Welcome!
My name is Matthew Sanders. I’m a bilingual actor living between New York, Zürich and Berlin.

I was born in Flensburg and spent most of my youth in Hamburg, Germany. My given name is Mathias (Mu-Tee-Us), but the “TH” in the spelling tends to mess up people’s pronunciation in the English language, so in the English speaking territories I go by Matthew, Matt or Matty. Which is to say: I basically respond to any name that starts with an M…

When asked where I’m from, I’ve come to use the principle my brilliant friend Taye Selasi set forth in a TED talk:

I’m a local of New York, Zurich and Berlin.

Those are the places that have defined me. The places where I have deep roots and the strongest human connections. If you’re interested in finding out more about who I am - it’s a great place to start the conversation!

Having always spoken both English and German, I moved to New York at 19 to study acting. At the LEE STRASBERG THEATRE INSTITUTE I met my greatest artistic influence: ELIZABETH KEMP. When, a year later, I enrolled in the MFA program at THE ACTORS STUDIO DRAMA SCHOOL, fate would have it that she was hired as a teacher there. She not only introduced me to most of what I know about acting and art, but also to the life altering teachings of C.G. Jung.

While there may be the odd exception, I think the most important thing for any artist is to be kind and “open”. To create from a place of love, empathy and a deep curiosity for the human condition. To bring forth what is within you. To open your heArt.

I’ve been challenging myself to put that into practice during a career that was focused on theatre for the better part of 15 years and has recently been consciously directed towards film and television. Storytelling and expression - that’s what I have devoted my life to.

When I was younger, people used to say:

You’re such a DREAMER!

It wasn’t meant as a compliment… It took me half of my life to fully own what a great asset that actually is. Lee Strasberg called his book A DREAM OF PASSION - which of course goes back to Shakespeare’s Hamlet. The imagination is an incredibly powerful tool. It may not always be practical in navigating the banalities of modern day-to-day existence, but as an artist - it’s where the gold lies! So while at this stage in my life I also have both feet planted firmly on the ground, I say proudly (and perhaps a little defiantly):

Yes, I’m a DREAMER!!! I’ve been dreaming for a living for over 20 years!

In fact, I call myself a PROFESSIONAL DREAMER.