Profile of the Day: Matthew Perry

We are saddened to hear about the death of actor Matthew Perry on October 28, 2023 at the age of 54.

Image: Matthew Perry / National Archives and Records Administration

Perry was born Matthew Langford Perry on August 19, 1969 in Williamstown, Massachusetts. His mother, Suzanne Marie Langford, was a Canadian journalist and former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His father, John Bennett Perry, was an actor. His parents separated when he was one and he spent his childhood growing up in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, where he became a top-ranking junior tennis player. At the age of 15, Perry moved to Los Angeles with his father and discovered his joy of acting and comedy.

After landing small roles on television, Perry received his big break when he was cast as Chandler Bing on the sitcom, Friends. The show became a massive hit and catapulted Perry and his fellow costars, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, to international fame. The beloved series ran for ten seasons and earned Perry an Emmy nomination in 2002 for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.

In 2022, Perry released his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, where he recounted his long struggle with addiction and the health issues that resulted from his years of substance abuse. Through his recovery, Perry became an advocate for rehabilitation and turned his former Malibu home into a sober living facility called the Perry House, which ran until 2015. When asked in an interview how he wanted to be remembered, Perry said, “I would like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker, and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want.”

RIP Matthew Perry.

View Matthew Perry’s Geni Profile