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A comedy where Matthew Perry's character, Chandler Bing is humorous, self-deprecating, afraid of commitment, suffering from the effects of his family of origin.

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The success of Friends brought Matthew a high point in his acting career. And the audience was introduced to Matthew Perry through Friends and left with an initial impression.

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（2023）Matthew left this world at the age of 53.

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（2023）Matthew left this world at the age of 53.

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Hollywood stars have hailed the "comedic genius" of Friends star Matthew Perry after the actor's death at 54.

The American-Canadian star, best known for playing Chandler Bing in the sitcom Friends, was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on Saturday.

A Los Angeles fire department spokesperson confirmed that first responders were called to his address about a "water emergency". He was discovered unresponsive about 4pm, according to unnamed law enforcement sources speaking to the Los Angeles Times. No drugs were found at the scene, sources said, but prescription medications were recovered at the home and hence toxicology will be part of the investigation, the LA Times reported.

The cause of death, which will be determined by the Los Angeles county coroner's office, may not be known for some time, but foul play is not suspected, according to Cap Scot Williams, who leads the city's police robbery homicide division that is investigating Perry's death.

Perry's family said in a statement to People: "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend.

"You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."

Perry's last post on Instagram, on 23 October, included a photograph of him sitting in a pool or hot tub at night, with the words: "Oh, so warm water swirling around makes you feel good? I'm Mattman."

Former schoolfriend Justin Trudeau, actor Viola Davis and singer Adele were among those who paid tribute to the actor, who struggled with addiction and strived to help others who battled similar demons. Screen legend Kathleen Turner, who played Chandler's transgender parent, told the Guardian: "I was proud to play his 'Dad'".

Trudeau, Canada's prime minister, wrote on social media that Perry's death was "shocking and saddening". "I'll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them," he wrote. "Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved - and you will be missed."

Adele, who announced earlier this month that she has quit drinking, paused her Las Vegas show to pay an emotional tribute to Perry.

"He's probably the best comedic character of all time," she said. "He was so open with his struggles with addiction and sobriety, which I think is incredibly, incredibly brave."

Gwyneth Paltrow paid tribute to Perry and recalled their time spent together in the summer of 1993. In a post to her Instagram page, the actor said: "I met Matthew Perry in 1993 at the Williamstown Theatre Festival in Massachusetts. We were both there for most of the summer doing plays. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with.

Perry with Julia Roberts in an episode of Friends from 1996. Photograph: Everett Collection Inc/Alamy

"We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer. He had shot the pilot of Friends but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was. We stayed friends for a while until we drifted apart, but I was always happy to see him when I did. I am super sad today, as so many of us are. I hope Matthew is at peace at long last. I really do."

The Friends co-creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, along with the show's executive producer, Kevin Bright, spoke of their shock at his death. In a joint statement, they said: "He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart." They added: "This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken."

Perry had expressed the hope that he would be remembered for the work he had done to help fellow addicts - including his 2016 play The End of Longing and his 2022 bestselling memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. The actor Hank Azaria said Perry, who was the first friend he made when he moved to Los Angeles, had helped him give up drinking. "I really loved him. A lot of us who were close to him felt like we lost him to drugs and alcohol a long time ago because, as he documented in his autobiography, there was so much suffering. I had to pick it up and put down the biography like 11 times it was so painful for me to read."

Davis said the book had "shifted so many close to my heart. The people no one sees and most throw away. It was a gift."

Warner Bros Television Group, which produced all 10 seasons of Friends from 1994 until 2004, paid tribute to "our dear friend" and "an incredibly gifted actor".

"The impact of his comedic genius was felt around the world, and his legacy will live on in the hearts of so many. This is a heartbreaking day, and we send our love to his family, his loved ones, and all of his devoted fans," it wrote.

Perry, who was a ranked youth tennis player in Canada, moved into acting after relocating to LA when he was 15. After small roles in Growing Pains, Beverly Hills 90210 and Dream On, Perry secured the role that would define his career: the sarcastic and neurotic Chandler Bing.

Friends, a comedy about six professionals living in New York City, quickly became a phenomenon, winning multiple Emmys and attaining record ratings; after 10 seasons, the 2004 finale reached more than 52 million viewers in the US, making it the most watched TV episode of the 2000s.

"People come up to me every day and say, 'Hey, Chandler!' I don't respond to it," he said in a 2014 interview. "If somebody says, 'Hi, Matthew, I love your work,' that's one thing. But if somebody goes, 'Yo, Chandler', I don't like that. I'm tired of it. I'm not Chandler."

Maggie Wheeler, who played Chandler's girlfriend Janice in Friends, said the joy Perry brought to "so many" in his "too short lifetime will live on".

"I feel so very blessed by every creative moment we shared," she wrote on Instagram.

Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler's mother Nora Bing, said: "I'm heartbroken about the untimely death of my 'son' ... The loss of such a brilliant young actor is a shock."

Born in Massachusetts in 1969 to an American father and a Canadian mother, Perry grew up in Canada, where his mother worked as a press aide to the Canadian prime minister Pierre Trudeau. In his memoir, Perry recalled acting up after his father abandoned his family to chase his own dreams of becoming an actor - including bullying a young Justin Trudeau. "I decided to end my argument with him when he was put in charge of an entire army," he wrote.

Matthew Perry's best moments on screen - video obituary

As a teenager, Perry moved to Hollywood with the hope of reconnecting with his father. It was there that he began to enjoy acting and was eventually spotted at a diner - "charming a bunch of young women" - by director William Richert, who left a note asking him to be in his next movie, A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, alongside River Phoenix.

Perry was 24 when he started playing Chandler. He reflected that when he read the part, "it was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life". In a 2019 interview, Crane said the role of sardonic joker was the most difficult to cast, with Craig Bierko, Jon Cryer and Jon Favreau also considered.

"Marta [Kauffman] and I were thinking, 'Chandler is just poorly written'," said Crane. "Then Matthew came in and you went, 'Oh, well, there you go. Done. Done. That's the guy.'"

