Matthew Perry bio, Friends, career path, family, wife, parents, cause of death

Matthew Perry Biography

To millions of viewers worldwide, Matthew Perry was the sarcastic wise-cracker Chandler Bing from "Friends". The role launched the actor to superstardom and made him a household name. But even devoted fans had no idea that behind Chandler's wisecracks and endless one-liners, Perry was battling devastating demons - addiction to alcohol and drugs.

He nearly died multiple times: Perry was hospitalized with acute pancreatitis and severe weight loss, fell into a coma after his colon ruptured, and flatlined on the operating table. In 2022, Perry laid bare his entire addiction battle in his memoir "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing", which shot straight to the bestseller list. The sitcom star was proud of finally getting sober and hoped fans would remember him for more than just Chandler.

But he didn't make it. On October 28, 2023, Matthew Perry died in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home - he drowned after suffering a heart attack.

Early Years

Matthew Perry was born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His mother, Suzanne Marie Langford, was a professional journalist who also dreamed of modeling and regularly went to auditions. His father, John Bennett Perry, was a struggling actor who did commercials while hoping for his big break.

As new parents, they struggled with caring for their baby. At two months, Matthew started having severe colic and sleep issues. A doctor recommended phenobarbital, claiming the drug's sedative effects would calm him down.

"Apparently, the sequence of events was as follows: I cried, they gave me medication, the drug kicked in, and I quickly lost consciousness. Apparently, my father found this whole routine hilarious," the actor recalled in his autobiography.

When Perry was nine months old, his parents divorced. His mother moved back to her hometown of Ottawa, while his father remained in the US. Suzanne soon married NBC announcer Keith Morrison and found a prestigious job. She landed a high-profile job as press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.

Matthew's father also remarried, to actress Debbie Boyle. Matthew moved to Canada with his mother but often visited his father. He later revealed that the divorce had deeply affected him. He spent years hoping his family would get back together.

Matthew spent most of his childhood in Ottawa. He completed middle school there, then enrolled in Ashbury College. He also dedicated time to sports - he played tennis and even won awards in junior tournaments. He ranked 17th nationally in singles and 3rd in doubles among Canadian tennis players.

I progressed in tennis to the point that we were seriously considering my admission to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.

Matthew Perry

But when he tried to compete at higher levels, he couldn't make the cut and had to abandon his athletic dreams. This devastated him because tennis was the only thing that made him happy. At home, Matthew felt isolated as his mother and stepfather focused on their own kids, leaving him largely on his own. At 14, he started drinking and fell in with the wrong crowd.

In 1984, Perry decided to move to Los Angeles to live with his father. There he discovered his passion for acting, volunteering for school plays and taking acting classes. He was following in the footsteps of his father, who had always been his hero. His father encouraged this pursuit. After his first role as George Gibbs in Thornton Wilder's "Our Town," Matthew received the textbook "The Craft of Acting" as a gift from his father.

His love for performing grew alongside his drinking habit. Years later, as a successful actor, Matthew revealed he'd started drinking heavily during his time with his father.

After finishing school in 1987, Matthew focused on his acting career. His father pushed him to go to college. John made his son a deal: if Matthew could support himself for a full year while pursuing acting, he'd accept his decision to skip college. And that's exactly what happened.

Early Roles

Early on, Perry could only land episodic characters in various TV shows. He appeared in series like "Silver Spoons", "Charles in Charge", and "Growing Pains".

In 1987, Matthew was cast in the series "Second Chance". He landed the role of Chazz Russell, which soon became central to the show. While filming, he developed a crush on Valerie Bertinelli from afar.

Matthew Perry in the series 'Second Chance'

"I was obsessed with her and had these elaborate fantasies about her leaving Eddie Van Halen and spending the rest of her days with me," he admitted.

Matthew Perry in 'Second Chance' - Pilot

A year later, the actor made his feature film debut in the coming-of-age drama "A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon" starring River Phoenix. But his big break didn't come: after the film, Perry was again offered only minor TV roles. Still, audiences began recognizing the actor on screen and appreciating his comedic talent.

Matthew Perry in the movie 'A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon'

Friends

Matthew Perry finally found his breakthrough playing Chandler Bing in the series "Friends", which premiered in September 1994. The actor recalled being surprised by how similar he was to Chandler after reading the script. Both were insecure young men who hid behind sarcasm and irony.

