Matt Villines
Matt Villines
Matt Villines was born on June 5, 1977 in Tulsa, Oklahoma where he attended Bishop Kelly High School. [undefined] He went on to study at the University of Oklahoma and filmmaking at the Los Angeles Film school where he met his collaborator, Osmany Rodriguez. [undefined]
His first directing work came with the collaboration with Rodriguez on Adult Swim's Super Deluxe comedy video website in 2006.
After two years on Super Deluxe, the duo were brought on to Funny Or Die, where from 2009-12 they directed some of the site’s most-shared videos, as well as several segments on the 2010-11 HBO series Funny or Die Presents. [undefined] Among their best known work from this period is “Bridges on Bridges with Beau Bridges,” starring Beau Bridges; a re-creation of Bobby Brown's “Every Little Step” co-starring Brown, Mike Tyson, and Wayne Brady; and “Charlie Sheen’s Winning Recipes” with the former Two and a Half Men star, Charlie Sheen. More of his work can be seen on the Matt & Oz Vimeo profile. [undefined]
Villines and Rodriguez joined Saturday Night Live in 2012. [undefined] Hired to direct shorts after the Lonely Island trio departed, the Matt and Oz pair helped create the new aesthetic for SNL‘s original comedy shorts and continued working together even after Villines’s 2014 diagnosis. [undefined] Last year the duo completed filming on their debut feature, the comedy Brother In Laws starring SNL‘s Taran Killem and Bobby Moynigan, which is in postproduction. Osmany still works at SNL. [undefined]
Kidney Cancer
Matt Villines was diagnosed with Stage IV kidney cancer, Renal Cell Carcinoma, in June 2014, the same year he and Linda Villines tied the knot.
His mother, Maggie Villines says the following [undefined]:
“It was a long two years for him and us, yet filled with so many blessings.
We lost him on July 9th.
He fought the best fight, doing everything right including a very strict diet which my beautiful and talented daughter-in-law Linda Tan Villines made possible for him.
She nurtured him and cared for him with such tender love and devotion.
She is our angel.”
Matt donated his body to the UCLA cancer research program.
He has always loved sharks.
His ashes will be sprinkled over the Pacific ocean.
He will finally get to swim with the sharks.