Perry was nominated for an Emmy award five times, once for Friends and twice for his role as lawyer Joe Quincy on The West Wing.

During his tenure on Friends, Perry starred in films including Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek, Three to Tango with Neve Campbell and The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis. He also took small roles in Ally McBeal and Scrubs.

In a 2002 interview with the New York Times, he confessed: "I wanted to be famous so badly. You want the attention, you want the bucks, and you want the best seat in the restaurant. I didn't think what the repercussions would be."

Perry's personal life was blighted by addiction, starting in 1997, when he became addicted to pain medication after a jetskiing accident. He later claimed to not remember three years of his time on Friends and to spending over $9m on his fight to stay sober.

"I was taking 55 Vicodin a day, I weighed 128lb (58kg), I was on Friends getting watched by 30 million people - and that's why I can't watch the show, because I was brutally thin," he said. Perry later admitted he had suffered severe anxiety "every night" while filming the show and said he felt nothing when the show ended.

When Friends ended in 2004, Perry's next small-screen lead was in Aaron Sorkin's Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, which was cancelled after one season. In 2009 he starred in hit comedy 17 Again alongside Zac Efron and later guest-starred on both The Good Wife and The Good Fight.

Perry also led one-season sitcom Go On and a remake of The Odd Couple, which lasted for three seasons. In 2016 he wrote and starred in the play The End of Longing, which opened in the West End and later transferred to Broadway. "I had something important to say to people like me, and to people who love people like me," he said.

Perry estimated he had relapsed "60 or 70 times" since first getting sober in 2001.

In 2019, he was put in a two-week coma when his colon exploded due to opiate abuse; he underwent 14 surgeries to repair the damage. "At this point in my life, the words of gratitude pour out of me because I should be dead, and yet somehow I am not," he wrote in his memoir.

The book was a hit with readers and critics. The Observer's Barbara Ellen called it "harrowing and revealing about the juncture where extreme compound addiction collides with mega-celebrity".

Reflecting on his own desire for celebrity, Perry said: "You have to get famous to know that it's not the answer. And nobody who is not famous will ever truly believe that."

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Tributes pour in for 'comedic genius' Matthew Perry, dead at 54

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Cause of death unknown as Justin Trudeau, Adele and others speak fondly of actor best known as Chandler Bing in Friends

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Matthew Perry reunites with several other leads from Friends.

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James Corden Visits the Cast at the 'Friends' Reunion

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(2022) Autobiography : Friends, lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

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(2022) Autobiography : Friends, lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

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In his book, Matthew Perry details his own struggles with substance abuse. At the same time he clearly expresses his desire to help others.

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Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing

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Read 16.6k reviews from the world's largest community for readers. "Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Ma...

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The last show & Matthew's interview statement about his autobiography

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The last show & Matthew's interview statement about his autobiography

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Matthew Perry highlighted his willingness to help others several times in the interviews.

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The Late Show on Instagram: "“I felt it really was time to help people.” — @mattyperry4 on why he opened up in his new memoir about his battle with addiction. 

#Colbert"

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142K likes, 940 comments - colbertlateshow on November 1, 2022: "“I felt it really was time to help people.” — @mattyperry4 on why he opened up in his new m..." 

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View this post on Instagram

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The View & Matthew Perry's interview statement about his autobiography

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The View & Matthew Perry's interview statement about his autobiography

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Matthew Perry: "If you raise your hand to the right people, you get the right help and you don't be alone with it, you have a chance out and that's what I did."

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The View on Instagram: "@mattyperry4, author of #FriendsLoversBook, shares his advice to those struggling with addiction: “If you raise your hand to the right people, you get the right help and you don’t be alone with it, you have a chance out and that’s what I did.”"

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241K likes, 1,614 comments - theviewabc on November 2, 2022: "@mattyperry4, author of #FriendsLoversBook, shares his advice to those struggling with addiction:..." 

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The news about Matthew Perry's Foundation

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The news about Matthew Perry's Foundation

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It added: "In the spirit of Matthew Perry's enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction, we embark on a journey to honour his legacy by establishing the Matthew Perry Foundation, guided by his own words and experiences, and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible."

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Matthew Perry Foundation set up in late Friends star's name to help addicts

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A fund "driven by his passion for making a difference" is set up in the late Friends star's name.

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（2005） Matthew Perry has apparently been done in by drugs again – prescription drugs.

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（2005） Matthew Perry has apparently been done in by drugs again – prescription drugs.

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Matthew Perry faced a health threat. This made the audience sympathise with him.

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Matthew Perry has apparently been done in by drugs again - prescription drugs.

The ex-"Friends" star was hospitalized in Los Angeles on Wednesday after a bad reaction to prescription medication caused him to suffer seizures, the News of World, a British newspaper, reported today.

Initial tests done on Perry, 35, who played Chandler Bing on the hit show, at UCLA Hospital showed he had traces of barbiturates in his blood stream, but no illegal substances.

Barbiturates are often used as to subdue anxiety and are also used as sleeping pills.

"His doctor wanted him in the hospital where they could observe his condition, but he's fine," said the actor's spokeswoman, emphasizing that it was merely an "adverse reaction to some prescribed medication."

Perry was reportedly with his father, John, when the seizures began and was admitted to the hospital under a bogus name.

The actor had numerous highly publicized stints in rehab for a painkiller addiction.

In 1997 he checked himself into a Minnesota rehab clinic and announced in 2001 that he finally kicked the addiction.

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Matthew Perry has apparently been done in by drugs again - prescription drugs. The ex-"Friends" star was hospitalized in Los Angeles on Wednesday after a bad reaction to prescript...

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One person who also suffers from addiction expressed said that the Similarities experience with Matthew Perry are Painfully Familiar after reading the book. Matthew Perry's book gives insight into what people with drug addictions are really facing. It is meaningful for both the addict and those around them who want to provide help.

