Buzz
Jonathan Nolan, the executive producer, writer, and director, alongside his brother Christopher Nolan, attended the HBO "Westworld" premiere on September 28, 2016, in Hollywood, California. Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic/Getty ImagesModern cinema enthusiasts are well-acquainted with Christopher and Jonathan Nolan, who have collaborated on screenplays for films like "The Prestige," "The Dark Knight" (with David S. Goyer), and "Interstellar," all directed by Christopher. Christopher has also helmed solo projects such as "Inception," "Dunkirk," and "Tenet," while Jonathan has developed TV series including "Person of Interest," "Westworld," and "Fallout" (the latter two co-created with Lisa Joy).
Yet, few are aware of the third Nolan sibling, whose reputation, such as it is, stems from outside the realm of entertainment. Matthew Nolan, the eldest of the trio, has a notably tumultuous background. This is his intriguing tale.
Who Is Matthew Nolan?
Matthew Nolan, born in 1968, is a British American individual primarily recognized as the older brother of filmmaker Christopher Nolan, born in 1970, and writer Jonathan Nolan, born in 1976. The siblings have an English father and an American mother. They grew up in London and spent significant parts of their childhood with their mother's relatives in Evanston, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago.
Matthew Nolan made Chicago his home and pursued a career as a property developer. He tied the knot with an American woman in 1999. His life took a turn in the early 2000s when he connected with Robert Breska, a Florida-based gem dealer with a history of drug trafficking.
An Unholy Trinity: Matthew Nolan, Robert Breska, and Robert Cohen
As per court documents, around 2004, Robert Breska alleged that his accountant, Robert Cohen, had embezzled roughly $7 million from his accounts. Cohen claimed that Mario Quintana, his Costa Rican business partner, was the one who stole Breska's funds. Shortly after, Quintana was found dead. While the official report stated it was a suicide, Cohen suspected foul play.
Meanwhile, Breska remained obsessed with the belief that Cohen still had his money and that recovering it was possible. It was at this juncture that Matthew Nolan became involved. Breska presented him to Cohen under the false identity of Matthew McCall Oppenheimer, claiming he was an heir to the Oppenheimer diamond fortune.
A Timeline of Suspect Travel
On March 6, 2005, Robert Cohen reportedly met with "Matthew Oppenheimer" (actually Matthew Nolan) in San Jose, Costa Rica.
Also in attendance was Luis Alonso Douglas Mejia, a hotel bellboy allegedly working with Nolan. Video evidence presented in court claims to depict Nolan and Mejia alongside Cohen in the parking lot of a San Jose shopping center, marking the last time Cohen was seen alive. Shortly after, Nolan boarded a flight to Houston, Texas.
According to court documents, within three days, Nolan returned to Costa Rica, where he reunited with Mejia, who was holding Robert Cohen captive. On March 10, Costa Rican authorities found Cohen's lifeless body. He seemed to have died from organ failure caused by severe beatings and torture. The following day, Nolan left the country once more.
Christopher (left) and Jonathan Nolan at the 2006 Los Angeles premiere of Touchstone Pictures' "The Prestige."
E. Charbonneau/WireImage for Disney Pictures/Getty ImagesThe Aftermath of Robert Cohen's Killing
Luis Alonso Douglas Mejia was found guilty of Cohen's murder by a Costa Rican court and received a prison sentence. Meanwhile, Nolan, as later revealed by an American judge, persisted in his attempts to recover Robert Breska's funds.
Nolan remained free for the next four years, but in 2009, he and his wife declared bankruptcy. He was ensnared by FBI agent Pablo Araya, who had been probing the Cohen murder and discovered Nolan was scheduled to attend a bankruptcy hearing in Chicago. He was apprehended and taken into custody.
After his arrest in 2009, Nolan was officially accused of Cohen's murder in Costa Rica.
Costa Rica sought Nolan's extradition to face trial in their judicial system. While an American judge evaluated Nolan's case, he was held at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in downtown Chicago.
At this stage, his story took an unexpected turn.
Matthew Nolan's Attempted Prison Break
The judge handling Nolan's case determined there was insufficient evidence to extradite him to Costa Rica. Costa Rican authorities withdrew their request in 2010, and Nolan could have been released, but he was already facing a second arrest. The charge? Attempting to escape from the Metropolitan Correctional Center.
In late 2009, Nolan was discovered with items NBC Chicago described as "a razor, a harness, a metal clip (for unlocking handcuffs), and 31 feet [9.4 meters] of rope fashioned from bedsheets." He admitted guilt to possessing contraband in jail and obstructing justice. In July 2010, Nolan received a sentence of 14 months in prison for his daring, Batman-esque escape attempt.
Matthew Nolan Today
Matthew Nolan was never extradited to Costa Rica. In 2014, he filed a lawsuit against the United States, alleging that the Bureau of Prisons caused him "physical, psychological, and psychiatric harm" during his incarceration at the Metropolitan Correctional Center. The case lingered for years, and its final resolution remains undisclosed in public records.
Unsurprisingly, Matthew Nolan has no involvement in his brothers' filmmaking endeavors.
Have you ever wondered why Jonathan Nolan lacks a British accent, while Christopher retains his, despite both being born in England? Jonathan shed his accent after relocating to Chicago as a child and later attending Georgetown University. Christopher studied at University College in London, preserving his accent. There's no reliable information on Matthew's accent preferences.
