Matt Cornett

Matt Cornett
Cornett in 2022
Born (1998-10-06) October 6, 1998 (age 28)
Rogers, Arkansas, U.S.
OccupationActor
Years active2012–present

Matt Cornett (born October 6, 1998) is an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as E.J. Caswell on the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series (2019–23), and Sam Florek in the TV series Every Year After on Amazon Prime Video.

Early life

Cornett was raised in Rogers, Arkansas. He is the youngest son of Art and Rhonda Cornett. He moved to Los Angeles in 2012 to pursue acting.

Career

Cornett started his acting career in the television series Nightmare U, where he played the role of Daniel. He starred in the film Can, in which he played the lead role as Diego. He played the guest role of Lou in the crime drama television series Southland, for which he earned a 2014 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor.

In 2015, Cornett played Glenn in the film I Think My Babysitter's an Alien and the role of Carter in the television film The Dunes Club.

He is known for his recurring guest star role as Zach Barnes in the comedy television series Bella and the Bulldogs, for which he earned a 2016 Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a TV Series - Recurring Young Actor. In 2016, he shared the big screen with Natasha Henstridge in the feature film, Inconceivable.

In 2018, Cornett starred in the film Alex & Me, which was released on June 12, 2018, in which he played Logan Willis. He also starred in the role of Nathan Schurzer in the television film Perfect Citizens.

In 2019, Cornett played the role of Andrew Gallery in seventh season of The Goldbergs and was cast in the main role of E. J. Caswell on the Disney+ series High School Musical: The Musical: The Series.

In 2022, Cornett played the role of A-Lan in the sci-fi musical film Zombies 3, which was released on July 15, 2022.

In 2024, Cornett appeared in the thriller film Karma: Death at Latigo Springs. In 2025, he starred alongside Chloe Fineman and Sam Morelos in the sex comedy film Summer of 69, which premiered in theaters to positive reviews.

On March 6, 2025, it was announced that Cornett would star in the Christian indie film Bad Counselors, which will release in theaters on July 23, 2026. Four months later, Cornett was cast as the lead role of Sam in the Prime Video series Every Year After, an adaptation of Canadian writer Carley Fortune's novel Every Summer After. Every Year After premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, 2026 and was released on Prime Video on June 10, 2026. Cornett also starred in the indie film Buster Brooks, which premiered at Zions Indie Film Fest on February 27, 2026.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Role Notes
2013 Can Diego
2015 I Think My Babysitter's an Alien Glenn
2016 Inconceivable Zach Emerson
2018 Alex & Me Logan Wills
2022 Zombies 3 A-Lan
2024 Karma: Death at Latigo Springs Niles
2025 Summer of 69 Max Warren
2026 Buster Brooks Buster Brooks
2026 Bad Counselors † Grayson Fuller

Television

Year Title Role Notes
2012–2014 Nightmare U Daniel 3 episodes
2013 Southland Lou Episode: "Off Duty"
2015 The Dunes Club Carter TV film
Future Shock Chad
2015–2016 Bella and the Bulldogs Zach Barnes Recurring role; 6 episodes
2016 Criminal Minds Austin Settergren Episode: "The Anti-Terror Squad"
The Middle Duncan Episode: "The Core Group"
2017 Speechless Chase Episode: "S-I- SICK D-A- DAY"
2017–2018 Life in Pieces Ryan 4 episodes
2018 Alone Together Logan Episode: "Drama Story"
Perfect Citizens Nathan Scherzer TV film
2019 Game Shakers Blake 3 episodes
Stressed to Death Alston Garrett TV film
2019–2020 The Goldbergs Andrew Gallery 2 episodes
2019 School for Boys Leo Grecco
2019–2023 High School Musical: The Musical: The Series E. J. Caswell Main role (Season 1–3),
Recurring role (Season 4);
33 episodes
2026–present Every Year After Sam Florek Main role

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Nominated work Result
2014 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series - Guest Starring Young Actor Southland Won
2016 Young Artist Award Best Performance in a TV Series – Recurring Young Actor Bella and the Bulldogs Won
2017 Young Entertainer Award Best Guest Starring Young Actor - Television Series The Middle Won
Best Recurring Young Actor - Television Series Bella and the Bulldogs Nominated

