Matthew M Ansara

Actor. Born Matthew Michael Ansara, the only son of actors Barbara Eden and Michael Ansara. His parents met in October 1957 on a blind date arranged by her publicist and were married three months later. He was the couple's only child as both a previous and suceeding pregnancy ended in miscarriage. He made his stage debut at 19 months when his mother brought him on camera and sang to him while she was appearing on 'The Mike Douglas Show.' His parents divorced in 1974. At 15 he appeared in the 'To Dunk or Not to Dunk' episode of his mother's series, 'Harper Valley P.T.A.' Four years later, he again appeared with Eden in 'Your Mother Wears Combat Boots.' He attended a series of schools, UC, Santa Barbara, Valley College, and UCLA, but was at the same time immersed in a drug addiction. Confronted by his parents, he spent time in and out of rehabilitation facilities for the next fourteen years. He married in 1987, but the marriage only survived two years. At 29 he was diagnosed with clinical depression and prescribed medication. He went public with his addiction in October 1999. As of 2000 after a long struggle, he was sober and engaged, with a wedding date set for September 2001. He became an amature bodybuilder and appeared in 'To Protect and Serve' which opened to favorable reviews. In June of 2001, a coroner's spokesman said Ansara was found dead in his pickup truck at a gas station. Police found vials of anabolic steroids in the truck and toxicology tests showed a lethal level of heroin in the actor's body. His death was ruled accidental. His final performance in 'Con Games,' was released posthumously that year.