Jessica Matten Net Worth, Age, Height, and Career

Jessica Matten isn’t just another name on a TV cast list. She’s a Red River Métis actress, producer, activist, and entrepreneur who has spent decades proving that Indigenous stories belong front and center in mainstream entertainment. 

From modeling at age six to starring on AMC’s Dark Winds, her journey is one of grit, cultural pride, and relentless purpose. Here’s everything you need to know about this remarkable Canadian actress.

Quick Wiki/Bio About Jessica Matten

Before diving deep, here’s a fast-reference bio table covering Jessica Matten’s key personal details.

Detail	Information
Full Name	Jessica Matten
Birthday	November 30, 1985
Age	40 years old (as of 2026)
Birthplace	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Ethnicity	Red River Métis, Saulteaux-Cree (mother); British-Chinese (father)
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	~130 lbs (59 kg)
Profession	Actress, film producer, activist, entrepreneur
Known For	Dark Winds, Frontier, Tribal, Rez Ball
Partner	Brendt Thomas Diabo
Net Worth	~$3 million (estimated, 2026)
Instagram	@jessicamatten

Who is Jessica Matten?

Jessica Matten is a 40-year-old Canadian actress, film producer, and Indigenous wellness advocate born and raised in Edmonton, Alberta. She carries Red River Métis and Saulteaux-Cree heritage through her mother and British-Chinese ancestry through her father. That dual identity isn’t just background detail. It shapes every role she takes, every project she backs, and every campaign she runs.

What truly sets her apart from other actresses working today is her lineage. She is a direct descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Métis leader who is famous for the Battle of Seven Oaks in Canadian history. That rebel blood runs through her work both on and off camera. 

Her career spans over 15 years of television, film, and voice acting. She built her reputation through unflinching performances in Indigenous-centered dramas like Blackstone, Frontier, Tribal, and now AMC’s Dark Winds, where she plays Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito. She isn’t just performing roles. She’s rewriting what an Indigenous actress can achieve in North America.

How Old is Jessica Matten? Age and Birthday

Jessica Matten was born on November 30, 1985, in Edmonton, Alberta. That makes her 40 years old as of mid-2026, with her 41st birthday arriving in November. Her star sign is Sagittarius, a fitting symbol for someone who shoots straight and moves with purpose. 

She has never let age slow her pace. If anything, her career has accelerated with every passing year. Her biggest role, and arguably her most commercially successful one, came in 2022 when she joined the Dark Winds cast on AMC. Most actresses peak early. Jessica Matten is proof that the opposite can be just as powerful.

Jessica Matten’s Height, Weight, and Body Measurements

Jessica Matten stands approximately 5 feet 10 inches (178 cm) tall, a height she confirmed publicly on her own Instagram page. Some sources, including IMDb, list her at 5 ft 9 in, but she has personally clarified the record. 

Here’s a full breakdown of her physical stats:

Stat	Measurement
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Weight	~130 lbs (59 kg)
Body Measurements	34-25-35 inches
Hair Color	Black
Eye Color	Dark brown
Shoe Size	US 10 (approx.)

Her athletic build isn’t accidental. She trains competitively in Jiujitsu and Muay Thai, and that discipline shows both in her physical fitness and in the stunt work she handles on screen. She’s not just tall. She’s strong, skilled, and built for the kind of action scenes her roles demand.

Career

Early Modeling and Education

Jessica Matten’s entertainment career started before most kids had a bedtime. From the age of six, she assisted with her mother’s First Nations modeling agency, Mystique Models, around Canada. That early exposure gave her an insider’s understanding of the industry that no acting class could replicate. 

She didn’t skip the academic side either. Matten graduated from the University of Alberta with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Ecology with a minor in marketing. She studied acting at Shoreline Studios Vancouver Acting School and modeling at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion. 

Before committing fully to acting, she worked in marketing in London and completed an internship at Elle magazine UK. She also appeared in early TV commercials for brands like Nature Valley and Nintendo Wii. Those years built her commercial sensibility and screen awareness in ways that quietly sharpened her craft.

Television Breakthrough

Her acting debut came in 2010 with the short film Pigs. Early roles in Blackstone, Mohawk Girls, and Shadowhunters helped her gain traction in Canadian television circles. Then came the role that changed everything.

She first gained wide recognition through her portrayal of Sokanon on the Netflix and Discovery Canada series Frontier (2016 to 2018), starring opposite Jason Momoa. Playing a fierce, layered Indigenous character alongside one of Hollywood’s biggest names put Jessica Matten on radars far beyond Canada. 

