Over the next 33 years, Mathews appeared in over 200 films, shorts, and television shows, either as a performer or a stuntman.

He was a veteran of World War I, and served in the merchant marines during the 1920s,[3] although by the end of the decade he was working for the railroads as a switchman.

[1] Mathews began his film career with the role of Cinch Clemons in the low-budget western, Rough Riding Ranger.

Some of the films he performed stunt work in include: Heroes of the Alamo (1937), Billy the Kid's Gun Justice (1940), Billy the Kid Trapped (1942), and Buffalo Bill Rides Again (1947); as well as movie serials such as The Great Adventures of Wild Bill Hickok.

[3][7] (Per AFI database)[1] At some point shortly after Mathews entered the film industry, he divorced from his first wife, Margaret, who returned to Oklahoma with their son, to live with her mother and father.