Matthew King
DOB: 28 February 1970
Marital status: Single
Address: Home Farm
First arrived
March 2004. Matthew joined his father and two brothers in Emmerdale and soon proved that he had more say than his brothers when it came to matters of business, depiste being the second eldest behind Jimmy.
Character reference
The second eldest of the late business supremo Tom, Matthew is a chip off the old block – but with a lot less heart. When his brother Carl was involved in the accidental death of postman Paul Marsden, Matthew dealt with the tragic incident with bone-chilling coldness. Having moved the body and covered up Carl's involvement, Matthew then conned Paul's widow Siobhan into selling her his cottage at a knockdown price before chasing her out of the village.
The duplicitous way he treated Siobhan is characteristic of Matthew. Although his elder brother Jimmy should have been in line to inherit their father's business, Matthew worked tirelessly to ensure Tom left it to him instead. He got his wish when he received a bigger cut than his brothers.
Love life
At the funeral of one of Tom's closest friends, Matthew bedded the deceased’s daughter before using Sian to make his next conquest Louise Appleton jealous. Of course, what Matthew wants, he gets, and it took him very little time to convince Louise she should dupe loyal boyfriend Terry by sparking up a passionate affair with him.
However, as soon as Louise ditched Terry for him, Matthew didn't want to know. He chucked Louise out having allowed her to lose everything and didn't even throw her a backward glance.
While Matthew seemed hard-hearted towards all his women, there was one who really got under his skin. It transpired that Matthew had been sleeping with his sister-in-law Sadie behind Jimmy's back before they married and that she'd only wedded the elder King because Matthew wouldn't commit.
Thrown together in the business, Matthew and Sadie rekindled their passion and were soon embroiled in a very steamy affair. However, when it came down to it, Matthew's first love was money and power. Forcing him to choose between Sadie and the business, Matthew's dad Tom wrecked his son's life and it looked like he'd lost the one person he truly loved.
Although he tried to throw himself into his work, Matthew couldn't forget Sadie and was horrified to receive an invitation to her forthcoming wedding. Matthew finally allowed his heart to rule his head and went to get his girl. As Sadie tied the knot to Alasdair Sinclair, Matthew was dashing to the church to stop the wedding. And, while he didn't manage that, he did persuade the bride to ditch her new husband at the church door and run off with him instead.
With Sadie gone, Matthew had fun with various women until he fell for Perdy Hyde-Sinclair. She was going through a rough patch with her closet bisexual husband Grayson (son of Matthew's evil stepmother Rosemary) and they spent one night of passion together. That was all at the time, but even when Perdy returned to Grayson, Matthew's feelings for her didn't diminish.
When Perdy and Grayson split for good, Perdy moved into Home Farm and she and Matthew made plans to spend their lives together. But when Grayson tried to frame Matthew for murdering Rosemary, Perdy came across evidence which could disprove this without telling Matthew. Her motives weren't entirely selfish but Matthew, who had spent several days in prison, was livid and when the evidence came to light he threw Perdy out on her ear.
Matthew only let bygones be bygones when Katie Sugden - who had acted as a surrogate - gave birth to Perdy and Grayson's son. Matthew lent Perdy money to escape with the child, as Katie wanted lying Grayson to have nothing to do with the baby. Matthew was only too pleased to help get one over on his arch enemy, and also distracted Grayson at the hospital to allow Perdy enough time to flee.
Matthew died on the 16th December 2008 - the day he was due to marry Anna De Souza. With the family business going down the pan, Matthew accepted financial help from Anna without telling his brothers. Carl found out and stormed into the ceremony, accusing Matthew and Anna of plotting to take over. Carl also revealed to a stunned Anna that Matthew had been there when her father, Donald, died. Anna stormed out and the wedding was over. Matthew and Carl had a violent fight and when Carl stormed off, Matthew followed him in a delivery van with the intent of running him over. What he didn't realise was that Anna was nearby. Matthew swerved to avoid her and slammed on the brakes but was catapaulted threw the windshield. He died almost instantly.
Memorable moments
When Matthew 'disposed' of Rosemary by accidentally pushing her over the bannister at Home Farm. When she actually died after committing suicide in the US, Matthew was determined that she would not be buried next to his father. After the funeral, Matthew waited until dark and had her coffin carted off in a rubbish truck. As far as everyone else is concerned, Rosemary lies in peace next to her husband. Matthew also helped Katie Sugden give birth to the baby she was carrying for the Sinclairs.
About the actor
Matt Healey is an accomplished television actor who has appeared in The Bill, Holby City and Merseybeat.
