Matthew Perry, popular actor best known for playing the beloved Chandler Bing in hit TV sitcom Friends, has opened up about his drug addiction and a near death experience in his new memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing.
Perry experienced a near death experience when he suffered from gastrointestinal perforation from opioid overdose, due to which he spent two weeks in coma and five months in the hospital and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months.
His memoir will be out on November 1.
Who is Matthew Perry?
Matthew Langford Perry was born in Williamstown, Massachusetts on August 19, 1969. His mother Suzanne Marie Morrison is a Canadian journalist and former press secretary to former Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. His father, John Bennett Perry, is an American actor and model.
Perry’s parents divorced before he turned one, and was raised by his mother in Ottawa, Ontario. He was enrolled at Ashbury College. Perry was a tennis enthusiast and became a top ranked junior player.
When he turned 15, he moved to Los Angeles to be with his father, which is when he decided to pursue acting. He graduated from high school with average grades, and did not go to college, instead focused on his aspirations of becoming an actor.
Perry secured roles in several TV sitcoms, but three of those sitcoms were cancelled after 13 weeks.
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He was then casted in Friends, the popular TV sitcom which would prove out to be his breakout role. He played the role of Chandler Bing, a witty and sarcastic friend to others in the circle. This made him a household name in the US.
His debut lead role on film screen was 1997 romantic comedy Fools Rush In alongside Salma Hayek. His father also featured in the film. The film was a box office fail. Almost Heroes also bombed the box office. His next film, The Whole Nine Yards earned fair revenues and was a hit.
He also worked on Servicing Sara opposite Liz Hurley, but filming was suspended when he took to rehab in the first half of 2001. The film was eventually released and received mixed reviews.
Perry is single, but he has dated Hollywood A-listers before, such as Julia Roberts, Jasmine Bleeth and Lizzy Caplan.
Perry has struggled with drug addiction, which he discusses candidly in his new memoir.