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Matthew Perry: The Similarities Are Painfully Familiar.

I'm not a star. I'm not even an actor. However, I just finished Matthew Perry's book "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" and the similarities of our lives hit me like a ton of bricks.

I am a person in long term recovery.... almost 7 years clean now....but it was a struggle I dealt with for most of my life. I am now 57 years old. Addiction had its grips in me for almost 30 years, on and off. Like Perry, I went to rehab 15 times, and countless detoxes. Also, like Perry, I want to be remembered as someone who helped people, not as the addict I was.

I hurt everyone who loved me. But see, that's the thing about this disease. It's the only disease that tells you you don't have a disease. It's the only disease that says to you, "Hey, you're only hurting yourself. Your loved ones aren't being affected. They don't even know"! But they knew. Boy, did they know!!! My Dad was the one that said, "Why can't you just stop. Don't you have any willpower?". No, Dad, it's not like that. He loved me unconditionally, that man. I wish he'd have lived to see me clean. My mother, on the other hand, was the tough love kind. Telling me I couldn't live there. I had to get clean first.

My motivation finally came when, while locked up in yet another prison cell in 2017, I got word that because of my Mom's health, my 2 youngest children would end up in foster care if I didn't get it together. I was always with my kids, maybe not mentally, but I loved them and they loved me and I couldn't let foster care happen to them. They were 10 and 12. That was my turning point. I got out of jail, and jumped through every hoop CYS and Parole had me jump through, and I FINALLY made it through to the other side.

That should be the end, but it isn't. My disease is just waiting for me, just around the corner, hoping I'll slip up. So far, it hasn't happened, and I am trying really hard so that it doesn't.

I attend some 12 step meetings, but I prefer Smart Recovery. My brain likes the more scientific approach, and although 12 step has helped many people, including myself, Smart satisfies my intellectual side. I surround myself with recovery. I practice mindfulness and meditation practices. I worked in treatment for 3 years and I currently work in a Mental Health/Addiction Recovery House as an aide. I don't ever intend to let my disease back in. It can knock as hard as it wants to, but I am not answering the door.

And now we are at the end of my story. If I ever decided to write a book, my life has been a roller coaster and I'm sure I could reach so many with similar stories. But I'll content myself with this right now.

Matthew Perry was one of my favorite actors, and he will be missed by so many. I hope his legacy of helping others get into recovery remains for many years to come.

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Matthew Perry: The Similarities Are Painfully Familiar.

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I'm not a star. I'm not even an actor. However, I just finished Matthew Perry's book "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing" and the similarities of our lives hit me like a ton of bricks. I am...

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（2001）Matthew reveals the severity of his drug addiction to the media

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（2001）Matthew reveals the severity of his drug addiction to the media

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Matthew Perry revealed his drug addiction to the public, a star image associated with honesty, vulnerability and pain

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Friends star: I was on 2 pints of vodka and 30 pills a day; PERRY ADDICTION ORDEAL. - Free Online Library

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Free Online Library: Friends star: I was on 2 pints of vodka and 30 pills a day; PERRY ADDICTION ORDEAL.(News) by “The Mirror (London, England)”; General interest

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（2016）Matthew revealed to the press that he can't remember three years of filming during Friends, because of drink and drugs.

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（2016）Matthew revealed to the press that he can't remember three years of filming during Friends, because of drink and drugs.

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Matthew Perry tells the public more details about drug addiction. Revealing his vulnerability, pain and struggles in front of the public helped Matthew connect with the audience on a deeper emotional level and pushed his image from an addict to a positive and sincere person who is repentant and working hard to overcome his drug addiction.

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It means episodes like The One With Chandler's Work Laugh, The One With Ross's Wedding [the second one] and The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister ironically can't be remembered by Matthew either, probably.

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Matthew Perry 'out of it' during three years of Friends filming

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Matthew Perry has said that he can't remember three years of filming Friends because of his drug and alcohol addictions.

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The End of Longing is the first play written and starring by Matthew Perry. He plays an alcoholic (Jack) who is ’s climactic account of confronting his personal demons in the show, which is partially similar to his own experience. The play seems to indicate Matthew Perry's repentance.

By playing a role in the theatre, Matthew Perry's stardom is linked to repentance. Thus positioning him as an inspirational star.

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Matthew Perry is a likable actor who brings with him a fund of goodwill from his 10-year stint as Chandler Bing in Friends. In writing, and starring in, his first play he has stuck closely to the format of the TV series: short scenes, smart lines, characters trying to make sense of their relationships. But what works in half-hour bites on television looks decidedly thin on the stage.

A certain style ... Christina Cole as Stevie, Lloyd Owen as Joseph, Matthew Perry as Jack and Jennifer Mudge as Stephanie. Photograph: Helen Maybanks

Perry doesn't waste any time on exposition. He simply has his four characters come on and announce their defining characteristics. Jack (Perry) is an alcoholic. Stephanie (Jennifer Mudge) bluntly announces "I'm a whore", though one who charges $2,500 an hour. Meanwhile her friend Stevie (Christina Cole) works in pharmaceuticals and Joseph (Lloyd Owen) simply declares that he's stupid.

What suspense there is lies in seeing whether the surprise bonding of Joseph and Stevie will help Jack and Stephanie turn their own mutual attraction into a lasting relationship. If Friends is one influence, another is David Mamet's steely quadrille, Sexual Perversity in Chicago, in which Perry starred on the London stage in 2003.

But, where Mamet's play showed a central couple at the mercy of their vampirical friends, Perry irons out the contradictions in his characters, who change but never really develop. Each has a single, dominant quality which remains unexplored. How, you wonder, does the permanently stewed Jack hold down a job as a top photographer, and how does Stephanie so blithely brush aside the complications of being a sex worker?

Set chiefly in bars and bedrooms, the play also sidesteps dramatic possibilities: typically you hear about, but never see, an embarrassing family reunion in which Stephanie takes Jack home to meet her middle-class parents.

