after she became pregnant again. An explosion rigged by Nick Moriani left her clinging to life, and Matt had to make the painful decision to terminate the pregnancy in order to save Sarah. Although Sarah awoke and recovered, the spouses’ grief caused a rift between them, and they eventually divorced. Sarah took up with Graham Colville, and although Matt nearly stopped their wedding, he lost his nerve. Sarah married Graham, who became jealous of her continued connection with Matt. In a fit of rage, Graham had Matt kidnapped and tossed into a building due to be demolished; although he was rescued, Graham also had drugs planted to discredit him. A suspicious — and pregnant — Sarah believed Matt and investigated Graham, who admitted what he’d done right after Sarah gave birth to their son. Graham suffered an aneurysm and died. Racked with guilt, Sarah pulled away from Matt, who casually dated Danielle Taylor.

However, he and Sarah were still unable to deny their feelings for one another. After Sarah was shot, Danielle overheard Matt saying that he still loved her. Soon afterward, Matt ended things with Danielle. He and Sarah finally reunited and later remarried. The Footprint Killer’s reign of terror hit close to home when the serial killer murdered Sarah’s half-brother, Ryan, and put Sarah and Matt’s college-age daughter, Tori, in a coma. Although Tori recovered and identified the killer as Philip Ragan, the final victim was Bill Fisher. When a grief-stricken Paula shot and killed Philip but blocked it out, Molly claimed to have been the shooter; Sarah helped her sister with the cover-up. As Molly stood trial, an anonymous blackmailer sent Sarah security footage of Paula pulling the trigger and demanded $100,000 to keep it from being released. Sarah felt she had no choice but to hide the blackmail from Matt, and she eventually outsmarted the blackmailer, a young man named Zane Tanaka. But Zane then targeted Tori, whom he romanced to put the screws to Sarah. Paula regained her memory and confessed before Molly could be convicted, and Matt was furious at Sarah for her litany of lies.

Although they separated for a time, Matt became sympathetic to Sarah’s reasons for doing what she’d done. They began to find their way back together, especially after they learned that Tori was pregnant with Zane’s baby. Matt intercepted and deleted a text message from Zane to Tori, hoping to convince her to give up the baby for adoption and stay away from Zane. It worked, and Tori signed the papers, but when she overheard Matt telling Jake what he’d done, she was enraged. Jake’s son, Marcus, helped her leave, but the two got into a car accident that left Marcus badly injured and caused Tori to lose the baby. Tori blamed her father for everything and distanced herself from her family; meanwhile, she reunited with Zane. Jake also blamed Matt for the accident and Marcus’s injuries. When Matt tried to get through to his brother, Jake tumbled out an attic window. The fall badly injured both his kidneys, requiring him to have a transplant. Matt tested positive as a match and insisted on being the donor.