References

  1. ↑ Matt Cornett - Singer, Actor (tvinsider.com)
  2. ↑ Thompson, Avery (January 8, 2020). "'HSMTMTS' Star Matt Cornett Teases EJ's Epic Finale 'Moment' After The Troy Bolton Twist". Hollywood Life. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ Baty, Emma (June 3, 2026). "'Every Year After' Exclusive: Get a First Look at the Iconic "You Came Home" Scene". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  4. ↑ "Matt Cornett credited as playing...Sam Florek". www.imdb.com. June 8, 2026. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  5. ↑ "Disney+ 'High School Musical Cast Revealed". TV Shows. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  6. ↑ "Matt Cornett". www.facebook.com. Retrieved January 28, 2020.
  7. ↑ "Matt Cornett - Nightmare U (2012)".
  8. ↑ "Former Rogers Resident to Appear on 'Southland'". nwaonline.com. NWA Media. March 11, 2013. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  9. ↑ "What Motion Pictures And Television Programs Has Matt Cornett Appeared In?". GeeksULTD. November 9, 2022. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  10. ↑ "The Dunes Club (2015)". The A.V. Club.
  11. ↑ Denise Petski (March 4, 2015). " Bella and the Bulldogs and The Thundermans Renewed by Nickelodeon". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 1, 2022.
  12. ↑ DStv (June 26, 2015). "Reasons to Love Bella and the Bulldogs". DStv. Archived from the original on August 30, 2017. Retrieved April 1, 2023.
  13. ↑ "Inconceivable | Cast and Crew | Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  14. ↑ Petski, Denise (September 6, 2018). "High School Musical TV Series Reveals Plot, Character Details". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on August 26, 2019. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
  15. ↑ Chapman, Carson Burton, Sasha Urban, Wilson; Burton, Carson; Urban, Sasha; Chapman, Wilson (June 24, 2022). "Disney+ Debuts 'Zombies 3' Trailer, Featuring Blue-Haired Aliens (TV News Roundup)". Variety. Retrieved July 19, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  16. ↑ Denise Petski (May 19, 2021). "Zombies 3: Matt Cornett, Kyra Tantao, Terry Hu Join Disney Channel Movie". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  17. ↑ "Matt Cornett, Kyra Tantao and Terry Hu Land Out-of-This-World Roles in Zombies 3, the Third Installment of Disney Channel's Highly Popular Franchise". Disney Channel. May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021 – via The Futon Critic.
  18. ↑ Deb, Rajarshi (June 11, 2026). "Every Year After cast: Where do you know the stars from". Soap Central. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  19. 1 2 Grobar, Matt (July 2, 2024). "Jillian Bell Making Directorial Debut With 'Summer Of 69,' American High Comedy For Hulu; Chloe Fineman To Lead Starry Ensemble". Deadline.
  20. ↑ "Summer of 69". Metacritic. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  21. ↑ Minton, Matt (March 6, 2025). "Loam Entertainment Greenlights Indie Film 'Bad Counselors'". Variety. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  22. 1 2 Shepherd, Wendy (June 6, 2026). "'Bad Counselors' Comedy Film Stars Chris Klein, Ramon Reed, and Matt Cornett – Trailer and Release Date". MovieVine. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
  23. ↑ Petski, Denise (July 17, 2025). "Sadie Soverall & Matt Cornett To Star As Percy & Sam In 'Every Summer After' Amazon Series Adaptation; Full Cast". Deadline. Retrieved July 20, 2025.
  24. ↑ Gao, Max (May 12, 2026). "Inside 'Every Year After,' the Summer Romance You Won't Be Able to Get Enough Of". Teen Vogue. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  25. ↑ Gonzalez, Shivani (June 8, 2026). "'Every Year After' and 8 More Shows to Watch on TV This Week". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  26. ↑ "Every Year After | 2026 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved June 9, 2026.
  27. 1 2 "Buster Brooks — ZIFF". Zions Indie Film Fest Official Site. Retrieved June 22, 2026.