The Biography

Matthew Perry (born Matthew Langford Perry, August 19, 1968, in Williamsburg, Virginia; died October 28, 2023, in Los Angeles, California) was a White American actor, producer, and writer of English and Irish descent, 6′ 1″ (185 cm) tall. He was raised by his actor father John Bennett Perry and stepfather Steven V. Perry, a U.S. ambassador to Canada, and attended Choate School and Brown University before dropping out to pursue acting. He is best known for co-creating and starring as Chandler Bing in Friends (1994–2004), winning a SAG Award and an Emmy, and for writing and starring in his one-man show The End of Longing (2007–2013). He was found dead in the jacuzzi of his home; the cause of death was ruled accidental drowning compounded by ketamine. His most notable film credits include Fools Rush In (1997), Three to Tango (1999), Almost Heroes (1998), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), The Whole Ten Yards (2004), 17 Again (2009), and Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates (2016). On television he starred as Matt Albie in Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–2008), Ryan King in Go On (2012–2014), and Mike Kresteva in The Good Wife (2012) and The Good Fight (2017), with notable guest roles in The West Wing (2003), Scrubs (2004), Cougar Town (2014), and Ally McBeal (2002). He hosted Saturday Night Live (1997) and appeared in Friends: The Reunion (2021). Posthumous archive appearances include Matthew Perry: Not Just Friends (2023), Matthew Perry: A Hollywood Tragedy (2025), and The One About Matthew Perry (2026).