Given Perry's well-documented, and happily conquered, period of addiction, the play feels at times like a piece of confessional therapy: when the audience applauds Jack's climactic account of confronting his personal demons, you are not quite sure whether they are cheering the character or the actor. Perry, with his permanent stubble and greying hair, is certainly a beguiling presence and generously gives his character most of the play's best lines: at one point he declares that, having been awake for several days, "I finally fell asleep during a Rolling Stones concert." But good lines alone don't make a play and not even Perry's laidback, Jack Nicholson-style delivery can lend depth to a professional drunk.

The women have even less chance to dig below the surface but Mudge as the happy hooker and Cole as the neurotic Stevie do what they have to with a certain style. In many ways, the most interesting character is Joseph whose supposed dumbness conceals a laconic wit and whom Owen invests with a stumbling charm.

Beguiling ... Jack and Joseph in The End of Longing. Photograph: Helen Maybanks

Lindsay Posner directs with his customary efficiency and, although the design makes no great demands on Anna Fleischle, she creates a chic urban playground. But, while the play clearly aims to deal with four loners struggling to come to terms with early middle-age, it feels more like an extended sitcom in which there is little going on behind the lines.

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The End of Longing review - Matthew Perry's flimsy play about friends in need

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The actor best known as Chandler Bing returns to the London stage with a self-written confessional drama that feels like an extended sitcom

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Fans honoured Matthew Perry by placing flowers where the old friends had been filmed.

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Fans honoured Matthew Perry by placing flowers where the old friends had been filmed.

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1. It emphasised the image of Matthew Perry as a friend in the minds of fans.

2. side-steps the fact that Matthew Perry has played many other roles but none of them have been effective in changing the connection between the character of Chandler and Matthew Perry.

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fans came together to not only mourn the life of Matthew Perry as an actor, but also like a "family" member on Sunday.

The morning after the famed actor died from an apparent drowning at age 54, hundreds of admirers from around the world braved the rainy New York City weather to pay tribute at the apartment building where his Friends character Chandler Bing lived.

Along the streetlight at the corner of the building, located in Manhattan's West Village, Perry's life was honored with flowers, heartful handwritten notes and even gum packs in reference to one of Chandler's iconic lines - "You know on second thought, gum would be perfection" - in a scene with model Jill Goodacre.

When N.Y.C. residents Mayya and Khristian Bork arrived, they instantly grew emotional while gazing up at the six-story residence of their beloved character.

Perry's death was like "losing a dear friend" for the Russian natives, both of whom moved to the U.S. without knowing any English.

To learn the language, Khristian said he turned to the sitcom show for guidance.

"I didn't have time or money to go to school, so I was watching Friends on repeat twenty-four-seven while working," Khristian recalled. "I would draw and in the background, listen to Friends for three years every single day."

The 35-year-old artist watched the 10-season show so often that he could quote any line from any episode. But more significant is how much Khristian "related" to Perry's character, according to his wife, Mayya.

"Part of him just died," Mayya, 34, said of her husband's emotional reaction to the news. "I think that's why it's so hard on Khristian right now, because he likes to make jokes every day and he makes me laugh."

"[Watching Friends] is how I got my American sense of humor because I'm from a very different, more conservative country," Khristian added.

The couple both agreed that the Emmy-nominated actor's death was "very sudden" - especially in light of how "great" he looked while on tour to promote his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.

In the 2022 memoir, the author got candid about his time in the spotlight, his high-profile romances and his long journey with drug and alcohol addiction.

"I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again," he exclusively told PEOPLE in his 2022 cover story. "I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober - and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction - to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people."

While at his book tour stop in the winter of last year, the Borks thought that Perry did exactly what he sought to accomplish.

"He was so excited to spread the awareness of addiction and all the stuff that he went through," Mayya said. "He wanted to help people, so it seemed like he was on a new page of his life."

Less than a year later, when the couple read the news of Perry's passing while listening to the late Gene Wilder's "Pure Imagination," they believed the actor was in a good place.

"We want to believe that he's there finally, making everybody laugh and doing something he wanted to do without all the suffering inside," Mayya said. "He's still with us, absolutely, in every person who ever watched [ Friends]. That's how we keep people alive, by remembering them."

The sitcom also played a major role in Devin Cates' life by catalyzing his move to the Big Apple from his hometown in Kentucky. The show was the sole reason Cates, 37, became a "New York nerd."

" Friends was a staple of my life growing up in Kentucky," Cates said. "It was just one of the shows we always had on as a family, so it was a big inspiration for me to wind up moving here."

Cates had visited the Friends building before, so upon hearing news of Perry's death, he knew he would have to pay his respects at the Greenwich residence again.

"It makes me really sad that if we're going to lose one of them, it was him first, after everything that he did," Cates said of his journey watching the actor's ups and downs. "I'm 37, so [54] doesn't feel that far off. You just never know."

What Cates will remember most of the late actor is not his career highs and lows, but how the Fools Rush In star made him "laugh so much."

"His little quips, the delivery of his comedic lines - his timing was so perfect," Cates said. "When I try to be funny, I think about delivery perfection and how you do it and the way it's done. I think about him often, because he was the master at it."

Like Cates, the Patterson family also describes Perry's comedy as "timeless."

As longtime Friends fans of nearly 25 years, the United Kingdom natives, who coincidentally "arrived in New York yesterday" for a family vacation, reflected on Perry's portrayal of Chandler with nostalgia.

"When I think about Friends and Chandler Bing and Matthew Perry, it takes me straight back to being in university," Patterson, 46, said.

Her sister also recalls the show with a similar fondness. "I think you grow up with that sort of person in your bedroom when you're getting ready for school," Plumpton, 40, mused.

The sisters had always hoped for a future cast reunion, but now know that should it ever occur, it won't look the same.

"There's always that hope as a Friends fan that they'll do something in the future," Plumpton said. "We're never really going to get that - and if we do, it won't be proper, will it?"

