ENTERTAINMENT
Matthew Perry’s most iconic performances: Friends, Studio 60, the West Wing...
Perry may be best known as Chandler Bing on the hit series Friends, but the actor’s long career also brought other memorable turns.
The actor Matthew Perry, who rose to fame as Chandler Bing in the hit 1990s sitcom Friends, died on Saturday at the age of 54. TMZ, which broke the news, has reported that Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home.
Although Perry is best known for his role in Friends, which ran for 10 years, he also gave a host of other iconic performances during his four-decade career.
We take a look at some of Perry’s stand-out turns on the big and small screen:
The West Wing
Perry appeared in three episodes of Aaron Sorkin’s political drama series the West Wing, playing associate White House counsel Joe Quincy in seasons four and five. His performance earned him two Emmy nominations for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series, in 2003 and 2004.
Friends
First aired on 22 September 1994, the NBC series ran for 10 seasons and 236 episodes until its finale on 6 May 2004. As the wise-cracking Chandler Bing, Perry made his character one of the best loved and funniest on the sitcom, and one of the most memorable in TV history.
In 2002, his work on Friends bagged him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series.
The Ron Clark Story
Perry also earned awards recognition for his starring role in the 2006 TNT movie the Ron Clark Story, about a teacher who leaves his small hometown to teach at a public school in New York City.
In 2007, Perry was nominated for the Golden Globe for Best Actor in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television, and was also among the contenders for the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or Movie.
Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip
Between 2006 and 2007, Perry teamed up with Sorkin again to appear in the screenwriter’s drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which tells the story of the staff behind the creation of a late-night show similar to Saturday Night Live.
Perry played Matt Albie, a scriptwriter who returns to the show as executive producer and head writer - but finds himself in the awkward position of having recently broken up with one of the programme’s stars.
17 Again
In 2009, Perry starred in the movie 17 Again, in which he plays the older version of Mike O’Donnell, a 37-year-old man who turns back into his 17-year-old self. Zac Efron appears as the younger Mike.
The Odd Couple
Perry co-created and starred in the 2015-2017 series the Odd Couple. “After being kicked out of their houses by their wives, two friends try to share an apartment, but their ideas of housekeeping and lifestyles are as different as night and day,” reads IMDb’s synopsis of the show.