She followed that with Burden of Truth (CW Network and CBC, 2018 to 2019), where she played Gerrilyn Spence across 14 episodes. By this point, her name was synonymous with complex, culturally authentic storytelling.

Tribal and Dark Winds Success

Two roles define the peak of Jessica Matten’s television career so far. First, Tribal. In 2020, Matten began starring in Tribal on the APTN Network, playing the newly appointed chief of an Indigenous police force in Alberta, Canada. She was also an associate producer on the series. Taking the associate producer credit was a deliberate move. She wasn’t just acting in the story. She was helping shape it. 

Then came Dark Winds on AMC in 2022. She plays Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito, the only female sergeant in a Navajo reservation police department. The show is based on Tony Hillerman’s Leaphorn and Chee novels and has earned widespread critical praise. Dark Winds is now in its fourth season, cementing Jessica Matten as one of the most dependable leading actresses in prestige cable television today.

Film Work

Her film career runs parallel to her TV success. Key film credits include:

• Pigs (2010): her acting debut in a short film
• A Red Girl’s Reasoning: short film that won an award at the Imagine NATIVE Film Festival
• The Empty Man (2020): a Disney/20th Century Fox psychological thriller
• Rez Ball (2024, Netflix): a sports drama about a Native American high school basketball team from Chuska Valley, New Mexico, competing for the state championship

Rez Ball starred Jessica Matten in a Netflix film that focused on a Native American basketball team pursuing a state championship title. The film was produced with LeBron James’ SpringHill Company and directed by Sydney Freeland, and it became one of the more quietly talked-about Indigenous films of 2024. 

Voice Acting

Jessica Matten is entering a new creative chapter. She is set to voice adult Katara in the upcoming Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender animated movie, releasing October 9, 2026, a project connected to Avatar Studios and Nickelodeon. 

This is a major milestone. Katara is one of the most beloved characters in the entire Avatar franchise. Landing this voice acting role signals that Hollywood’s biggest animation studios now view her as a tier-one talent, not just a Canadian television actress.

Read More: Zach Cox Net Worth 2026: Income, Wealth Breakdown

Production Company

Jessica Matten doesn’t just work in the industry. She’s building infrastructure within it. She serves as president of 7 Forward Entertainment, a West Coast Canadian Indigenous-owned production company. Through that company, she co-founded the Counting Coup Indigenous Film Academy (CCIFA), one of the first Indigenous film academies in North America. 

She also used 7 Forward Entertainment to fund the Navajo Nation’s first all-matriarch skatepark, a project that reflects her belief that production companies should invest in communities, not just content.

What is Jessica Matten’s Net Worth?

As of 2026, Jessica Matten’s net worth is estimated at $3 million, a figure that climbed from roughly $2 million in 2024. These are media estimates. Jessica Matten has not publicly confirmed an exact number. 

Here’s how her income breaks down:

Income Source	Details
Television acting	Primary source; Dark Winds, Frontier, Tribal, Blackstone
Film acting	Rez Ball (Netflix), The Empty Man
Voice acting	Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender (2026)
Production company	7 Forward Entertainment revenue
Wellness business	Lemon Cree (co-run with family)
Brand partnerships	Aligned with Indigenous representation
Speaking engagements	Increased after 2025 Variety award

In December 2025, she received Variety’s first-ever Faith and Spirituality Award, recognition that has elevated her commercial profile and opened new partnership opportunities.

Her financial trajectory is moving upward. With Avatar: Aang hitting theaters in October 2026 and Dark Winds still running, her net worth will likely keep climbing through 2027 and beyond.

Is Jessica Matten Married? Partner and Relationship Status

Jessica Matten is not married as of 2026. She keeps her personal life intentionally private, which is a choice she has maintained consistently throughout her public career.

She shared social media posts indicating she was dating Brendt Thomas Diabo, a Mohawk actor, artist, and rock musician. Both of them performed in the Netflix series Frontier. That’s where the relationship is believed to have started, sometime around 2016. 

Brendt Thomas Diabo is not a background figure. He’s an accomplished creative in his own right, known for his work as an actor, visual artist, and musician within Indigenous arts communities. Neither Jessica nor Brendt has made a formal public statement about the nature or current status of their relationship. No reports of marriage, engagement, or children are publicly confirmed. She remains focused, at least publicly, on her career and her advocacy work.

Family Background

Family is the foundation of who Jessica Matten is. Her mother, Therese Ducharme, is an activist, performer, and former model. Therese Ducharme was one of the first activists in Canada to investigate the issue of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women. She also founded and runs the Lemon Cree Non-Profit Society, a wellness and community organization that Jessica co-runs with family members. 

