Matthew Perry is a Canadian-American actor, comedian, and playwright from Williamstown, Massachusetts. He is famous for playing Chandler Bing on the TV show ‘Friends’. He has also acted in movies like ‘Fools Rush In’, ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, and ’17 Again’. As of April 2023, his net worth is around $120 million.
Who is Matthew Perry?
Matthew Perry is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, and producer. He became famous for his role as Chandler Bing on the TV show ‘Friends’ which aired from 1994 to 2004. He has also acted in movies such as ‘Fools Rush In’, ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, ’17 Again’, and ‘The Ron Clark Story’. In 2010, he worked in a video game called ‘Fallout: New Vegas’. He co-created, wrote, produced, and acted in a sitcom called ‘Mr. Sunshine’ that aired in 2011. He also acted in a show called ‘Go On’ from 2012 to 2013. Perry was part of another sitcom, ‘The Odd Couple’, where he played a character named Oscar Madison, from 2015 to 2017.
Matthew Perry Net Worth
Matthew Perry is an American actor and comedian who is worth $120 million. He is famous for playing Chandler Bing on the TV show ‘Friends’ for all 10 seasons. He has acted in other TV shows like ‘Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip’ and ‘Go On’, and in movies like ‘Fools Rush In’ and ‘The Whole Nine Yards’.
| Name | Matthew Perry |
|---|---|
| Net Worth | $120 Million |
| Date of Birth | Aug 19, 1969 |
| Age | 53 years old |
| Place of Birth | Williamstown |
| Gender | Male |
| Height | 6 ft (1.83 m) |
| Profession | Actor, Screenwriter, Television Producer, Comedian |
| Nationality | United States of America |
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Matthew Perry- Earnings from “Friends”
Matthew Perry was in all 236 episodes of the TV show Friends. In the first season, he earned $22,500 for each episode, just like the other main actors. In later seasons, his salary increased with each season. He earned $40,000 per episode in the second season, $75,000 per episode in the third season, and $85,000 per episode in the fourth season. His salary continued to increase, and he earned $1 million per episode for the last two seasons. In total, he made $90 million in base salary for all 10 seasons of Friends.
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Matthew Perry Biography Overview
| Category | Information |
|---|---|
| Full Name | Matthew Langford Perry |
| Nick Name | Matthew, Perry |
| Date of Birth | August 19, 1969 |
| Birth Place | Williamstown, Massachusetts |
| Age | 53 |
| Height | 6 feet (183 cm) |
| Marital Status | Married |
| Nationality | Canadian and American |
| Girlfriend/ Wife | Lauren Miller |
| Mother | Suzanne Marie Morrison |
| Father | John Bennett Perry |
| Origin Residence | Williamstown, Massachusetts |
| Occupations | Actor, comedian, and producer |
Early Life
Matthew Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts, on August 19, 1969. His parents divorced before his first birthday, and his mother married Canadian-born broadcast journalist Keith Morrison. Perry was raised by his mother in Ottawa, Ontario, although he lived briefly in Toronto and Montreal. He attended both Rockcliffe Park Public School and Ashbury College.
Family background
Perry’s mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, is a Canadian journalist who served as press secretary to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His father, John Bennett Perry, is an American actor and former model.
Interest in tennis
While growing up, Perry developed a keen interest in tennis and became a top-ranked junior player.
Matthew Perry’s Breakthrough in Acting
Matthew Perry’s big break in acting happened when he was 18 years old. He was cast in the film “A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon” alongside River Phoenix. Later, he pursued improv comedy and became a featured performer at the LA Connection in Sherman Oaks. In the late 1980s, he made a few brief guest appearances on television. He had planned to enroll in the University of Southern California but was offered the role of Chazz Russell in “Second Chance,” which helped him become noticed in the acting scene.
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Some of his Notable work apart from “Friends”
| Year | Title | His Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1988 | A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon | Fred Roberts |
| 1989 | She’s Out of Control | Timothy |
| 1994 | Getting In | Randal Burns |
| 1997 | Fools Rush In | Alex Whitman |
| 1998 | Almost Heroes | Leslie Edwards |
| 1999 | Three to Tango | Oscar Novak |
| 2000 | The Whole Nine Yards | Nicholas “Oz” Oseransky |
| 2002 | Serving Sara | Joe Tyler |
| 2004 | The Whole Ten Yards | Nicholas “Oz” Oseransky |
| 2006 | The Ron Clark Story | Ron Clark |
| 2007 | Numb | Hudson Milbank |
| 2008 | Birds of America | Morrie |
| 2009 | 17 Again | Older Mike O’Donnell |
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Matthew Perry’s Career on “Friends”
Matthew Perry was not initially considered for the role of Chandler Bing on the hit television series “Friends” due to his prior involvement in another TV drama. However, he was eventually able to audition and landed the role, which he played for ten seasons. During this time, he also acted in several films, including “Three To Tango”, “Almost Heroes”, “Fools Rush In”, and “The Whole Nine Yards”. In 2002, he received an Emmy nomination for his work on “Friends”.
