So many people all around the world grew up religiously watching Friends, so when the news of Matthew Perry's passing became public knowledge, thousands of people were saddened by the news.
Perry, who passed away at the early age of 54, will forever be remembered for his acting career, his personal achievements, and even his love for poker. Let's take a moment to honor Perry's life by recounting his great accomplishments and enjoying a friendly poker round after you complete the Everygame login process.
Matthew Perry: His Life & Career
Perry was born in Massachusetts in 1969, but he spent most of his childhood in Canada. For many years in his teens, Perry played tennis for hours on end, slowly becoming a top-tanking junior player in Canada. For a while there, it seemed that he might have a promising tennis career. However, Perry moved to the US at the age of 15, and he soon abandoned playing sports in favor of taking different acting and comedy classes.
At first, Matthew got multiple small roles as a child actor. But his breakthrough came when he auditioned for Six in One, which was later called Friends. For ten years, Perry portrayed the beloved character of Chandler Bing. Over the years, he also dabbled in creating and writing scripts for different shows, adopting the role of executive producer on more than one occasion.
His performance in The West Wing and The Ron Clark Story got him awarded the Primetime Emmy Award, but his on-screen achievements are not the only thing Perry will be remembered for.
In his memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry stated that he became addicted to alcohol by the time he was 14 and that he was drinking every day until he turned 18. After a jet-ski accident in 1997, Perry also got addicted to Vicodin, and his visits to various rehab clinics were fruitless. The renowned actor suffered major health problems due to his addictions, and in 2022, he estimated that he spent more than $9 million on his addiction.
But even with all his struggles, Perry tried to make the world a better place. In 2011, he lobbied the US Congress as a spokesperson for the National Association of Drug Court Professionals in support of funding for drug courts. After opening a rehab center in his former Malibu mansion, he also received a Champion of Recovery award from the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy.
Poker Achievements
Over the years, Perry showed a notable passion for poker, as he participated in multiple televised poker shows. He is well known for participating in Bravo's show Celebrity Poker Showdown, a popular TV show that aired in the early 2000s.
During the fourth tournament of the series, Perry managed to outshine all his opponents and land a spot in the championship match. At the final table, he faced off against other celebrities like Dennis Rodman, Kevin Nealon, and Neil Patrick Harris.
The big game had a promised $250,000 prize pool, and the winner was set to donate $100,000 to a charity of their choice. The final match was an extremely entertaining event, even though the participating players didn't play at an expert level. And even though Matthew managed to use some well-timed bluffs and clever poker tactics to his advantage, he finished in fourth place. But even though he didn't win the big prize, Perry managed to secure a $10,000 donation to the Lili Claire Foundation, supporting children with neurogenetic conditions.
Remember Matthew Perry!
Perry said in the past that he doesn't want to be remembered solely for his role in Friends: "The best thing about me, bar none, is if somebody comes up to me and says, ‘I can't stop drinking, can you help me?' I can say yes and follow up and do it…I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned, and I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that."
We are here to honor his legacy and celebrate his life as an actor, poker enthusiast, and philanthropist. May he rest in peace.