Matthew Perry was an actor best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom “Friends.”
- Died: October 28, 2023 (Who else died on October 28?)
- Details of death: Died of the acute effects of ketamine at his home in Los Angeles at the age of 54.
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Matthew Perry’s legacy
Perry began his career as a child actor, but it was with “Friends” that he found his breakout role. His Chandler Bing was a sarcastic joker who was unlucky in love until he found his soulmate in his friend Monica, played by Courteney Cox. Perry was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance as Chandler, and he and his costars won a Screen Actors Guild Award for their work as an ensemble. “Friends” was widely considered one of the best sitcoms of its era, and Perry was beloved as a fan favorite.
After “Friends” ended its 10-season run in 2004, Perry starred in the short-lived series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip,” “Mr. Sunshine,” “Go On,” and the 2015 reboot of “The Odd Couple.” He received further Emmy nominations for his recurring role as lawyer Joe Quincy on “The West Wing” and for his starring role as a teacher in the 2006 TV movie “The Ron Clark Story.” Perry’s many other TV appearances included “Growing Pains,” “Beverly Hills, 90210,” “Ally McBeal,” and “The Good Wife,” as well as an episode of “Scrubs,” which he also directed.
Though Perry was best known for his TV work, he also worked in movies and onstage. He starred alongside Bruce Willis in “The Whole Nine Yards” and its sequel,” The Whole Ten Yards.” He also starred in such movies as “Fools Rush In,” “Almost Heroes,” “Three to Tango,” and “Serving Sara.” Perry wrote the play “The End of Longing,” in which he also starred in its West End premiere in 2016 and when it came to Off-Broadway in 2017.
Perry’s 2022 memoir, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing,” was a No. 1 international bestseller, and in it, Perry frankly discussed his longtime struggles with addiction. He was sober in recent years, and he was proud of the work he did to help others fight their addiction. He founded the Perry House in Malibu, California, a sober-living facility for men, and he was honored by the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy with a Champion of Recovery award.
Notable quote
“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.” —from a 2022 interview on the “Q with Tom Power” podcast
Tributes to Matthew Perry
Full obituary: The New York Times