After the end of “Friends”, Perry continued to act in both television and film. He starred in the TNT movie “The Ron Clark Story” in 2006, which earned him another Emmy nomination as well as a Golden Globe. He also starred in the short-lived television series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and “Mr. Sunshine”, and had a recurring role on the popular drama “The Good Wife”.
Salary history of Friends cast members
During the first season of Friends, each cast member was paid $22,500 per episode, which totaled to $540,000 for the entire season. Their salary was increased to $40,000 per episode for the second season, which equaled to $960,000 for that season. Prior to the third season, the cast members negotiated their contracts together, and were able to secure a deal that paid them $75,000 per episode for season three ($1.875 million in total), $85,000 per episode for season four ($2.04 million), $100,000 per episode for season five ($2.5 million), and $125,000 per episode for season six ($3.125 million).
Before season seven, the cast members negotiated for a massive raise, and ended up earning $750,000 per episode for seasons seven and eight, totaling to $18 million per season. For seasons nine and ten, each cast member earned $1 million per episode, amounting to $24 million for season nine and $18 million for season ten. In total, each cast member of Friends earned around $90 million in base salary from the show, not including backend bonuses and ongoing royalties.
Friends Cast Earn Millions in Syndication Royalties
As part of their 2000 contract negotiations, the Friends cast demanded a share in the show’s earnings from syndication, which means when the show is aired on other TV channels. This was a big deal as only a few TV stars, like Jerry Seinfeld and Bill Cosby, had ever done this before.
Ongoing Earnings
Today, Friends continues to make more than $1 billion each year from syndication royalties and deals with streaming services. This means that each cast member can earn $10-20 million in some years just from these royalties alone.
Matthew’s Real Estate Ventures
Matthew Perry is known for his real estate investments and transactions. Here are some of the notable ones:
Malibu Homes:
- In 2015, Matthew sold a home in Malibu for $10.65 million.
- In 2011, he bought a new beachfront home in Malibu for $11 million.
- In August 2020, he listed the Malibu home for sale for $15 million.
- In January 2021, he sold the Malibu home for $13.1 million.
Century City Penthouse:
- In 2017, Matthew spent $20 million to buy a large penthouse apartment in Century City, California.
- In August 2019, he listed the penthouse for sale for $35 million.
- By July 2020, he lowered the price to $27 million.
- In June 2021, he accepted $21.6 million for the penthouse.
Other Los Angeles Home:
- In 2018, he sold a different Los Angeles area home for $12.5 million.
Pacific Palisades Home:
- In 2020, Matthew purchased a home in LA’s Pacific Palisades neighborhood for $6 million.
Personal Life and Career of Matthew Perry
Citizenship and Relationships
Matthew Perry holds both Canadian and American citizenship. In 1995, he dated Yasmine Bleeth and Julia Roberts from 1995 to 1996. He later dated Lizzy Caplan from 2006 to 2012.
Interest in Video Games
Matthew Perry is a fan of the Fallout video game series. In 2009, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, he gave DeGeneres a copy of Fallout 3. This led to game studio Obsidian Entertainment casting him in the next installment of the series, Fallout: New Vegas.
Health and Surgery
In August 2018, Matthew Perry had abdominal surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation. He revealed in a tweet on September 15, 2018, that he had spent three months recovering in the hospital, suggesting the surgery took place in June 2018.
Engagement and Politics
Matthew Perry became engaged to Molly Hurwitz, a literary manager, in November 2020. However, in June 2021, he announced that he had called off the engagement. He has described his politics as “left of center.”
Matthew Perry struggled with addiction
Matthew Perry, an actor known for his role in Friends, became addicted to Vicodin after a jet-ski accident in 1997. He completed a 28-day rehab program later that year, but his addiction continued to affect him.
Weight loss and rehab
Over the next few years, Perry’s weight fluctuated drastically, and he once dropped to 145 pounds. He lost 20 pounds in 2000 due to pancreatitis. In February 2001, Perry entered rehab again for addiction to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol. He was filming a movie in Texas when he suffered severe stomach pains and flew to Los Angeles to check into a hospital. Perry’s publicist confirmed his rehab stay. He says he has spent around $9 million to get sober.
Memory loss and advocacy work
Perry’s addiction issues led to memory loss, and he has said that he does not remember three years of the time he was acting on Friends, “somewhere between season three and six.” In 2011, Perry became a celebrity spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals and went to Capitol Hill to lobby members of Congress for funding for drug courts.
Champion of Recovery award and sober living home
Perry received a Champion of Recovery award in May 2013 from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy for opening Perry House, a sober living home situated in his former mansion in Malibu, California. However, Perry later sold the home and shuttered the rehab center in 2015.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q1. How old is Matthew Perry?
Matthew Perry’s date of birth is August 19, 1969. So, as of April 24, 2023, he would be 53 years old.
Q2. How much is Matthew Perry worth?
As of 2023, Matthew Perry’s net worth was estimated to be around $120 million.
Q3. Who is Matthew Perry?
Matthew Perry is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, and producer. He became famous for his role as Chandler Bing on the TV show ‘Friends’ which aired from 1994 to 2004.
Q4. How tall is Matthew Perry?
Matthew Perry’s height is approximately 6 feet (183 cm).