When Perry walked into the audition room, series creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane finally breathed a sigh of relief – they'd been casting for weeks and were starting to lose hope of finding their perfect Chandler. Craig Bierko and Jon Cryer were among the actors in the running, but Perry completely blew them away.

But there was one major problem – scheduling conflicts nearly derailed everything. Matthew was already locked into a lead role in some futuristic airport series and couldn't get out of his contract. Luckily for everyone, that project crashed and burned, freeing Matthew up to join the "Friends" cast. Perry explained that he and his co-stars - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, who shared tons of scenes with Perry, became inseparable from day one.

Matthew Perry in the TV series 'Friends'

The intense filming schedule actually helped the star get his drinking under control. "I had this life-changing job I'd always dreamed of, so I was drinking way less than usual," he recalled in his memoirs.

Chandler's Unforgettable Moments! - Friends

The series gained popularity immediately. By 2002, Perry was pulling in $1 million per episode. He also became a hot commodity in movies, especially comedies. Matthew appeared in such films as "Fools Rush In" with Salma Hayek (1997) and "Three to Tango" (1999) with Neve Campbell.

Matthew Perry in the movie 'Three to Tango'

While shooting "Fools Rush In," Perry had a bad jet ski accident. Doctors put him on painkillers, which quickly spiraled into another addiction. "When that pill hit, something just clicked inside me. That was the feeling I'd been chasing my whole life," he admitted.

Matthew Perry in the movie 'Fools Rush In'

Despite his struggles, Perry kept working. In 2000, he starred in the comedy "The Whole Nine Yards". His co-star was Bruce Willis. Two years later, Perry appeared in the film "Serving Sara" with Elizabeth Hurley.

Matthew Perry in the movie 'Serving Sara'

He also appeared in several episodes of the series "The West Wing" and was nominated twice for an Emmy Award as "Best Guest Actor in a Drama Series".

Matthew Perry in the TV series 'The West Wing'

In 2004, "Friends" wrapped up after 10 incredibly successful seasons. Perry later admitted his co-stars could see his destructive addictions to both pills and alcohol. He said season nine was the only time he stayed completely sober throughout filming.

Further Career

The 2004 sequel "The Whole Ten Yards" bombed at the box office. Perry's movie career stalled once more. He turned down TV comedy offers. In 2004, he made his directorial debut with an episode of "Scrubs."

Perry told his agents he wanted to branch out into drama. One such role was offered to him in "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip," which aired in 2006. Despite strong reviews, the show was canceled after one season. Perry's next role as a dedicated teacher in "The Ron Clark Story" earned him Golden Globe and Emmy nominations.

In 2007, Perry tackled the drama "Numb." Two years later, he co-starred with Zac Efron in the comedy "17 Again." He also reunited with his "Friends" co-star Courteney Cox on the set of "Cougar Town" and played Mike Kresteva in several episodes of "The Good Wife".

Matthew developed several passion projects, including the sitcom "Mr. Sunshine," which premiered in 2011. Perry starred in, co-wrote, and produced the series. The series about a middle-aged man searching for happiness was canceled after one season. "Despite putting my all into it, the show was a huge success for about two weeks before everyone in the world decided they didn't want to watch it," Perry later reflected.

His next TV venture, the 2012 dramedy "Go On," also lasted just one season. These setbacks sent Perry spiraling back into depression and worsened his struggles with alcohol and prescription drugs.

When producers reunited the "Friends" cast for a 2016 special, Perry was notably absent. He explained that he had no interest in returning to comedy and wouldn't consider a sitcom revival.

Mr. Sunshine - Official Trailer

Still, Perry took on guest spots in "The Odd Couple" (2015) and "The Kennedys: After Camelot" (2017). He also reprised his role as Mike Kresteva in "The Good Fight," which aired from 2017 to 2022.

Matthew Perry in 'The Kennedys: After Camelot'

In the spring of 2021, the special episode "Friends: The Reunion" was released, gathering all the central performers of the series. Fans were concerned by Perry's appearance - he seemed unwell, slurred his words, and appeared distant. Perry attributed his condition to dental surgery he'd had the previous day.

Health Issues

Matthew Perry's struggles with drugs and alcohol repeatedly landed him in rehab. He first entered rehab in 1997. The treatment took a serious toll on his appearance – he lost weight and dropped to just 145 pounds.

Depression and his ongoing battles with pills and alcohol sent him back to rehab in 2001. Additionally, he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Perry admitted he was so messed up during that period that he can't remember almost three years of filming "Friends."

