Matthew Gurney

Matthew’s breakthrough project is the TV series Reunion.

It’s testament to Matthew’s character that he never gave up on his dream of being an actor on TV despite much discouragement along the way because he is deaf. The absurdity of this was put into sharp focus by Matthew’s sensational performance in one of the year’s best high-end TV productions, Reunion (2025). With deaf practitioners forming the bulk of cast and crew, Reunion was as groundbreaking as Matthew himself, who became the first deaf actor to lead on a mainstream British drama.

He was inspired by the silent films of Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd, who conveyed so much emotion through their facial expressions and body movement without the need of the spoken word. He also loves the films of Guy Ritchie and Luc Besson, expressing a desire to work with both in the future. He is currently researching deaf stories with a mind to writing a film, because Matthew knows just how vital representation is, both in front of and behind the camera.

In their own words…

“It’s taken about 25 years to get to this point. I always believed in myself and never gave up, but there were barriers because I was deaf. Before Covid, I sat back and thought maybe I’d have to go into teaching and inspire someone else from the deaf community to break down those barriers. When I realised I had broken through, I knew it wasn’t just good for me, it’s great for the deaf community… I hope people will be inspired by what I’ve achieved here. That’s my mission now.”