Matthew Cowles

Matthew Cowles was an actor and writer who is remembered by daytime television fans for his performance as Billy Clyde Tuggle, the brutal but charismatic pimp who tormented the town of Pine Valley in the long-running ABC drama All My Children.

A native of New York City, Cowles studied acting at the Neighborhood Playhouse and worked in theater, film and television for more than 40 years.

He made his Broadway debut in 1966 in Malcolm, written by Edward Albee. Two years later, he appeared with Al Pacino in the Off Broadway hit The Indian Wants the Bronx, written by Israel Horovitz. In 1975 he co-starred with Christopher Walken in Kid Champion and Sweet Bird of Youth.

His first television appearance came in 1969 with an episode of the police drama N.Y.P.D. In the years that followed he had roles in many series, including Kojak, Miami Vice, Law & Order, Oz and many others. He also played the character Monkey John in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove.

But his signature role was Tuggle, a role he played of and on from the 1970s until 2013, when All My Children was streamed on the internet. Over the years, the character went from garrulous procurer to born-again Christian, providing rich fodder for Cowles to work with. He received two Daytime Emmy nominations for his performance. 

In addition, he appeared in numerous feature films, including Midnight Cowboy, Slap Shot, The World According to Garp, Eddie Macon's Run, The Money Pit, The Juror, Nurse Betty and Shutter Island.

Cowles also wrote the plays Mexican Standoff at Fat Squaw Springs, Our Daily Bread and Noblesse Oblige, as well as a series of short stories and songs about his love of motorcycles. He was such a devotee of them, in fact, that when he married actress Christine Baranski in 1983, they left the church on a black BMW bike named Lucifer. He and Baranski met when they were appearing in a production of Ghosts, by Henrik Ibsen. They later collaborated on another Ibsen classic, Hedda Gabler.

Cowles died May 22, 2014. He was 69.