LONDON, ENGLAND – Matthew Perry poses at a photocall for “The End Of Longing”, a new play which he … [+]
Matthew Perry, who rose to fame as Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom Friends, has died of a reported drowning. The actor was found in a jacuzzi at a home in Los Angeles, and no drugs were found at the scene. Law enforcement sources told TMZ that first-responders rushed to the address with the call first reported as a cardiac arrest.
In a statement, the Los Angeles Police Department stated: “We responded to the 1800 block of Blue Sail Rd for a death investigation on a male 4:10 pm this afternoon. He was in his 50s.”
Born on August 19, 1969 in Plymouth, Massachusetts, Matthew Perry moved from Ottawa, Canada to Los Angeles to pursue acting. While still in high school. he performed improvisational comedy at the LA Connection in Sherman Oaks. His first credited role was in the drama 240-Robert in 1979. From there other bit parts came his way in shows including sitcoms Charles In Charge and Silver Spoons and sketch comedy The Tracey Ullman Show.
After graduating, he was cast in the Fox sitcom Second Chance in 1987. After nine episodes, it was revamped to Boys Will Be Boys and ran in new format for another 12 episodes in 1988.
UNITED STATES – CIRCA 1987: Matthew Perry in New York to promote his first network series, “Second … [+]
In 1988, Perry appeared opposite River Phoenix on the big screen in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon. And, in 1989, he had a three-episode arc on ABC comedy Growing Pains as Carol Seaver’s (Tracey Gold) boyfriend Sandy who dies in the hospital after a drunk-driving crash.
UNITED STATES – APRIL 19: GROWING PAINS – “Second Chance” – Season Four – 4/19/89, Carol (Tracey … [+]
At the time, Perry guest-starred in episodes of comedies Empty Nest and Just the Ten of Us before being cast as Valerie Bertinelli’s younger brother in the short-lived CBS sitcom Sydney 1990.
Valerie Bertinelli and Matthew Perry at the Set of “Sydney” in Los Angeles, California (Photo by … [+]
Three years later, in 1993, came his next regularly scheduled TV role, ABC comedy Home Free, which also failed to make it into a second season. But he struck gold, and a 10-season run, on Friends, which launched on September 22, 1994. At the time, he was the youngest of the six principal stars at age 24.
FRIENDS — Pictured: (clockwise from bottom left) Courteney Cox Arquette as Monica Geller, Matt … [+]
In 2002, Perry earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy, among with his Friends co-star Matt LeBlanc, but the two lost to Everybody Love Raymond’s Ray Romano.
During the run of Friends, Perry appeared in films Fools Rush In (opposite his father John Bennett Perry, adventure comedy Almost Heroes, romantic comedy Three To Tango, The Whole Nine Yards opposite Bruce Willis and its sequel The Whole Ten Yards, and romantic comedy Serving Sara.
Matthew Perry and Bruce Willis look over the city in a scene from the film ‘The Whole Nine Yards’, … [+]
Following Friends, Perry made four attempts to find his next hit television series: drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip from Aaron Sorkin (2006-07), sitcoms Mr. Sunshine (2011), Go On (2012-13) and the remake of The Odd Couple on CBS. But only The Odd Couple, which aired from 2015-2017), made it past the first season.
LOS ANGELES – MAY 9: The Cast of the CBS comedy THE ODD COUPLE, Thursdays (8:30-9:00 PM, ET/PT) on … [+]
In 2017, Perry starred as Ted Kennedy in the miniseries The Kennedys: After Camelot. And, in 2022, he published a memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/marcberman1/2023/10/28/matthew-perry-dead-the-friends-star-54/