Lanter has certainly come a long way since his 2004 TV debut in Bravo’s Manhunt: The Search for America's Most Gorgeous Male Model -- a reality series that had him compete in sometimes-tawdry modeling challenges. Sadly for Lanter, even bravely parachuting from a plane wearing only a pair of white boxer briefs wasn’t enough to win the series (though he placed in top 10). But the young actor certainly won when it came to the challenge of career longevity.
The many guest spots and supporting roles that followed his exposure on Bravo eventually led to his portrayal of the son of America's first female president on Commander in Chief. Then came starring roles in two series aimed at young adults, both on The CW: The long-running 90210, a reboot of the contemporary classic Beverly Hills, 90210, and the short-lived sci-fi alien drama Star-Crossed.
And then came the lead in Timeless. The series (which recently received an extended episode order) follows three time travelers; soldier Wyatt Logan (Lanter), scientist Rufus Carlin (Malcolm Barrett) and history professor Lucy Preston (Abigail Spencer) all forced to band together to stop the crooked Garcia Flynn (Goran Visnjic) from altering key moments in history using a stolen time machine. However, courtesy of Time Travel 101, there is a catch: Anything changed in the past may well alter the present. That's at the root of Logan’s ongoing moral dilemma -- should he change the past to reverse the untimely passing of his wife? (Malcolm Barrett, Matt Lanter and Abigail Spencer are pictured above, left to right.)
“I think Wyatt is a little more rogue,” Lanter says of the character. “He tries to adhere to the rules of the team and time travel, but he may be the one that deviates from the mission to bring his wife back and is willing to take that chance. He wants her back at all costs.”