Matt Shively

Matt Shively was an American actor who broke out in 2016 after he landed a co-starring role on the ABC sitcom "The Real O'Neals" (ABC, 2016- ). Born and raised in Hanford, California, Shively's interest in acting developed when he was a pre-teen. He was watching his favorite actor, Shia LeBeouf, on the Disney Channel show "Even Stevens" (2000-03) when he thought to himself, "Gee, I can do that." Encouraged by their young son's enthusiasm, Shively's parents began taking him on film and TV auditions throughout Los Angeles. After appearing in a short film and a couple of videos, Shively nabbed his first recurring TV role as Ryan Laserbeam on Nickelodeon's "True Jackson, VP" (2008-11). He appeared on 58 episodes of the show, but "True Jackson, VP" was cancelled in 2011. Undeterred, Shively continued pounding the pavement, looking for TV roles, and was fortunate enough to land a small recurring part on "The Troop" (Nickelodeon, 2009-2011). That show, however, was also cancelled in 2011. Over the next few years Shively appeared on both TV shows and in films, including a starring role in the horror sequel "Paranormal Activity 4" (2012). It would be another four years, however, before he finally received his big break, which came when he joined the cast of the ABC sitcom "The Real O'Neals." On the series Shively plays a 17-year old high school student who's a star athlete, who also has an eating disorder.