Matthew Perry Biography
Millions of viewers worldwide knew Matthew Perry as the sarcastic joker Chandler Bing from the TV show "Friends". This role made the aspiring actor a superstar and brought him incredible popularity. But even devoted fans didn't suspect that behind Chandler's sarcasm and constant jokes, Perry was hiding terrible demons - addiction to alcohol and illegal drugs.He could have died several times: the actor was admitted to the hospital with acute pancreatitis and emaciation, was in a coma after an intestinal rupture, and experienced clinical death. In 2022, Perry illuminated his entire struggle with addiction in his autobiography "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing", which immediately became a bestseller. The sitcom star was proud that he had finally achieved sobriety and hoped to be remembered by viewers in other roles, not just as Chandler.
But he didn't make it. On October 28, 2023, Matthew Perry passed away in his beloved hot tub at his mansion in Los Angeles - he drowned following 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 aspired to become a model and frequently attended various castings. His father, John Bennett Perry, was an actor who appeared in commercials and wasn't very successful, hoping for a star role.As young parents, they didn't really know how to care for an infant. At two months, Matthew started having severe colic and sleep issues. A doctor suggested Suzanne and John use phenobarbital, claiming its opioid effect would be soothing.
When Perry was nine months old, his parents divorced. His mother decided to return to her homeland, Ottawa, while his father stayed in the US. Suzanne soon married NBC announcer Keith Morrison and found a prestigious job. She became the press secretary of Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
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. In the national ranking of Canadian tennis players, he was the 17th solo player and the 3rd in doubles.
However, attempts to play at a more professional level resulted in failures, and he had to give up his dream of sports. To his great regret, as only on the court did he feel happy. At home, Matthew suffered from loneliness: his mother and stepfather were focused on raising their own children, leaving the eldest son to himself. At the age of 14, he first tried alcohol, getting in with a bad crowd.Matthew PerryI progressed in tennis to the point that we were seriously considering my admission to the Nick Bollettieri Tennis Academy in Florida.
In 1984, Perry decided to move to Los Angeles to live with his father. There he developed a serious interest in acting: the teenager volunteered to participate in school plays and attended acting classes. In this, he was trying to emulate his father, who had always been his role model. His father supported his son in this endeavor. 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.
After finishing school in 1987, Matthew focused on his acting career. His father insisted that he get a university education. John set a condition for his son: if he could manage without his finances for a whole year and still not give up on his dream of acting, he would forgive him for not having a degree. And that's exactly what happened.
Early Roles
In the beginning, Perry could only count on episodic characters in various TV shows. For instance, he made appearances in series like "Silver Spoons", "Charles in Charge", and "Growing Pains".In 1987, Matthew received an invitation to the series "Second Chance". He was entrusted with the role of Chazz Russell, which soon became central to the project. While filming, he fell in love with Valerie Bertinelli from afar.
Friends
Matthew Perry only found absolute success after playing Chandler Bing in the series "Friends", which premiered in September 1994. The actor recalled that, after reading the script, he was surprised by the similarities between him and Chandler. Both were not overly confident young men, hiding this insecurity behind sarcasm and irony.When Perry appeared for the auditions, the creators of the series, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, breathed a sigh of relief: the casting had been going on for several weeks, and they had despaired of finding the perfect candidate. Among the potential performers considered were Craig Bierko and Jon Cryer, but Perry outshone them all.
Further Career
The sequel to "The Whole Nine Yards," released in 2003, was a flop. Perry's opportunities in feature films dwindled again. He declined comedic roles in TV shows. In 2004, he made his directorial debut with an episode of "Scrubs."Health Issues
Matthew Perry's addiction to drugs and alcohol regularly led him to rehabilitation clinics. His first stint in rehab was in 1997. The treatment significantly affected his appearance – the actor lost weight and dropped down to 145 pounds.Depression and struggles with pills and alcohol once again landed him in a clinic in 2001. Additionally, he was diagnosed with acute pancreatitis. Perry admitted that he was so out of sorts during those years that he can't recall almost three years of his time on the set of "Friends".
In 2013, the actor opened a rehabilitation center named Perry House in his mansion in Malibu. The organization lasted for two years before it was closed. Soon after, Perry found himself in rehab again.
Doctors gave him a mere 2% chance of survival. He had to spend two weeks in a coma, underwent 14 surgeries, and lived with a colostomy bag for nine months before he recovered. In 2020, Perry had a cardiac arrest. During a routine operation in Switzerland, the administered drugs had a dangerous reaction with the pills the actor had been taking. Among the medical staff, there happened to be a "Friends" fan who resuscitated Perry for a full five minutes until he regained consciousness. This resulted in Perry suffering from eight broken ribs. Due to the need for recovery, he had to pull out of the filming of "Don't Look Up", the 2022 hit movie that was nominated for four Oscars.
In 2022, the actor shared his battle with addiction in his autobiography "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing", confessing that he had been sober for a year and a half by the time the book was released. He noted that his attempts to get sober cost him a total of about $9 million.
Matthew Perry's Personal Life
The actor has always been popular among women. Perry had dates with Gwyneth Paltrow and Cameron Diaz. In 1995, he started dating actress Yasmine Bleeth, but soon left her for Julia Roberts.Their acquaintance happened just before the "Pretty Woman" star's appearance in "Friends". The actress requested that her character have a connection to Perry's character, and she was introduced in the series 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."
Perry's next high-profile affair was with actress Lizzy Caplan. It lasted for six years - from 2006 to 2012. The actors managed to keep their personal life a secret. They broke up because they were not ready for something more serious - family and children.
Matthew Perry's Death
On October 28, 2023, the body of Matthew Perry was found in a mansion in Beverly Hills. The actor died in his favorite jacuzzi. He often shared photos from this location on social media, and the last photo on his Instagram was exactly from there.Matthew's assistant raised the alarm - unable to reach him, he called the rescuers.
The police found prescription medication in Perry's house, including antidepressants and sedatives. However, a toxicological examination did not reveal any traces of drugs in the actor's blood.
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. At the dawn of his career in Los Angeles, he performed in productions of "The Sound of Music" and "The Miracle Worker". Hollywood diva Patty Duke highly appreciated the young colleague's talent for improvisation.
- The actor was missing the phalanx of the middle finger on his right hand. He pinched his fingers with a door back in kindergarten. Subsequently, Perry considered restoring the finger several times but never decided to undergo the operation.
- Matthew was a big fan of the Fallout video game series from Bethesda Studio and participated in the voiceover for "Fallout: New Vegas".
- Perry's autobiographical book "Friends, Lovers and One Big Terrible Thing" became a bestseller in The New York Times and on Amazon rankings.
- 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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