However, the show's evergreen sense of humor and friendship still links Patterson's past with her future, now that she re-watches every episode with her daughter.

"She loves it," Patterson said with a nod to her 15-year-old daughter. "It doesn't matter that she's 31 years younger than me - we can enjoy the same thing because it creates a connection. All the characters were connected, and now we're connected because of that. It's a generational thing and goes on through the family."

"I laugh at the jokes, she laughs at the jokes," Patterson continues. "It's timeless, so I think we'll all still be watching Friends in another 30 year's time."

Despite the sitcom's success, Patterson still recognizes that Perry will always be remembered in ways beyond his time on Friends.

"He was amazing because it wasn't just about Friends," Patterson said. "It's everything else he did. Everything that he did for people like him with addiction issues was amazing."

"His life will be celebrated for years to come," she added. "Tens of decades to come."

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In an exclusive statement to PEOPLE, Perry's family shared a message with the late actor's supporters.

"We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother," his family told PEOPLE on Sunday. "Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."

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'Friends' Fans from Around the World Mourn Matthew Perry in N.Y.C: 'Losing a Dear Friend' (Exclusive)

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'Friends' fans from around the world gathered at the show's building in Manhattan's West Village to mourn actor Matthew Perry, following his death at age 54.

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Jennifer Aniston cries as she talks about Matthew's struggle with drug addiction in this interview. And says she even entertained thoughts of losing Matthew. Both Rachel (Jennifer's character in Friends) and Jennifer Aniston herself show support and concern for Chandler (Matthew's character in Friends) and Matthew. Their friendship extends from on-screen to off-screen, which makes the star image of Matthew's friend more authentic especially in his most difficult moments.

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Jennifer Aniston's interview with Diane Sawyer in 2004 (Full Interview)

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(1995) Late Night with Conan O’Brien （humorous )

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(1995) Late Night with Conan O’Brien （humorous )

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‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien is one of the most beloved late night shows in television history. Known for its absurdist humor, hilarious celebrity interviews and featuring the best stand-up comedians and musical acts of the ‘90s and early 2000s.

Firstly the style of this celebrity interview show fits in with the humorous characterization of Chandler in Friends. Secondly Matthew Perry himself is considered to be humorous because of his performance on the show, too.

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Matthew Perry's Newfound Success | Late Night with Conan O’Brien

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Matthew is well known for playing the role of Chandler in Friends. His character showed similarities to key elements of his star image: humor .

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Matthew is well known for playing the role of Chandler in Friends. His character showed similarities to key elements of his star image: humor .

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The star image of humor was sustained and successful. It lasted even after Matthew was exposed in a drug addiction scandal.

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The star image of humor was sustained and successful. It lasted even after Matthew was exposed in a drug addiction scandal.

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(2003) Matthew was interviewed along with the rest of the Friends actors.

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(2003) Matthew was interviewed along with the rest of the Friends actors.

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Matthew Perry sits down with his friends (both on and off screen) to be interviewed and talk about his story of struggling with drug addiction. And the rest of the actors said they were very worried about Matthew Perrry.

Both on and off screen, Matthew and Chandler are supported and cared for by their friends as they face their own life crisis.

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（2022）In Matthew Perry's recollections, he said he had received support from the rest of the  Friends actors.

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（2022）In Matthew Perry's recollections, he said he had received support from the rest of the  Friends actors.

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1. Focusing on time will find that support from friends in ‘Friends‘ means a lot to Matthew Perry during the time he is going through a serious drug addiction.

2. This highlights friends as an important star image for Matthew Perry. And this image is continuous.

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When Matthew Perry was first cast as Chandler Bing on , he was 24 years old and "just a guy desperate for fame, thinking that fame would fix everything," he tells PEOPLE in this week's cover story. "I was just 'on' all the time."

But now, in a candid interview to discuss his new memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry, 53, reflects on his journey - and the harrowing addiction he tried to keep secret. "I thought being funny all the time was how I would get through," he says. "I thought [ Friends] was going to fix everything. It didn't."

Opening up about his cast mates and the friends who were pivotal in his journey, Perry reveals he even had a crush on Jennifer Aniston that began when they first met - two years before the show started.

"There was such severe indifference from her that I ended it," he says playfully. "I think everybody probably figured it out. I never said anything. And I hid it. But then she married Brad Pitt, and I was like, 'I don't think I have a chance here.'"

Around that time, Perry's addiction to alcohol was also solidifying. "I thought I could handle it kind of," he says. "But by the time I was 34, I was really entrenched in a lot of trouble."

For more on PEOPLE's cover story with Matthew Perry, listen below to our daily podcast PEOPLE Every Day.

At one terrifying point, the actor was taking 55 Vicodin a day and weighed 128 pounds. "I didn't know how to stop," he says. "Because the disease and the addiction is progressive. So it gets worse and worse as you grow older."

The actor doesn't hesitate to credit his Friends castmates for rallying around him. "They were understanding, and they were patient," he says. "It's like penguins. In nature, when one is sick or very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up and walk around until that penguin can walk on its own. And that's kind of what the cast did for me."

Despite all the fame and fortune, Perry insists he would give it all up to not have battled addiction.

"The fact that I would trade it all to not have this disease is true. But I don't belittle how fun the experience has been on Friends," he says. "And the money was amazing. Just the creative experience of being on Friends probably saved my life."

He adds, "When you're making a million dollars a week, you can't drink the 37th drink. You have to go home and go to sleep.... That was the greatest job in the world."

The friendships he made with the cast have proven to be life-long, which was evident when they came together for the 2021 HBO Max reunion show.

"It's a group that really is close and tight-knit," Perry says, adding, "and loves each other."

For more on Matthew Perry, pick up the latest issue of PEOPLE, on newsstands everywhere Friday.

Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing hits bookshelves Nov. 1.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Matthew Perry Says Friends Cast Rallied Around Him at Height of His Addiction: 'They Were Patient'

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Matthew Perry says the Friends cast rallied around him at the height of his addiction

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(2002) Matthew Perry earned a 2002 Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends.

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(2002) Matthew Perry earned a 2002 Emmy nomination for Best Actor in a Comedy Series for his role as Chandler Bing in Friends.

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Friends has been a success for Matthew. But it's worth noting that while he had success in his acting career he also struggled with drug addiction.

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Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2002

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Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series Nominees / Winners 2002 - The 2002 Television Academy Emmy Awards Nominee and Winners. See all the nominees and winners!

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（2022） Matthew Perry talk about why he doesn't want to be remembered just for 'Friends'

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（2022） Matthew Perry talk about why he doesn't want to be remembered just for 'Friends'

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1. Matthew Perry has shown his attention and favoritism to Old Friends even after he has been cast in other roles and won some awards. He doesn't talk about the other roles because the impact that Friends has had on him and the audience is huge and lifelong.

2. Matthew said he wished that helping others was the first thing people mentioned instead of Old Friends. He mentions two key themes at the same time and emphasizes their primary and secondary importance. This means he's pushing for a change in his star image, but he's not completely abandoning his old image as a humorous friend.

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Last November, Matthew Perry joined Tom Power for a live on-stage interview to talk about his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
When Matthew Perry set out to write his new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he hoped it would reveal a truth he learned the hard way: seeing your dreams come true doesn't solve your problems.

From 1994 to 2004, the Ottawa-raised actor starred as Chandler Bing on Friends, one of the biggest sitcoms in TV history. But he quickly discovered that success couldn't remedy his catastrophic addiction to alcohol and opiates.

"Not many books have come from the side of the addict ... certainly not somebody who's been on one of their favourite shows or whatever," Perry said in a live interview with 's Tom Power at the Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema in Toronto. "That message is very powerful because I thought [fame] would fix everything. And you know, it didn't - I still wanted to drink every day."

In the book, Perry details his long journey with addiction, fame and recovery. His relationship with drugs started when he was just 30 days old and was prescribed a barbiturate for colic, which he believes had a lasting effect on his sleep. He had his first taste of alcohol at 14 and started drinking every night by the time he was around 18.

"I finally felt at home, for the very first time, as soon as I drank alcohol," recalled Perry. "And I had a much different reaction than normal people have. Normal people have a drink and they feel a little, you know, woozy.... I have a drink and, for the first time in three weeks, life seems to make sense."

In 2018, Perry's substance abuse problems became so dire that he was hospitalized and given a two per cent chance of survival after his colon burst from opioid overuse. He was put on life support - extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO), which does the work of the heart and lungs so they can rest - and his parents were prepared for the worst. "Five people had an ECMO machine that night and the other four died," he said. "And I survived."
WATCH | Matthew Perry's full interview with Tom Power:
For Perry, writing the book was easy, but reading it brought him to the terrible realization that he's lived "the most torturous life." Despite that, he said sharing his story has been the best thing he could do to help others going through the same struggle with alcoholism and addiction.

"Wonderful things happened in my life - I'm incredibly grateful for all of them," he said. "But that's the ticket for me, is helping people on a large scale or helping, you know, one guy and seeing the light turn on."

Friends, fame and fortune weren't enough to heal him

The first time Perry prayed was after reading an article that led him to the conclusion that fame was the answer to everything.

"That prayer was, 'Please, God, make me famous. You can do anything you want to me; just make me famous,'" the actor told Power. "Three weeks later, I got Friends - and God did not forget about the second part."

Landing the role on Friends helped Perry achieve his dreams, but he said it took only six months before he realized that fame and fortune couldn't fix his biggest problem.

"Alcoholism did not care that I was on Friends," he said. "Alcoholism wants you alone; it wants you sick; and then it wants to kill you."

When I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned. - Matthew Perry

Out of respect for his Friends castmates, Perry had a personal rule to never drink or do drugs while on set, though he'd often work extremely hungover. At one point, he was taking 55 Vicodins a day and weighed 128 pounds. He said he doesn't watch the show because his changing appearance is a painful reminder of his addiction.

"I was on Friends, getting watched by 30 million people, and that's why I can't watch the show," he said. "I was, like, brutally thin and being beaten down so badly by the disease."

Now sober, the actor told Power he may finally start watching Friends because he's aware of the massive impact the show has had on millions of people. "It's become this important, significant thing," he said. "I've been too worried about this and I, you know, I want to watch Friends too."

Still, the actor said he doesn't want to be remembered only for Friends. His dream now is to help people.

"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," said Perry. "And I've said this for a long time: when I die, I don't want Friends to be the first thing that's mentioned - I want that to be the first thing that's mentioned. And I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that."
The full interview with Matthew Perry is also available on Written by Vivian Rashotte. Interview produced by Catherine Stockhausen. . Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

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Matthew Perry once prayed to God for fame. Now, his dream is to help others struggling with addiction | CBC Radio

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In his new memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Matthew Perry opens up about his decades-long addiction to alcohol and opiates. The Friends star joined Q's Tom Power to share his incredible story of survival and why he's now turned his energy to helping others.

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People (fans) show their appreciation for the efforts Matthew makes and see Matthew as a strong and genuine star. Matthew's image has evolved.

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As Matthew opens up about his experiences with drug addiction and expresses his desire to help others through his own strength. His star image began to evolve: brave, reliable and genuine.

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As Matthew opens up about his experiences with drug addiction and expresses his desire to help others through his own strength. His star image began to evolve: brave, reliable and genuine.

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During the time that Matthew Perry was constantly exposed in the media for his drug addiction, actors from Friends showed their support and concern for him off-screen. This made his star persona more deeply connected to the theme of friends. And it helped him through this life crisis to some extent.

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During the time that Matthew Perry was constantly exposed in the media for his drug addiction, actors from Friends showed their support and concern for him off-screen. This made his star persona more deeply connected to the theme of friends. And it helped him through this life crisis to some extent.

