Matthew Perry Dies

Matthew Perry was a well-known Canadian-American actor, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on the popular television series “Friends.” Matthew Langford Perry was born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, USA.

His parents, John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Morrison were both involved in the entertainment industry. His father was an actor and model, while his mother was a press agent and former Canadian journalist. Perry’s interest in acting began at a young age. He moved to Canada with his mother after his parents’ divorce, and there he got involved in acting. He attended Ashbury College and then studied acting in Ottawa.

He made his acting debut, at 10 years old, as Arthur in “240-Robert”. It is an American drama series that ran on ABC from August 28, 1979, to March 21, 1981. The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department’s search and rescue/paramedic teams. Next he appeared in episodes of “Not Necessarily the News” (1983), “Charles in Charge” (1985), and “Silver Spoons” (1986). In 1987 sitcom he appeared as, series regular, Chazz Russell in 21 episodes of “Second Chance” (which later became “Boys Will Be Boys”).

In 1988 he was in the TV movie, “Dance ’til Dawn” with Christina Applegate, Alyssa Milano, Tracey Gold, Alan Thicke, and Kelsey Grammer. Perry was in episodes of “Just the Ten of Us” (1988), “Highway to Heaven” (1988), “Empty Nest” (1989), “Growing Pains” (1989), and was a series regular in 13 episodes of “Sydney” (1990), playing the brother of Sydney Kells (Valerie Bertinelli), a private investigator from a family of police officers, who relocates her one-woman private detective agency from New York City to her small hometown.

Next, he was in another TV movie, “Call Me Anna” (1990) playing Desi Arnaz Jr. He was in episodes of “Who’s the Boss?” (1990), “Beverly Hills, 90210” (1991), “Dream On” (1992), “Sibs” (1992), and in the 1993 TV movie, “Deadly Relations”, starring Robert Urich, Shelley Fabares and Gwyneth Paltrow. Perry was a series regular in 13 episodes of “Home Free” (1993), and the 1994 TV movie, “Parallel Lives”.

From 1994 and 2004 he played Chandler Bing alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, in “Friends”. The show about six single New Yorkers navigating the complexities of adulthood quickly became a cultural phenomenon.

Perry, who was only 25 years old when the series began, became a household name. As Chandler Bing—the witty roommate to LeBlanc’s Joey Tribbiani, and eventual love interest of Cox’s Monica Geller—Perry was an essential piece of the Friends ensemble. His dry humor and distinctive delivery etched Chandler’s place into pop culture, with catchphrases and memorable moments that fans still cherish today. The sitcom ran 236 episodes.

Other televison included “Caroline in the City” (1995), “The John Larroquette Show” (1995), “Saturday Night Live” (Host – 1997), “The Simpsons” (Voice – 2001), “Ally McBeal” (2002), “The West Wing” (2003), “Scrubs” (2004),

he played the lead role in the TV movie “The Ron Clark Story” (2005), was a series regular in “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” (21 ep. 2006-07), “Childrens Hospital” (2011), played Ben Donovan in “Mr. Sunshine” (13 ep. – also creator/ executive producer/ writer – 2011), “The Good Wife” (4 ep. 2012–13 – 2012-13), was regular in “Go On” (22 ep. – executive producer – 2012-13), “Cougar Town” (2014), “Playhouse Presents” (2014), “Web Therapy” (2015),

he played Oscar Madison on “The Odd Couple” (38 ep.- also executive producer/ writer – 2015-17), “The Good Fight” (2017), played Ted Kennedy in “The Kennedys: After Camelot” (ep. 4 – executive producer – 2017, and “Friends: The Reunion” (HBO -also executive producer – 2021).

Perry also appeared in several movies over the years including his debut in 1988 in “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon” starring River Phoenix, “She’s Out of Control” starribg Tony Danza (1989), “Fat Man and Little Boy” starring Paul Newman (1989),