In 2013, Perry opened his own rehab center called Perry House at his Malibu mansion. The center operated for two years before closing. Soon after, Perry was back in rehab himself.

Perry's addiction nearly killed him multiple times. In 2018, opiates caused severe gastrointestinal issues, leading to a ruptured bowel. "It felt like my body was exploding, my insides were being torn out. I was screaming at the top of my lungs, screaming like an animal," Perry recalled.

Doctors gave him just a 2% chance of survival. He spent two weeks in a coma, endured 14 surgeries, and lived with a colostomy bag for nine months before recovering.

Matthew Perry shares his incredible story of survival and why fame wasn't the answer to his problems

In 2020, Perry suffered cardiac arrest. During routine surgery in Switzerland, the anesthesia had a dangerous reaction with pills he'd been taking. Luckily, one of the medical staff was a "Friends" fan who performed CPR on Perry for five full minutes until he came to. The CPR left Perry with eight broken ribs. His recovery forced him to drop out of "Don't Look Up," the 2022 hit that scored four Oscar nominations.

In 2022, Perry opened up about his addiction battle in his memoir "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," revealing he'd been sober for a year and a half when the book came out. He revealed that his journey to sobriety cost him around $9 million.

Matthew Perry's Personal Life

The actor was always popular with women. Perry dated Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz. In 1995, he started dating actress Yasmine Bleeth, but quickly left her for Julia Roberts.

They met just before the "Pretty Woman" star's guest appearance on "Friends". Roberts requested that her character have a connection to Perry's character, so she was introduced as Chandler's former classmate.

Matthew sent Roberts three dozen red roses with a touching note: "The only thing more exciting than the prospect of you joining the show is that I finally have a reason to send you flowers."

A workplace romance quickly developed between the co-stars, and they soon became an official couple. But after a few months, Perry ended things, fearing she would dump him first. "Dating Julia Roberts was too much for me. I was 100% sure she would dump me," he later confessed.

Perry's next high-profile relationship was with actress Lizzy Caplan. It lasted for six years - from 2006 to 2012. The couple managed to keep their relationship private. They broke up because they weren't ready for something more serious - marriage and kids.

In 2018, Matthew met literary agent Molly Hurwitz, who was 22 years younger. Despite the age difference, their feelings were serious. Two years later, the couple announced their engagement. However, in June 2021, Perry and Hurwitz broke up. "Sometimes things just don't work out, and this is one of them. I wish Molly the best," Matthew said.

In 2020, the "Friends" star joined social media for the first time, creating an Instagram account. In the first 24 hours, over a million people followed him.

Matthew Perry's Death

On October 28, 2023, Matthew Perry was found dead at his Beverly Hills mansion. The actor died in his favorite jacuzzi. He often shared photos from this spot on social media, and his final Instagram post was taken right there.

Matthew's assistant raised the alarm when he couldn't reach him and called for help.

The preliminary cause of death was listed as cardiac arrest followed by drowning. Just hours before his death, Perry had been playing pickleball, a sport that combines tennis, table tennis, and badminton.

The police found prescription medication in Perry's house, including antidepressants and sedatives. However, toxicology tests found no traces of drugs in the actor's system.

The movie star's funeral took place on November 3. All of his "Friends" co-stars attended Perry's farewell ceremony. The loss of her close friend left Jennifer Aniston devastated. Lisa Kudrow volunteered to take Matthew's poodle, Alfred.

After his death, an American foundation that helps people fight addictions was named after Matthew Perry.

Interesting Facts

Matthew Perry always had an interest in theater. Early in his Los Angeles career, he performed in productions of "The Sound of Music" and "The Miracle Worker". Hollywood legend Patty Duke was impressed by the young actor's improvisational skills.

The actor was missing the phalanx of the middle finger on his right hand. He caught his finger in a door during kindergarten. Perry considered having the finger surgically restored several times but never went through with the procedure.

Matthew was a huge fan of Bethesda Studio's Fallout video game series and did voice work for "Fallout: New Vegas".

Perry's memoir "Friends, Lovers and One Big Terrible Thing" became a bestseller on The New York Times and Amazon charts.

The last photo of Perry alive on social media was taken in the same jacuzzi where he was found dead a few days later.

Perry's co-star in "17 Again", Zac Efron, stated that he is ready to play the actor if a film about him is made.

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Photos: Matthew Perry