Matthew Ashford

American actor, the star of several popular TV soap series, including One Life to Live (playing Drew Ralston, 1982-1983), Search for Tomorrow (Cagney McLeary, 1984-1986), Days of Our Lives (Jack Devereaux, 1987-2012), General Hospital (Tom Hardy, 1995-1997) and One Life to Live (Dr. Stephen Haver, 2003-2004). Matt is the third youngest of eight kids with four brothers and three sisters. Competing for attention, he performed in a local play at 12 and was bitten by the acting bug. In high school he continued to play in local theater and after graduation, attended the highly accredited North Carolina School of the Arts in Winston-Salem. During the summer months he and a friend worked as street performers doing mime, magic, juggling and improv. He earned his first pro paycheck with the Ragamuffin Magic & Mime Company. After completing the NC School of the Arts, in 1982, with a B.F.A. in Theatre he followed his star to New York City. He was discovered by ABC for the TV soap, "One Life to Live," 1982-1983. He then toured with a troupe performing "Member of the Wedding" which soon led to his second soap, "Search For Tomorrow, " 1983 to December 1986. He won several awards including Soap Opera Digest's Best Villain in 1989. Matt met his future wife, Christina Saffran, in Hawaii in 1985. Their daughter, Grace, was born on 15 june 1992 while he was playing on "Day's of Our Lives." In September 1993 he left that series after six successful years. A second daughter, Emma Cecily, was born on 23 July 1997. When Emma was a week shy of four months, they were horrified to find that she had a rare form of eye cancer, Retinoblastoma that rendered her legally blind. Over the next two years the baby had chemotherapy and treatment which decreased the tumors. Their child’s illness brought a vivid new focus into their lives and took them into work with the non-profit group, Vistas For Blind Children, Inc., working to help raise awareness and funding for research. When not involved in a soap, Matt kept active in live theater as well as doing guest shots on TV series and a few minor film roles. Link to Wikipedia biography