Here’s looking back at Matthew Perry aka Chandler Bing’s high and low life moments
Matthew Perry is a Canadian American actor and a comedian, born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, to parents John and Suzanne Perry.
We all know him as our very famous Chandler Bing from the NBC’s American television sitcom ‘FRIENDS’, from 1994 to 2004, which made him rise to immense popularity and recognition worldwide.
Making him one of the finest actors of the 1990s, ‘FRIENDS’ is one of the most cherished series till today.
Matthew, 51, had opened up on his struggle with substance abuse when he was at the peak of success, sharing that it had impacted him to such extent, that he was left with no memory of having filmed some of the sitcom’s episodes.
Years of hard work and struggling at the rehabilitation centre helped him jump back on track and continue with small screen roles.
Recently, HBO announced the much awaited and hyped ‘FRIENDS’ reunion which will witness Matthew come together with his costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc, to celebrate the success of their show.
Struggling actor
Matthew was raised in Canada by his mother and later shifted to Los Angeles with his father to begin his journey as an actor.
During his initial acting days, Perry had made several iconic appearances in some of the most infamous shows like ‘The Tracey Ullman Show’, ‘Growing Pains’ and ‘Beverly Hills, 90210.’
Some of his movies alongside top actresses include, ‘Deadly Relations’ with Gwyneth Paltrow, ‘Dance Til Dawn’ with Christina Applegate and ‘The Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon’ with River Phoenix.
1. Chandler Bing in FRIENDS
After years of struggling with minor roles in television, Matthew was graced with fortune when he was signed for ‘Friends’.
The NBC’S American sitcom gave us our Chandler Bing, the sarcastic and humorous character played by Matthew, from 1994 to 2004, putting an Emmy nomination up his sleeve.
Just like all his costars, Matthew too rose to popularity overnight, making him a sensation who would be able to land himself enough roles in the future.
2. Substance abuse
It is no more a secret that with fame comes a heavy price to pay, and thats what exactly happened with Matthew too.
When he was at the peak of his career, Matthew got addicted to alcohol and has even shared about his addiction phase to ‘Today’ in 2013.
He became addicted to alcohol and a substance called Vicodin, which impacted him brutally, wiping off some of his memories, that he couldn’t even remember having filmed certain scenes of ‘Friends’ and had a lonely time then.
After being put on pills, Matthew was sent to a rehab where he could unfortunately only stay for some time, after which his parents came to his rescue in 2001, admitting him to another rehabilitation after he feared of killing himself.
3. Back on track
After months and years of struggle, Matthew finally bounced back on track to begin with a fresh canvas that he could paint with new memories and achievements. This came only after his addiction phase and crashing his car into an empty residence, for which he had been hospitalized too.
4. Reaching new heights
With a few more television duties, Matthew garnered his second Emmy nomination for his guest appearance on ‘The West Wing’ in 2003 followed by a couple of nominations for an Emmy and a Golden Globe, for ‘The Ron Clark Story’ revolving around a small town teacher and his rough journey.
Matthew reunited with his ‘Friends’ costars Courteney and Lisa while appearing in shows like ‘Cougar Town’ and ‘Web Therapy’.
Matthew Perry is currently geared up for his upcoming Netflix venture, also starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Meryl Streep and Jennifer Lawrence to name a few.
