Matthew Langford Perry was born on August 19, 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts; yet raised in Ottawa, Ontario. He potrays Matt Albie, Executive Producer and the Head Writer on Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Biography[]
© 2006 Mike Guastella/WireImage.com
Early Life[]
His parents had separated when he was a baby and he lived with his mother, Suzanne Morrison, who was a press agent for Pierre Trudeau. Prior to beginning his acting career, he was ranked thirteenth in Canada for tennis. When he was fifteen years old, he decided to live with his father in Los Angeles, California. His father was an actor and in turn, Matthew became interested in acting professionally. He was active in his high school theater while continuing to play the sport of tennis. Matthew landed minor roles in such 80’s television shows like Silver Spoons, Highway to Heaven and Charles in Charge. Upon graduating from high school his father wanted him to enroll at the University of Southern California; however Matthew wanted to persue and acting career.
Acting Career[]
The television show Second Chance failed, yet he was able to maintain work by acting in a number of teen films with stars like Alyssa Milano. In 1992, he starred in another doomed sitcom, Home Free, which again lasted only one season. In 1994, Matthew and his longtime friend and writing partner Andrew Hill Newman pitched the pilot for a sitcom called Maxwell’s House, about a group of twenty something friends, to the NBC television network. NBC already had a similar project in the works titled Friends. He auditioned for the show and won the role of Chandler Bing, the terminally wisecracking member of the titular gang of six young New Yorkers.
Personal Life[]
Matthew Perry has also made headlines for his personal problems, including a 1997 stint in a rehab clinic after he became addicted to painkillers. In the spring of 2000, in the middle of filming the motion picture Servicing Sara, with Elizabeth Hurley, he was returned to a rehabilitation clinic again, this time for alcohol. Since then, he has embraced a positive lifestyle and had continued acting in full force.
Death[]
On October 28, 2023, Perry was found unresponsive in his hot tub by his assistant at his home in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, and later pronounced dead by officers from the Los Angeles Police Department. He was 54 years old. Suspected cause of death was cardiac arrest due to drowning.
Awards and Nominations[]
Emmy Awards[]
- 2004 Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for: "The West Wing" (1999) For playing "Joe Quincy"
- 2003 Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for: "The West Wing" (1999) For playing "Joe Quincy"
- 2002 Nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994) For playing "Chandler Bing"
Screen Actors Guild Awards[]
- Please note: The Screen Actors Guild Award is called the Actor.
- 2004 Nominated for an Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994)
- 2003 Nominated for an Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994)
- 2002 Nominated for an Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994)
- 2001 Nominated for an Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994)
- 2000 Nominated for an Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994)
- 1999 Nominated for an Actor for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series for: "Friends" (1994)
Trivia[]
- Matthew is missing part of his middle finger on his right hand.
- Has dual citizenship in Canada and the USA.
- His favorite NHL team is the Ottawa Senators. He often attends the playoff games in Ottawa, Canada.
Select Filmography[]
- Numb (2007)
- The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
- Serving Sara (2002)
- The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
- Three to Tango (1999)
- Almost Heroes (1998)
- Fools Rush In (1997)
- Getting In (1994)
Select Television Appearances[]
Televison Series Roles[]
- "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip"
- "Friends"
- "Home Free"
- "Second Chance"
Guest Starring Roles[]
- "Scrubs"
- "The West Wing"
- "Ally McBeal"
- "Caroline in the City"
- "The John Larroquette Show"
- "Dream On"
- "Sibs"
- "Beverly Hills, 90210"
- "Who's the Boss?"
- "Sydney"
- "Growing Pains"
- "Empty Nest"
- "Highway to Heaven"
- "Just the Ten of Us"
- "Mr. Belvedere"
- "Silver Spoons"
- "Charles in Charge"
- "240-Robert" which never made the air