Like most actors, Matthew Perry began his career with several small roles on television and in film. While his roles in the '80s may not have been all that memorable, the actor finally got his big break in 1994 when he was cast as Chandler Bing in Friends. After that, Perry became a household name and went on to star in some really great movies.
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Friends (1994)
Created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, Friends chronicles the lives of six people, between the ages of 20 and 30, as they try to build their lives in New York City. The sitcom's anchor characters are siblings Monica (Courteney Cox) and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), an aspiring chef and a newly divorced soon-to-be dad, respectively. Their friend group consists of the slightly eccentric Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), ladies' man Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc), the slightly spoiled Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), and, of course, funny guy Chandler Bing (Perry). Each of them has career and relationship dreams of their own. Over 10 seasons, viewers get to see how each of them changes, with lots of shenanigans and even some drama along the way.
Three to Tango (1999)
After being on Friends for a good few years, Perry was cast in a starring role in the 1999 romantic comedy Three to Tango, opposite Neve Campbell, Dylan McDermott, and Oliver Platt. The story follows Oscar Novak (Perry) and Peter Steinberg (Platt), who are hired to design a cultural center. The businessman who hired them, Charles Newman (McDermott), assumes the pair are a gay couple and eventually asks Oscar to keep his mistress, Amy Post (Campbell), company. Even though he is straight, Oscar doesn't correct his boss for fear of being fired. But things get complicated when he starts to fall for Amy.
The Whole Nine Yards (2000)
Right after Three to Tango, Perry jumped into offbeat comedy The Whole Nine Yards, a darkly funny crime caper with Bruce Willis and Amanda Peet. Perry plays Nicholas "Oz" Oseransky, a mild-mannered dentist who is waiting for the day he can afford to divorce his horrible wife, Sophie. One day, Oz discovers his new neighbor is the infamous hitman Jimmy "The Tulip" Tudeski (Willis). Naturally, things spiral into total chaos. Between mobsters, mistaken identities, and a few unexpected alliances, Oz gets pulled into a world he's definitely not equipped for. Perry leans into his classic nervous energy here, making Oz both likable and hilariously overwhelmed.
17 Again (2009)
A few years later, Perry took on a more meaningful comedic role in 17 Again, sharing the character of Mike O'Donnell with Zac Efron. Perry plays the older version of Mike, a man who let life him by and finds himself constantly thinking about what could have been. Thanks to a mysterious twist of fate, he wakes up as his 17-year-old self (Efron) and gets a second shot at making things right. While it might seem like more of an Efron movie, Perry has a weary sort of charm that endears Mike to the audience and gives the story its emotional core.
Mr. Sunshine (2011)
After Friends ended, Perry found himself starring in the sitcom Mr. Sunshine, which he also co-created. The story, which only lasted one season, follows Ben Donovan (Perry), a slightly self-absorbed manager of a second-tier sports arena called the Sunshine Center. The show is essentially a workplace comedy, with Perry's character trying to bring calm to the daily chaos at the arena and his almost non-existent personal life. A quirky ing cast surrounds him, including Allison Janney, who plays his boss, Crystal Cohen. Perry once again shines in a role that plays to his sarcastic, neurotic, and just barely holding-it-all-together strengths.
The Odd Couple (2015)
Later on, Perry stepped into a classic role with The Odd Couple reboot, playing the famously uptight Oscar Madison opposite Thomas Lennon's neurotic Felix Unger. This modern take on the legendary mismatched roommate sitcom lets Perry flip the dynamic. This time around, Oscar's the messy sportswriter, not the clean freak. As both star and executive producer, Perry put his own stamp on the show, blending his signature comedic timing with a bunch of quirky new antics. It is a fun, if underrated, run that gave the late actor another chance to lead a comedy series. It might not be as epic as Friends, but it's still pretty good.
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