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Many of Matthew Perry's interactions with his friends can be seen on his personal social media platforms. The theme of friends is not only reflected on screen but also in his real life.

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Many of Matthew Perry's interactions with his friends can be seen on his personal social media platforms. The theme of friends is not only reflected on screen but also in his real life.

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[Ins] Matthew's interactions with friends in real life.

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[Ins] Matthew's interactions with friends in real life.

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Showing real-life interactions with friends helps reinforce the star image of Matthew Perry's friends.

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Vegas with old friends this weekend. This photo was take minutes before we went downstairs and lost every dime any of us have ever earned.

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4)

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The theme of friends brings both business value and cultural significance to Matthew Perry.

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The theme of friends brings both business value and cultural significance to Matthew Perry.

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After the end of 'Friends', the actors are still making public appearances and participating in social events.

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After the end of 'Friends', the actors are still making public appearances and participating in social events.

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1.Even after the end of Friends, the 'Friends' theme continued to bring commercial value to Matthew Perry.

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Matthew Perry on Instagram: "We are all in. We hope you will be too. #ALLINCHALLENGE"

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1M likes, 15K comments - mattyperry4 on April 21, 2020: "We are all in. We hope you will be too. #ALLINCHALLENGE" 

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4)

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(2023) Friends Costars Attended Matthew Perry's Funeral. 

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(2023) Friends Costars Attended Matthew Perry's Funeral. 

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A simple funeral was held after Matthew's unexpected death, and the other Friends stars were present as one of the few people close to Matthew. The friendship between them was once again recognized.

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Matthew Perry 's loved ones gathered for the actor's funeral on Friday.

The service was held at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles near Warner Bros. Studios., a source tells PEOPLE, adding that Perry's costars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer were in attendance.

The source also indicates funeral started at 3 p.m. PST and ended at 5 p.m. PST.

Perry died on Oct. 28 at age 54 at his home in Los Angeles after an apparent drowning, TMZ first reported. Law enforcement sources told the outlet there were no drugs found at the scene, and no signs of foul play were present.

The Los Angeles County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed to PEOPLE that an autopsy has been completed and results are pending a toxicology report. However, an online record has the status of the actor's cause of death currently listed as "deferred" since it's "pending additional investigation."

The actor's family released a statement to PEOPLE the day after his death, saying, "We are heartbroken by the tragic loss of our beloved son and brother. Matthew brought so much joy to the world, both as an actor and a friend. You all meant so much to him and we appreciate the tremendous outpouring of love."

Perry's fellow Friends castmates also spoke out in a joint statement, exclusively obtained by PEOPLE.

"We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family," their statement read. "There is so much to say, but right now we're going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss."

"In time we will say more, as and when we are able," the statement continued. "For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty's family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world."

The message was signed by Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc and Schwimmer.

Before his untimely death, the beloved star, who battled alcohol and drug addiction for decades, was planning to establish a foundation to support those suffering from substance abuse. His loved ones brought that foundation to fruition when a website for The Matthew Perry Foundation went live on Friday.

"The Matthew Perry Foundation is the realization of Matthew's enduring commitment to helping others struggling with the disease of addiction," the organization's mission statement reads. "It will honor his legacy and be guided by his own words and experiences and driven by his passion for making a difference in as many lives as possible."

The foundation's website also features a black-and-white photo of Perry alongside an inspiring quote about his desire to help others.

"When I die, I don't want 'Friends' to be the first thing that's mentioned - I want helping others to be the first thing that's mentioned. And I'm going to live the rest of my life proving that," the quote from his November 2022 appearance on the Q With Tom Power podcast read. "Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down."

Never miss a story - sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

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Matthew Perry's Funeral Attended by 'Friends' Costars After Actor's Unexpected Death

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Matthew Perry's 'Friends' costars - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer - were among the loved ones who attended the actor's funeral in Los Angeles on Nov. 3

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【Ins】Charitable activities & During the COVID-19 , Matthew Perry promoted and sold inspired Friends clothing collection on social media platforms and donated all the proceeds.

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【Ins】Charitable activities & During the COVID-19 , Matthew Perry promoted and sold inspired Friends clothing collection on social media platforms and donated all the proceeds.

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Friends-inspired charity event reinforces Matthew Perry's star image: friends and helping others.

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Matthew Perry on Instagram: "Only a few days left to check out the me-inspired clothing collection (link in bio)! We're supporting the #COVID19Fund for @WHO, powered by the @unfoundation"

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1M likes, 3,704 comments - mattyperry4 on December 16, 2020: "Only a few days left to check out the me-inspired clothing collection (link in bio)! We're suppor..." 

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4)

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Matthew gradually began to open up to the public with more details about his drug addiction and to play roles that were partially similar to his own experiences.

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Matthew gradually began to open up to the public with more details about his drug addiction and to play roles that were partially similar to his own experiences.

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（1979-1993） Matthew Perry was made known to the audience through his roles in several sitcoms. This is how he started his acting career and is thus considered to be a comedian.

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（1979-1993） Matthew Perry was made known to the audience through his roles in several sitcoms. This is how he started his acting career and is thus considered to be a comedian.

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Matthew Perry played Carol Seaver's boyfriend, Sandy, who is killed in a drunk driving accident in this show.

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Growing Pains is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Seaver family, which included psychiatrist and father Jason, journalist and mother Maggie, and their children Mike, Carol, Ben, and Chrissy.

"Jason: Hi, I'm Jason Seaver. I'm a psychiatrist and I believe in the infinite potential of the human spirit.

Maggie: And I'm Maggie Seaver. I'm a mother, and the infinite potential of the human spirit scares the hell out of me.

Jason: Don't let her fool you, she's not so tough.

Maggie: Oh yeah?

Jason: Yeah, well...anyway. Last week, after 15 years of motherhood. Maggie went back to work as a reporter for the local newspaper.

