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Matthew Sunderland

Matthew Sunderland

Actor

Matthew "Matt" Sunderland  (born c.1972) is a New Zealand actor. He performed the lead role of David Gray in the feature film Out of the Blue, based on the events of the Aramoana Massacre. At the New Zealand Screen Awards in 2008 he won Best Actor Award for this role. Sunderland was also nominated for a Best Actor Award in the 2006 NZ Screen Awards for Natures Way, which screened In Competition at the Cannes Film Festival in 2006. His other feature film roles include A Song of Good, Christmas, Stringer and Woodenhead as well as more than twenty short films. Sunderland graduated from The New Zealand Drama School Toi Whakaari in 1997 and has concentrated on New Zealand film work with numerous theatre excursions also. He has appeared at the Silo Theatre (Fool for Love, Blasted), and the Herald Theatre (Trainspotting) in Auckland, and the Court Theatre in Christchurch (Peninsula) . Sunderland appeared in the New Zealand soap opera Shortland Streets first official 90 minute episode as White Dragon in a storyline concluding the 3 year Kieran Mitchell story arc. Description above from the Wikipedia article Matthew Sunderland, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Actor
Titles
21 on MovieCove · 37 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Official site (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 28% in 30 days

What are Matthew Sunderland's films like?

Across their 15 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Genres

Drama5 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 32nd percentile
: browse their Drama movies
Adventure3 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 67th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Adventure movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 18th percentile
: browse their Action movies
Crime2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 77th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Crime movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
38%
Morality
24%
Self
22%
Power
7%
Society
4%
Ideas
3%
Bonds
1%
Survival6 titles, browse their movies with this themeTrauma3 titles, browse their movies with this themeDeception2 titles, browse their movies with this themeMemory2 titles, browse their movies with this themeSelf-worth2 titles, browse their movies with this themeGrief3 titles, browse their movies with this themeGuilt2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFreedom2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 14 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Dark: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their dark movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 2 · Serious 3 · Dark 9

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

A split, not a type: Grounded 9 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 2

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 10

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 4 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 1

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 13 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 0

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 7 · Even-paced 7 · Relentless 0

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 1 · Engaged 11 · Full focus 2

Heavy: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their heavy movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 8

Open-ended: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their open-ended movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

A split, not a type: Resolved 7 · Open-ended 6 · Ambiguous 1

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Shadow: 3 of 3 analyzed roles.

Shadow
3 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
14
Dread
9
Melancholic
6
Contemplative
3
Cold
2
Other
7

How their films linger

Haunting6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteThought-provoking6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteDevastating2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy3
  • Bittersweet6
  • Tragic1
  • Ambiguous5

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Matthew Sunderland's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 18 of their 21 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (12).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Matthew Sunderland's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

37 credits, 21 with a MovieCove page.

  • Cellar Door(2024)

    as Male Party Guest

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Territory(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Elton

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all shows

  • Plum(2024)

    Show 6 episodes · as Charles Bukowski

    Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all shows

  • Morning Hate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    as Sunken Man

  • A Mistake(2024)

    as Owen

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Freedom Fighter (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Actor

  • Episodes from Apocalypse(2022)

    as Mark

    Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films

  • The Stranger(2022)

    as Controller / Cleaner

    Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films

  • Pearl(2022)

    as Father

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films

  • Saviour (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2022)

    as Reed

  • Bloody Hell(2020)

    as Father

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • A Moray (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2019)

    as Marlon

  • Savage(2019)

    as Dad

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • The Nightingale(2018)

    as Davey

    Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films

  • 6 Days(2017)

    as Tom Lovett

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Lost City of Z(2016)

    as Dan

    Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films

  • Cradle (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    as Mark

  • Wanted (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2016)

    Show 4 episodes · as Bryce

  • Backtrack(2015)

    as Steve, Barry's Brother

    Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films

  • The Little Death(2014)

    as Wiry Man

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films

  • The Weight of Elephants (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

    as Uncle Rory

  • Existence(2012)

    as Rider

    Midcredits score: 6th percentile of all films

  • The Devil's Rock(2011)

    as Col Klaus Meyer

    Midcredits score: 32nd percentile of all films

  • Under the Mountain(2009)

    as Wilberforce Drone 1

    Midcredits score: 13th percentile of all films

  • Vostok Station (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    Actor

  • Poppy (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)

    as Paddy

  • Kiss Me Deadly(2008)

    as Vigo

    Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films

  • The Last Magic Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)

    as Lemuel

  • Out of the Blue(2006)

    as David Gray

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films

  • Woodenhead (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Gustav the Strongman · as Tramp's vocals

  • Christmas (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2003)

    as Brett

  • Teach You a Lesson (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2000)

    as Brother

  • Letters About the Weather (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as Kade

  • POP (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

    as MAN

  • Hercules: The Legendary Journeys(1995)

    Show 1 episode · as Shepherd

    Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all shows

  • Desperate Remedies (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

    as Chorus #15

  • Mighty Morphin Power Rangers(1993)

    Show 1 episode · as Monster General #2 (voice)

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all shows

Career shape

Star power in the 95th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 37 titles from 1993 to 2024; peak year 2023.

Biggest box office

The Lost City of Z (2016)

$19M worldwide

Highest rated

The Nightingale (2018)

Midcredits 89th

Most popular right now

Pearl (2022)

Film career

19932024

Peak 2023 · at the high point of their film career. Top draw in 5 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting37 of 37: 37 only acting, 0 with another role · typical Midcredits score44th

By decade

1990s5 · acting2000s9 · acting2010s12 · acting2020s11 · acting

Billing

usually 10th · top billed in 0% of 13 roles
0616

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do Matthew Sunderland's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 17; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 37th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

37thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Approval · how many liked their films

35thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Reach · how many have seen their films

83rdpercentile
Typical film, the median of 14

Midcredits score across 21 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up4
  • 50th to 74th5
  • 25th to 49th7
  • Below 25th5

Shape of the crowd

8 of their 21 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Cult Classic1
  • Crowd Pleaser8
  • Broadly Agreed4
  • Mixed8

Most divisive · actor

Kiss Me Deadly (2008)

72nd percentile spread · 33% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · actor

The Nightingale (2018)

Midcredits 89th · 77% liked

Reviewers score the acting 67/100 in their films, across 14 reviewed titles; fans 83, detractors 45. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Matthew Sunderland's work okay for kids?

Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore6 titles33–91 · median 66 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity8 titles17–62 · median 39 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity6 titles29–87 · median 71 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles29–40 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles48–86 · median 62 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Matthew Sunderland work with?

People who share at least 2 of Matthew Sunderland's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jenni Baird shares the most, 2.

Actors

Composers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles