Where Are They Now: Eddie Alderson portrayed Matthew Buchanan on One Life to Live

Eddie Alderson as Matthew Buchanan

Where are they now? This question is often asked of former child actors. What have they been doing, and did they continue in the entertainment industry? Today, we take a look at the life of Eddie Alderson, who debuted as Matthew Buchanan on the ABC soap One Life to Live at the age of six in 2001.

Eddie was born on October 27, 1994. He is the younger brother of Kristen Alderson, who is well known for her portrayal of Starr Manning on OLTL and General Hospital. She later played KiKi Jerome on GH. The siblings were raised in Pennsylvania by their parents, Richard and Cathy Alderson.

Eddie remained in the role of Matthew for eleven years, growing up in front of the camera. He and Starr were good friends on the soap. Starr's parents were Todd Manning (Trevor Howard and Roger Howarth) and Blair Cramer Manning (Cassie DePaiva).

She was a handful. She was sassy, spunky, and opinionated. Matthew, the son of Nora Buchanan (Hillary B Smith) and Bo Buchanan ( Robert S Woods), was a quiet child. When he became a teen, Matthew became as troublesome as Star.

He often defied his parents and wanted to be like the popular children in school. He admitted to his parents that he smoked Marijuana to fit in. One Life to Live was cancelled, and a short reboot on the Internet led to a recast of Rob Gorrie as Matthew.

Eddie Alderson's career journey

Alderon's portrayal of Bo and Nora's son led to two Young Artist Award nominations in 2009 and a Daytime Emmy Award nomination in 2012. Kristen keeps her fans informed through social media, but where is her sibling?

In 2006, Eddie and Melissa Fumero performed a duet of the song "What Can I Do For You?" on One Life: Many Voices for Hurricane Relief. This was on an album of songs by OLTL cast members to raise funds for victims of Hurricane Katrina.

After One Life to Live was cancelled, Eddie Alderson continued acting. He portrayed a young Todd Manning in a General Hospital flashback, appeared with Mark Ruffalo in the film Reservation Road in 2007, and in 2008, portrayed Sanford Clark in the movie Changeling. 

He guest-starred as the friend of a murdered boy on Law & Order, and in 2018, Alderson joined the cast of Powder Burns, a Western audio drama produced by David A. Gregory, who portrayed Robert Ford on OLTL.

Eddie was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in November 2016. On April 26, 2017, it was reported that he had finished his first round of chemotherapy.

On July 13, 2017, it was announced that Alderson had resumed chemo treatments. In September 2019, he completed chemotherapy and announced that he was cancer-free.

Eddie began dating Sylwia Pracon in August 2016, and they announced their engagement in May 2022. The couple were married on September 21, 2024, at Czestochowa Church in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Many of his former One Life to Live co-stars attended the ceremony.

In 2025, Eddie, who is now an Amtrak police officer, saved the life of an Amtrak conductor who had stopped breathing.

Thanks to his having access to an automatic electric defibrillator or AED, Alderson was able to do everything he could to help Smart. “I was right on top of him doing CPR and then it stays shock advised, so then I have to jump back. I’m straddling. Trying not to touch his body. It was scary,” detailed Alderson of the situation.

Although One Life to Live has been off the air for many years, fans continue to discuss the show and the cast members on Social Media. Eddie Alderson will be fondly remembered for his role as Matthew Buchanan.