“High Potential” actor Matthew Lamb, 14, is mourning his mother, Meredith Lamb, who died Saturday, Oct. 17. Colleagues led by his on-screen mother, Kaitlin Olson, have rallied around him. Lamb announced the death on Instagram. He wrote that she was “everything to me.” He described a woman who taught him at home, modeled empathy and ran the family’s daily life. The loss, he said, still feels unreal, and he does not expect that to change. He said he will miss the small rituals most: recounting his day to her and watching their favorite shows together.
Olson answered within hours. She called Meredith Lamb “such a gift” and told the young actor she was deeply sorry. Olson plays Morgan Gillory, the genius-level single mother at the center of the ABC crime drama, and Lamb plays her son Elliot Radovic.
Meredith Lamb also held a role outside her son’s career. She served as parent liaison for the Broadway Artists Alliance, a training program for young performers. The organization said her title understated what she meant to its families. It credited her with reshaping its community over six years and described her belief in the arts and in the dreams of young performers. She leaves behind her husband, two daughters and Matthew.
The tributes show how close the cast has grown. Lamb, a native of Iowa City, joined the series at its 2024 debut with stage credits that included a Helen Hayes Award nomination for “Ragtime.” Ahead of the second season, he called Olson “a powerhouse” and noted she introduces herself to day players and background actors. He also described his on-screen sister, played by Amirah J, as the best big sister a set could offer.
Drew Goddard created the series, which adapts the French program “Haut Potentiel Intellectuel” and follows a gifted mother who helps a veteran detective solve crimes. Lamb has spoken in interviews about his family’s involvement in his work, and his mother’s name surfaced in those conversations from the show’s earliest days. Neither Lamb’s family nor ABC has announced funeral arrangements or addressed how the show will support its young star.