Her father carries British-Chinese heritage, though he has remained out of the public eye. That blend of Red River Métis, Saulteaux-Cree, and British-Chinese ancestry gives Jessica a rare multicultural perspective that comes through in both her art and her advocacy.

Her most striking ancestral connection is to Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Métis leader and a central figure in early Canadian history. That lineage isn’t something she wears lightly. It’s a source of identity, responsibility, and pride.

Jessica Matten’s Wellness Work and Advocacy

This is where Jessica Matten’s story gets genuinely extraordinary. She has worked in suicide prevention and addiction counseling for Native communities for over 25 years, starting in her teens. Think about that. She was doing this work before she ever appeared on a TV screen. 

Her advocacy work includes:

• Co-founding the #N8Vgirls campaign to raise awareness about Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women
• Running Lemon Cree, an Indigenous wellness and fitness company co-founded with her family
• Creating Active Cree, the first Indigenous Cree wellness and fitness publication, distributed to 60,000 people across 10 communities
• Funding the Navajo Nation’s first all-matriarch skatepark through 7 Forward Entertainment
• Co-founding the Counting Coup Indigenous Film Academy to support emerging Indigenous filmmakers

Her advocacy is not performative. It started before she was famous and it has only deepened as her platform has grown.

Martial Arts and Stunt Work

Most people know Jessica Matten as an actress. Fewer people know she can hold her own in a Jiujitsu match.

She trained competitively in Jiujitsu and regularly won matches against male opponents due to her height and skill level. She also trains in Muay Thai, which gives her the fight choreography instincts that make her action scenes look authentic rather than choreographed.

Her 5 ft 10 in frame, combined with years of martial arts training and circuit work, means she handles stunt work on productions like Frontier, Tribal, and Dark Winds with real physical credibility. Producers and directors don’t need to work around her. They can build scenes around her.

Social Media Presence

Jessica Matten is active on Instagram under the handle @jessicamatten. She uses the platform to share a mix of career updates, behind-the-scenes content, and advocacy posts focused on Indigenous awareness and the #N8Vgirls campaign.

She confirmed her own height directly on Instagram, which tells you something about how she uses the platform. She’s direct, authentic, and not interested in performing a curated version of herself for followers. Her social media presence reflects the same values her acting does: honesty, cultural pride, and substance over noise.

As her Dark Winds profile grows and the Avatar: Aang release approaches in October 2026, her following will likely expand significantly into mainstream US audiences.

Fast Facts About Jessica Matten

• Born November 30, 1985, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• Her star sign is Sagittarius
• She is 40 years old as of 2026
• Direct descendant of Cuthbert Grant, the first rebel Métis leader
• Started in her mother’s modeling agency, Mystique Models, at age six
• Holds a BSc in Human Ecology from the University of Alberta
• Studied fashion at Central Saint Martins and London College of Fashion
• Interned at Elle magazine in London before moving into full-time acting
• Starred opposite Jason Momoa as Sokanon in Netflix’s Frontier
• Stars in AMC’s Dark Winds as Sergeant Bernadette Manuelito
• Will voice adult Katara in Avatar: Aang, The Last Airbender (October 9, 2026)
• Trains competitively in Jiujitsu and Muay Thai
• President of 7 Forward Entertainment, an Indigenous-owned production company
• Co-founded the Counting Coup Indigenous Film Academy
• Has worked in Native youth suicide prevention for over 25 years
• Won Variety’s first-ever Faith and Spirituality Award in December 2025
• Estimated net worth of $3 million in 2026

FAQs 

Who is Jessica Matten?

Jessica Matten is a Canadian Indigenous actress, producer, and activist best known for AMC’s Dark Winds.

What is Jessica Matten’s net worth in 2026?

Jessica Matten’s estimated net worth in 2026 is approximately three million dollars from acting and business.

How old is Jessica Matten and when is her birthday?

Jessica Matten is 40 years old, born on November 30, 1985, in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Who is Jessica Matten’s partner or boyfriend?

Jessica Matten has been linked to Mohawk actor and musician Brendt Thomas Diabo since around 2016.

What is Jessica Matten’s height and body measurements?

Jessica Matten stands five feet ten inches tall and weighs approximately 130 pounds as confirmed publicly.

Wrapping Up

Jessica Matten’s story is one of the most compelling in North American entertainment right now. She went from helping her mother run a First Nations modeling agency at age six to leading one of AMC’s most critically acclaimed dramas and landing a voice role in a major animated feature. 

Her Jessica Matten net worth of approximately $3 million in 2026 reflects not just acting talent but a diversified career built on cultural integrity, relentless hustle, and genuine purpose. Watch Dark Winds and Rez Ball on Netflix to see exactly why she’s earned it.