That sounds a lot like Longley, who's had plenty of experience dealing with life's curve balls. He knew he wanted to be an actor "since I first went to the movies," and with his leading-man good looks and kind of drive, the path seemed clear. Th en, in 1983, he fell asleep at the wheel of his car and crashed into a wall. "My accident was surprising to many people because I was considered to be a very responsible teenager," he recalls. Although the collision left him unable to walk, Longley says it didn't sap his spirit: "I thought, 'Well, you're a paraplegic. You're a lucky mother f---er. You got your hands, arms, chest, shoulders, back, stomach. You don't have any limitations to your eyesight or hearing. Your brain functions [laughs], basically. You're left with so much that you can do.' Plus, you're talking about a guy who was turning 18. What 18-year-old wants to just sit around?"

Ironically, the accident indirectly led to Longley's first high-profile assignment, as a model for Ralph Lauren. "I modeled one day. One day in my life," he says. "But it got the biggest media ad campaign ever. There was rumor circulating that Ralph Lauren's model was in a wheelchair, but nobody really believed it. I didn't have a book. I didn't have an agent. I didn't go around for months and months trying to get jobs as the model in the wheelchair. It was Ralph's decision to use that image -- and I'm glad he did."

The popular ad campaign -- you couldn't pick up a magazine without seeing his long, flowing mane -- led to an acting gig on Another World, where he played Byron Pierce, a tennis-playing lawyer smitten with Marley. After Byron was written off the show, Longley wrote and starred in a one-man show called Courting Darkness, a play dealing with his life after the accident. "I got in touch with a lot of emotional realities writing it," observes Longley. "And since then, I've become a lot more honest in the areas of life that aren't so happy and cheery. The lows aren't as bad as I thought they would be, and I can see things much more clearly now."

In addition to writing plays, Longley cranks out magazine articles, including a provocative and very personal essay on living with paralysis that ran in Men's Fitness. Actually, being in shape is an important part of the actor's daily life -- as his lean muscular frame attests. "I played tennis before I got hurt," Longley reveals. "I still do, but I'd like to play more. I swim three or four times a week, and I do yoga. I also ride a stationary bike with electric stimulation and I walk on my braces."

Braces are something the actor hopes to eventually incorporate into Matt's life, too. "I'm talking to the writers about it, because I walk with braces," Longley says. "If and when they create an apartment for Matt, I'd like to use them when he's at home, hanging out. It would be nice to show how vulnerable Matt can be. I think the writers are eventually going to; it's just a matter of when. They've got a lot of storylines going on, and I'm in no big hurry."

The likeable Longley appears to be in no hurry to do much of anything, except maybe to enjoy his ever-more-rare quiet moments. He's intensely (of course) private -- "Most people would find my day-to-day life boring," he insists -- and like Matt, he has yet to meet his love match. So for now, he can just be adored by his fans while waiting for that truly special someone. "I didn't have a girlfriend for many years because I was focusing on my own life. Then, I did get back together with a former girlfriend, and we were together for several months, but that has ended. I definitely see myself in a committed relationship and wanting to raise a family. Someday."

JUST THE FACTS:

BIRTHDAY: June 23
HOMETOWN: Norwalk, CT

TEARS ON MY PILLOW: "As a young boy, I always liked crying, but not to get attention. I liked being moved emotionally."

GO WEST, YOUNG MAN: "When I was 15, I wanted to be Dudley Moore in 10 because I was in love with Bo Derek. I thought, 'By the time I'm 25, she'll be divorced, I'll be in L.A. and I'll meet her."

SCENT OF A WOMAN: "To make love, I need to be in love. And for me, falling in love takes a long time."

HIGH PRAISE: "My mom, who worked as an O.R. nurse for years, said not only was Matt's first day in surgery realistic, but she was pleased they didn't portray the doctors as flip, sarcastic people who make fun of the people they're operating on."

ON HIS SOAP OPERA AWARD NOMINATION: "I'm very honored to have my work recognized. It's certainly a feather in my cap."

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