Chela Matthison was born into a family of British origins on July 31, 1942 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Her great aunt was noted British stage actress Edith Wynne Matthison, who basically introduced Greek drama to North America and inspired Chela to become an actress herself. Following high school Matthison went on to study theatre and graduated in the first class from the National Theatre School of Canada in 1963. After college Chela acted in several Canadian television programs as well as appeared in the documentary short The Overfamiliar Subordinate (1965).

Matthison eventually moved to London, England in search of more acting opportunities. While in London Chela managed in the wake of undergoing three months of auditions to get cast in a small uncredited role as the space station receptionist in 2001: Uzay Yolu Macerası (1968). (Her role was shot in early 1966 in about a week's time.) Moreover, Matthison not only acted in two BBC live theatre productions, but also had another minor part as a nurse in Karanlıkta savaş (1967). Chela moved to California in 1967 in search of other career opportunities. During this time Matthison met and married her husband Robert, who was a fighter pilot in the US Navy. The couple subsequently moved to British Columbia, Canada. Chela appeared in the TV movie Who'll Save Our Children? (1978) and did a slew of television commercials in Canada before calling it a day as an actress and going on to work for years in the real estate business.