Arness was living his dream. He was an actor in the movie The Matrix Revisited.

Andy Arness had regretted taking the safe way and not following his heart while growing up. So at 37, he decided to take control of his own destiny by ending his career in the world of finance to try his hand at acting. Today, six years since that life-changing decision and 15 feature films, 10 national network television shows and 19 national and regional commercials later, 43-year-old Arness has proven that it's never too late to realize a lifelong dream.

A member of the Screen Actors Guild, Arness has worked with award-winning actors like Renee Zellweger, Julie Andrews, Robin Williams and Nick Nolte in films like The Bachelor, The Princess Diaries, Patch Adams and The Hulk. In addition to acting, Arness has been involved in other aspects of the film industry, including writing screenplays, making movies and performing stunts.

Arness realized his passion for filmmaking when he was just a young boy growing up in Cupertino.

"I loved growing up in Cupertino," says Arness, who currently lives with his wife and children in Sunnyvale. "Unlike the high-tech companies that people think of today, back then Cupertino was country. It kind of resembled the TV show Leave it to Beaver, a very family-oriented, rural town, the idyllic place to grow up. I was exposed to so many wonderful movies growing up here. As a matter of fact, one of my favorite things to do was recreating movie scenes with my friends."

In the 1960s, young Arness was a featured guest on the classic San Francisco children's television program Hocus Pocus.

He says Cupertino High School back in the 1970s had state-of-the-art production facilities and he took classes in film literature and television production.

Even though he always wanted to be a part of the moviemaking experience, except for his brief encounter with the business in Hocus Pocus and making his own 8mm movies in high school, Arness did not do much to pursue his interest.

"The one big regret I have is not going after my passion as aggressively as I should have when I was young. If I could do it all over again, I would have gotten an agent and pursued acting more vigorously," Arness says.

Following other people's advice to go the safe way after graduating from Cupertino High School in 1978, Arness studied physical education and broadcasting at Brigham Young University in Idaho, then known as Ricks College.

Instead of acting, Arness, an honor roll student, worked as the news director and disk jockey for his college radio station and played on the college football team.

After graduating from college, Arness returned to the Bay Area, where he eventually became a loan officer for a financial institution and an assistant athletic coach at local high schools.

But his love for filmmaking never diminished. So when an opportunity presented itself in 1997, Arness jumped on it. It was the movie Lloyd.

When the film crew came to Sunnyvale to shoot the movie, Arness' son was selected as one of the background performers.

"Because my son was only 7 years old, he needed adult supervision on the movie set so I went with him. One day the movie director approached me and asked me if I wanted to take the role of the school principal in the movie. The guy that was supposed to act as the school principal couldn't make it for some reason. I took up the offer right away. It was a wonderful experience," Arness says.

The experience had such a great impact on Arness that he decided to quit his job to pursue acting.

"Many people might criticize me for my decision, but I believe I made the right choice because I didn't want to continue my job simply because it was safe and provided me with a stable income. I wanted to pursue my passion because even if I didn't succeed, I would have done something that I truly love to do. There can be no regret in listening to my heart and going after my dream," he says.

In time he signed up with agent Jennifer Jorgle of the Generations Model and Talent Agency in San Francisco.

And time has proven that Arness had chosen the right path for himself.

In the last seven years, Arness has appeared in numerous films, television shows and commercials. His latest role was as a police officer in The Matrix Reloaded, a job that included working for 52 days with a stunt team in a big chase scene. He played a teacher in The Princess Diaries.

But success hasn't come easy for Arness.

"It's peaks and valleys. Some days I am extremely busy, getting calls and going to auditions. But other days, I don't have work at all. Sometimes I don't get a call for weeks. I try to stay positive during the down times. But it can be very frustrating and scary at times," he says. And sometimes "the business" is disappointing.

Arness says he's always wanted to work with Clint Eastwood and he'd actually nailed a part in Eastwood's movie True Crime, but the night before shooting his scene, he got a call saying the scene had been scaled down and he was no longer in it.

Another time Arness landed a starring role in a television movie, but because of a series of character changes, he was bumped.

Still Arness loves acting with a passion. He says the most important thing is showing up. "You never know what will happen." His role in The Matrix was initially as one of 20 precision drivers. When that sequence was finished, the casting director asked him if he wanted to play a police officer, a principal role.

Besides acting, Arness has written many screenplays and made several short films. In November 2002, he was a finalist at the LDSBOX Film Festival in Utah for his short music video called "Amazing" and for one of his full-length screenplays titled Below Par. Arness writes mostly family films and true story dramas.

Although all of these engagements have kept Arness busy, he still has time for his other passion—sports. In high school he set the school record for discus throwing; he played football and was undefeated in boxing for the Police Athletic League. He was a county champion wrestler and shot-putter while at Hyde Middle School. And these days Arness is assistant track and field coach at Homestead High School. He also participates in theatrical plays and spends quality time with his family.

No one is more proud of Arness' accomplishments than his wife, Doreen.

"She's my number one fan," Arness says. "She's always there to listen to me and give me advice. She understands my dreams. I am very grateful for Doreen's support; I couldn't have done it without her support."

"Andy is wonderful. He's very talented and hardworking. I am very proud of him," says Doreen, a stay-at-home mom who manages an apartment complex in Sunnyvale.

The couple has been married for three years and has one daughter together. Arness also has two other children from two previous marriages.

Looking into the future, Arness says, he can't imagine doing anything other than making movies.

"It's been a priceless experience. I am grateful for all the projects I have done. And it's such a rewarding feeling to see my dream becoming a reality. I can't think of a better place I want to be."