Matthew Perry was a beloved Canadian-American actor best known for playing Chandler Bing on the hit sitcom Friends (1994–2004). He was born on August 19, 1969, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. Perry was raised in Canada after his parents’ divorce. He was born into a family involved in the entertainment industry. As a teenager, he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting.
He got his breakthrough with Friends and his character became one of television’s most iconic characters. He became popular for his sarcasm and witty one-liners in the show. Apart from Friends, he has worked on many projects like Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), 17 Again (2009), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007), The Odd Couple (2015–2017), etc. He had many ups and downs in both his professional and personal lives. Despite that Perry maintained a strong connection with his family. Let’s take a closer look at Matthew Perry’s family.
Matthew Perry’s parents
John Bennett Perry and Suzanne Marie Morrison are Matthew Perry’s parents. John and Suzanne got married in 1968 and had Matthew in 1969. Their marriage lasted less than two years, and they separated before Matthew’s first birthday. After their split, Suzanne, along with Matthew, moved to her hometown, Ottawa, Canada. At the age of 15, Matthew moved in with his father and stepmother, Debbie, in California to pursue acting.
Matthew’s father, John Bennett Perry, is a retired American actor, singer, and model. He has worked in many films like Lipstick (1976), Midway (1976), Only When I Laugh (1981), Independence Day (1996), etc. He has also worked in many TV shows like 240-Robert (1979–1981), Paper Dolls (1984), Falcon Crest (1985-1986), L.A. Law (1988), The West Wing (2001), etc. He also made a cameo in Friends in Season 4, Episode 18 as Rachel’s boyfriend Joshua’s father. Matthew and John have shared the screen and played father and son multiple times, including in Fools Rush In (1997) and Scrubs (2004).
Matthew’s mother, Suzanne Morrison, is a Canadian journalist and press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Matthew went to school with Pierre’s son, former Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau. In his memoir, Matthew revealed that his mother Suzanne was a beauty queen and won Miss Canadian University Snow Queen during her college. In an interview with People, Matthew revealed that in Feb 2001, he reached out to his parents for help and they took him to rehab so that he could get sober.
His mother got remarried to Keith Morrison in 1981. Keith Morrison is a journalist who has been a correspondent for Dateline NBC since 1995. In an interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live in 2018, he shared that he didn’t believe that Matthew would be famous. In an interview with People, he shared, “He was at a stage where [he was questioning] if this acting thing was going to work or not, then suddenly, boy did it ever.” He wasn’t surprised that Matthew excelled in the role of Chandler in Friends and said, “That character is Matthew. Yeah, and it always has been him. He's just a talented soul, a smart guy."
Matthew Perry’s siblings
Matthew Perry has 5 siblings- Caitlin, Emily, Maria, Will, and Madeline. Caitlin Morrison is Matthew’s half-sister and they share the same mother. She was born in 1981 to Suzanne and Keith Morrison. Matthew was 10 years older than her and in his memoir, he talked about her sister and shared that he loved her instantly as soon as she was born. After his death, Caitlin became the executive director of The Matthew Perry Foundation, Canada. In an interview with HELLO! Canada, in October 2024, she shared her experience working with the organization and said, “I feel like I'm sitting right next to Matthew, working with him every day on something that was important to him. He had this ability to fill up a room with light.”
Emily Morrison is Matthew’s half-sister and 2nd child of Suzanne and Keith Morrison. She was born in 1985. In his memoir, he shared that when Emily was born she was “blond and cute as a button.” Emily accompanied Matthew many times at events and walked the red carpet with him. She accompanied him at The Whole Nine Yards film premiere and at an event honoring Garnet Bailey.
Maria Perry is Matthew’s half-sister and they share the same father. She was born in 1986 to John and his 2nd wife Debbie. In his memoir, he shared that Maria was the first one to tell him about his condition after his 2018 health scare because of using OxyContin. He shared that Maria is the hub of the Perry family and said, “Maria did her best to be wonderfully consoling, but there was no consoling this.”
Will Morrison is Matthew’s half-brother and the 3rd child of Suzanne and Keith Morrison. He was born in 1987 and he has made a few appearances with Matthew at events. He attended the Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone premiere in November 2001. In Matthew’s memoir, he talked about how his siblings supported him in his difficult phase and wrote, “My sisters’ faces shadow my parents’, as does my brother’s, each of them beaming at me, not just at a hospital bedside, but also in Canada and Los Angeles as I tried to crack them up with my patter. They never dropped the ball once, any of them, never turned their backs on me, ever.”
Madeline Morrison is Matthew’s half-sister and 4th child of Suzanne and Keith Morrison. She was born in 1989. In his memoir, he talked about his siblings including Madeline, and wrote, “I have always loved kids. I think it’s because I was ten years old when my sister Caitlin was born. Then came Emily, then Will, and then finally Madeline. I loved playing with them all, babysitting them, playing dumb games with them. There is no greater sound on the face of the planet than a child’s laughter.” In April 2022, Madeline made a rare appearance with Matthew as they attended the premiere of Spider-Man together.
FAQs about Matthew Perry
A. John Bennett Perry is Matthew Perry’s father.
A. Matthew Perry had 5 siblings.
A. No, Matthew Perry did not have kids.
