Matthews started his career as a stand-in and bit actor in films such as Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985, with Todd Bryant, Richard Lineback, and stunts by Gene LeBell and Tom Morga) before he entered the stunt business. He has doubled for stars such as Matthew Broderick, Mark Wahlberg, Robert DeNiro, Stephen Root, Richard Gere, Casper Van Dien, Charlie Sheen, Dennis Hopper, Chris Farley, and Christian Slater.