Remembering ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry’s life and achievements

This past Saturday actor Matthew Perry passed away in his home. Instead of going into the sad details of his passing, this article is about his accomplishments and the lives he affected during his time alive. Perry was best known for his role as Chandler Bing in the 90’s hit TV show ‘“Friends,” but he was also in shows like “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” and as well as the movie “The Whole Nine Yards.”
Perry found his first career opportunity playing tennis. It all started when he was four years old, and by the time he was 13 he had been ranked no. 2 in junior tennis in Ottawa, Canada. When he was 15, he and his father moved to Los Angeles, California. He realized that due to the harsh competition he would not be able to make a career out of tennis. After that realization he moved into acting. When asked if tennis and acting were similar, Perry said “They’re both very mental games. They’re both very heavy things to be a part of.” He may have moved away from a tennis career but that did not stop his love for the sport. His last public tennis appearance was at the French Open in Paris, France.
Perry had been in several episodes of TV shows and movies but his big break was when in 1994 the NBC show “Friends” premiered where he played a lovable, funny character with excellent comedic timing. “Friends” was about a group of 6 friends that would go through big life changes including dating, getting married and divorced all wrapped up in 10 seasons. It has become a classic for TV lovers and a lot of families around the world. Throughout the time that “Friends” was airing he made many viewers laugh, cry, and quote his lines constantly. After his big break as an actor, Perry starred alongside Salma Hayek in 1997’s rom com drama “Fools Rush In”’ and then later went on to play alongside Zac Efron in “17 Again” in 2009.
Throughout his lifetime Perry was nominated for 34 awards and won six. He was nominated for five primetime Emmy awards, and though he did not win any of those, he did win the 2000 TV Guide Awards for Editors Choice with the rest of the “Friends” cast.
When asked about her favorite Matthew Perry project, sophomore Micah Wascher said, “My favorite project of his undeniably would be “Friends.” This was a huge part of my childhood and teen years. His jokes never failed to get me laughing.”
Wascher also said, “I was checking the news when I saw an article about his death. The only words I saw were ‘drowned’ and ‘Matthew Perry’ and immediately my heart just sunk. I felt like I was losing such a big part of me and my childhood as well as something that keeps my family together. We bonded over the show so losing any part of it was sad.” Like Chandler, Washer said, “I realized you can be awkward and weird and yet still make so many people love you by making silly jokes.”
English 1 and Creative Writing 1 Teacher Mrs. Carter said, “My favorite project by him definitely had to be “Friends,” but I also loved “17 Again” because my sister likes that movie, my brother does too so it’s something we can share.” Carter also said, “When I found out he passed away I was so sick and heartbroken about it, I immediately called my mom to talk about it because I grew up watching “Friends” with her. I knew we were both going to be upset about it. He’s had so many struggles in his life and then for him to pass away so early in his life I just think is so sad.”
When reminiscing on the impact of Perry’s work Carter said “I think that ‘Friends’ specifically became such a staple show for my family but then later I also got my husband into it. His favorite character was Chandler and so there were just a lot of things that took me back to that show and the character he played.”
Shortly before Perry passed away he published his book “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Bad Terrible Thing” which was a memoir of his life and the struggles he went through on set and in personal moments.
Not too long before his passing, Perry also mentioned that he has other things he wants to be remembered for other than just working on “Friends.” Perry said, “But when I die, as far as my so-called accomplishments go, it would be so nice if “Friends” were listed far behind the things I did to try to help other people.” Perry had said that if anyone had asked him for help with something like substance abuse or addiction “yes” was always the answer since he wished someone could have been there for him. Perry was supposedly launching a substance abuse foundation before he passed away but he did not get the chance to finish that project.
In conclusion, Matthew Perry made so many people smile and he will be remembered for his laughs and his hard work of helping other people through their life challenges in many years to come.