Born August 19, 1969 in Massachusetts but raised in Ottawa, Canada, Matthew Perry is a Canadian actor and comedian. He grew up playing tennis, at one point becoming a nationally ranked Junior Tennis player. He was educated at Rockcliffe Public Park School, Lisgar Collegiate Institute, and Ashbury College. After moving to Los Angeles at 15, he became interested in acting. He attended The Buckley School during his teenage years, and was cast as George Gibbs in the school’s production of Our Town. He was featured in a number of school plays, and was praised for his performances.
At 18, Matthew Perry got his first professional acting break. He was given a role opposite River Phoenix in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. He then pursued improvisational comedy at the LA Connection in Sherman Oaks. He became noticed in the acting scene when he played the lead role in Second Chance. After 13 episodes, the series changed and became Boys Will Be Boys. Upon the show’s cancellation, Perry turned to being a guest star on other series like Growing Pains and Beverly Hills 90210. During the early 1990s, he became a regular cast member of the CBS farcical sitcom Sydney and had a starring role on ABC’s Home Free. He attempted to audition for the early version of Friends, which was then titled Six of One. He soon received his breakthrough role on the series, portraying Chandler Bing on the long-running sitcom Friends. He has also appeared in films like The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis, and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards. Perry was also seen doing drama in his portrayal of Joe Quincy in the series The West Wing. His guest appearance earned him two Emmy nominations.
After Friends, Matthew Perry made his directorial debut on an episode of the sitcom Scrubs. In 2006, he was given the role of Matt Albie in Aaron Sorkin’s drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Perry plays a former writer of the studio, who is asked to return to the show, with Bradley Whitford’s Danny Tripp. That year, he also filmed Numb, a comedy drama about a chronically depressed writer, which was released on DVD in 2008.
Key Filmography:
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006)
Scrubs (2004)
Friends (1994-2004)
The Whole Ten Yards (2004)
The West Wing (2003)
Serving Sara (2002)
Ally McBeal (2002)
The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
Three to Tango (1999)
Almost Heroes (1998)
Beverly Hills, 90210 (1991)
whose the Boss? (1990)
Growing Pains (1989)
Matthew Perry's Hot List Profile