Born in Williamstown, Mass., and raised in Ottawa, Ontario, Matthew Perry had his first taste of acting when he was in the seventh grade. At age 15 he moved to Los Angeles to live with his father, actor
John Bennett Perry.
Matthew's interest in acting increased after he performed in several high-school stage productions. In addition to acting, he excelled at tennis--he was rated No. 17 nationally in the junior singles category, and he and his partner were ranked No. 3 in the doubles.
After his graduation, Perry had intended to enroll at the University of Southern California, but when he was offered a leading role on the television series
Boys Will Be Boys, he seized the opportunity to begin his chosen career. His other TV-series credits include regular roles on
Home Free and
Sydney as well as a recurring part on
Growing Pains. He guest-starred on such series as
Beverly Hills, 90210,
Who's the Boss?,
The Tracey Ullman Show,
Empty Nest, and
The John Larroquette Show.
His TV movies include
Deadly Relations,
Call Me Anna, and Dance 'til Dawn. Among his feature films are
A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon,
She's Out of Control, Parallel Lives, and the movies
Fools Rush In and Edwards and Hunt: The First American Road Trip.
In addition to acting, Perry enjoys writing. He sold his first pilot, Maxwell's House to Universal Television. He is most famous as Chandler Bing on the hit show
Friends.