A native of Traverse City, Michigan, handsome and charismatic actor Barry Watson first started turning heads when he was cast on Brenda Hampton and Aaron Spelling’s blockbuster WB series, “7th Heaven.” As the oldest of seven children of the Reverend Eric Camden, Watson’s character, Matt, was just the teenage hunk they were looking for when he landed the role in 1996. The highly-rated show had eleven successful seasons on air, and remains the WB’s most watched TV series ever, garnering Watson three Teen Choice Award nominations and a Young Artist Award with his young ensemble cast.
Watson’s career started at the age of eight, when he moved to Dallas and started modeling. At age 15, he earned a spot on the NBC soap, “Days of Our Lives.” After returning to Texas to finish high school, he gave Hollywood another shot and was cast in the Aaron Spelling series, “Malibu Shores.” His other television credits include a series regular role on the short-lived drama, “What About Brian,” an ensemble series which told the story of a single thirty-something—Watson—who gets set up by his married friends in an attempt to find his soul mate. The show was only on the air for a year, but Watson got another opportunity soon after when he was cast in “Samantha Who?” as the boyfriend of an amnesia patient, played by Christina Applegate. He has also had guest starring roles on “Baywatch,” “The Nanny,” “Nash Bridges” and, most recently, “Drop Dead Diva.”
Watson is no stranger to the big screen, either, appearing in several feature films to break away from his small screen persona. His feature film credits include “Teaching Mrs. Tingle,” “Sorority Boys,” “Boogeyman,” “Oceans 11,” “When Strangers Appear” and “Love on the Side.” He has also starred in many made-for-TV movies, including the recent ABC Family movie, “My Future Boyfriend,” alongside Sara Rue and Fred Willard.
Not just content with being an actor, Watson has shared his talents behind the camera as both a writer and director. In 2005, he directed two episodes of “7th Heaven,” and in 2002, he wrote an episode entitled “Peer Pressure.” Most recently, he’s directed an episode of ABC Family’s runaway hit, “The Secret Life of an American Teenager.”
In 2002, Watson publicly announced his diagnosis with Hodgkin’s Disease, which he beat in 2003 after undergoing chemotherapy. He has two children with his wife, “Extreme Home Makeover” star Tracy Hutson.
