Matthew Faber

Matthew Faber, born January 31, 1973, out in Pennsylvania, had one of those faces you’d spot in a movie and instantly remember, even if you couldn’t put your finger on the name right away. He was the dude who brought a certain offbeat energy to every role, whether he was front-and-center or lurking on the fringes. Honestly, if you’ve seen Welcome to the Dollhouse, you can’t forget his performance as Mark Wiener – painfully awkward, sometimes infuriating, always weirdly magnetic. There’s something about the way he played those oddball outsiders; he just nailed that uncomfortable realism, making you squirm and maybe laugh at the same time. He showed up in Natural Born Killers too, which, let’s be real, is a wild ride of a film. Even in a smaller part, Faber left an impression—he just had that knack. And then came Palindromes, another Todd Solondz flick, where he managed to give another strange, layered performance. Faber wasn’t your typical Hollywood guy chasing blockbusters. He gravitated toward indie films, gritty stories, and roles that let him play the outcast or the misfit. Maybe that’s why his characters stuck with you—he didn’t sugarcoat anything. His life ended way too soon, passing away in Van Nuys, California, on March 28, 2020. But his work still lingers, kind of like an old song you can’t get out of your head. Faber’s legacy? Those raw, awkward, unforgettable characters that keep popping up in your mind long after the credits roll.