Matthew "Matt" Sullivan is the biological father of Tia Landry and Tamera Campbell.
Relationships[]
Racelle[]
Matt first met Racelle when the Detroit Free Press assigned him to do a photo essay on her murals in the 1970s and they instantly fell in love with each other. They were living together within weeks of meeting each other.
Matt and Racelle planned to get married; however, their plans were disrupted when Newsweek asked Matt to do an assignment of a lifetime in Tel Aviv while Racelle was commissioned to paint a mural in Florida. She stated they would meet up again later, but omitted the fact that she was pregnant.
They wrote every day for a while and when the letters stopped, Matt discovered that Racelle died of complications during childbirth.
Tia[]
There seemed to be an instant connection with Tia and Matt. They both enjoyed photography and the stories behind the picture. Tia has his Nelson Mandela picture in her room and she expresses herself as a fan. When she found out Matt was her father, she instantly accepted it and was fine with everything. She was open and welcoming.
Tamera[]
Once Tamera found out Matt was her father, she instantly doubted it. First because he was white, then because of the little amount of evidence. After she spoke with Ray, she realized she was afraid Matt would break up her family. Ray assured her that the family will just get bigger and suggested to invite him over for dinner. She still seemed hesitant at first, but then had a nice moment showing her scrapbook to her biological father. She later agrees to go to Ghana with him for the summer.
Work[]
Matt's photo journalist career has always been very important to him. The Detroit Free Press wanted to do a feature of Racelle’s mural. That is how they met. He took a picture of Racelle’s mural. After the death of Racelle it is implied that it was hard to have a family because its hard to settle roots in his career. He referred to his pictures as his children instead. Not much is known about his job, however it does seem to be dangerous. He has dodged a bomb, met Fidel Castro and held a camera steady in the wake of a tornado. This also came with benefits, he got to meet one of his heroes, Nelson Mandela and win a Pulitzer. Before even knowing Matt was her father Tia stated," He is one of the best photojournalists in the world." It was mentioned that he worked with News Weekly. He went to Ghana for a summer to do a photo essay on UN Secretary Kofi Annan. It’s implied he was the photographer for Lisa’s wedding.
Trivia[]
- He took a picture of Nelson Mandela in prison and Fidel Castro lighting a match.
- It is implied he doesn't have a family aside from Tia and Tamera.
- He searched for all twins adopted at the time but didn't realize they were adopted separately
- He found Tia and Tamera when visiting University of Michigan for a photo exhibition.
- Similar in real life, Tia and Tamera have a white father and a black mother.
- Prior to Father's Day, Tia and Tamera had thought both their parents had passed away as stated in You Are So Beautiful.