Maggie: And Jason moved his practice into the house so he could be there for the kids.

Jason: They're great kids.

Maggie: Yeah.

Jason: And we have a great relationship with them.

Maggie: Yeah, there's just one problem. Their father trusts them, and they know it.

Ben: Unbelievable."

- Opening narration of the unaired pilot

"Jason: Hi, I'm Jason Seaver. I'm a psychiatrist. I've spent the last 15 years helping people with their problems.

Maggie: And I'm Maggie Seaver. I've spent 15 years helping our kids with problems even Jason wouldn't believe.

Jason: Now Maggie has gone back to work as a reporter for the local newspaper.

Maggie: And Jason moved his practice into the house so he could be there for the kids.

Jason: They're great kids.

Maggie: Most of the time.

Jason: And the rest of the time...

Maggie: We love them anyway.

Jason: Yeah.

Ben: Unbelievable."

- Opening narration from episodes 1, 2 & 3

The show centers on the Seaver family of Huntington, Long Island, New York. Dr. Jason Seaver (portrayed by Alan Thicke), a psychiatrist, works from home because his wife, Maggie ( Joanna Kerns), has gone back to work as a reporter. Jason has to take care of the kids: ladies' man and rebellious troublemaker Mike ( Kirk Cameron), bookish honors student Carol ( Tracey Gold), and rambunctious Ben ( Jeremy Miller) who follows Mike as his role model and becomes a troublemaker too.

A fourth child, Chrissy Seaver (twins Kelsey and Kirsten Dohring; Ashley Johnson), is born at the beginning of season 4, a day after Ben's 12th birthday. She was played in her newborn/infant stage by two uncredited sets of twin sisters, who remained in the role until season four (1988-89) ended. By season five (1989-90), she was played in her toddler stage by alternating twins Kirsten and Kelsey Dohring. In seasons six and seven (1990-92), Chrissy's age was advanced to five years old.

A new cast member was added for the seventh and final season (1991-92) when homeless teen Luke Brower ( Leonardo DiCaprio) is brought into the Seaver family to live with them until nearly the end of season seven.

Often mentioned but rarely seen are the Seavers' next-door neighbors, the Koosmans - a reference to the 1969 Miracle Mets, as Tom Seaver and Jerry Koosman anchored the 1969 Mets' pitching rotation.

Alan Thicke as Dr. Jason Roland Seaver

Joanna Kerns as Margaret Katherine "Maggie" (née Malone) Seaver

Kirk Cameron as Michael Aaron "Mike" Seaver

Tracey Gold as Caroline Anne "Carol" Seaver

Jeremy Miller as Benjamin Hubert Horatio Humphrey "Ben" Seaver

Ashley Johnson as Christine Ellen "Chrissy" Seaver (seasons 6-7)

Kelsey and Kirsten Dohring as Christine Ellen "Chrissy" Seaver (toddler) (season 5, alternating)

Leonardo DiCaprio as Luke Brower (season 7)

Andrew Koenig as Richard Milhous "Boner" Stabone (seasons 1-4, 25 episodes), Mike's friend; left to join the United States Marine Corps

Chelsea Noble as Kate MacDonald (seasons 5-7, 22 episodes), Mike's girlfriend

Jamie Abbott as Stinky Sullivan (seasons 2-6, 19 episodes), Ben's friend

K. C. Martel as Eddie Ziff (seasons 1-7, 19 episodes), Mike's friend

Sam Anderson as Principal Willis DeWitt (seasons 1-7, 13 episodes), Mike's history teacher in season one and principal from season two onward

Betty McGuire as Kate Malone (seasons 1-7, 12 episodes); Maggie's mother

Lisa Capps as Debbie (seasons 2-4, 12 episodes), Carol's friend

Rachel Jacobs as Shelley (seasons 2-4, 12 episodes), Carol's friend

Gordon Jump as Ed Malone (seasons 1-7, 11 episodes); Maggie's father

Julie McCullough as Julie Costello (seasons 4-5, 11 episodes), Mike's former girlfriend who was originally hired by Jason to be Chrissy's nanny in the first appearance

Bill Kirchenbauer as Coach Graham Lubbock (seasons 2-3; starred in spin-off Just the Ten of Us), a gym teacher

Jane Powell as Irma Seaver (seasons 4-6, 8 episodes), Jason's mother

Jodi Peterson as Laura Lynn (seasons 4-6, 6 episodes), Ben's girlfriend/love interest

Kevin Wixted as Bobby Wynette (seasons 2-3, 6 episodes), Carol's former boyfriend

Christopher Burgard as Dwight Halliburton (seasons 7, 6 episodes), Carol's love interest

Evan Arnold as Richie Flanscopper (seasons 1-3, 6 episodes), Carol's school classmate who has a crush on her

Fred Applegate as Mr. Fred Tedesco (season 7, 4 episodes), the principal of the learning annex where Mike teaches

Soon after the cancelation of The Four Seasons, Joanna Kerns auditioned for a new series in late 1984, called Growing Pains. She auditioned with Alan Thicke, who was coming off the failure of his TV talk show Thicke of the Night. Kerns joked in many interviews that she and Alan had immediate chemistry, especially when she kissed him on his nose by accident during their audition together. Kerns and Thicke's chemistry won them both the parts, and the two became great friends off the show; they both had many things in common, including both being newly divorced and both being single parents.

In 1985, Tracey Gold auditioned for Carol Seaver's role on Growing Pains but was not initially cast. The actress chosen for the pilot was Elizabeth Ward, who had starred alongside Gold in The Hand-Me-Down Kid, a 1983 ABC Afterschool Special. However, test audiences did not favor Ward in Carol's role, and Gold promptly replaced her. In 1988 at age 19, Gold gained some weight over the Growing Pains series hiatus. That season, the sitcom's scripts called for her to be the brunt of fat jokes from her television brothers for many episodes in a row.

In October 1988, Gold dieted from 133 pounds to about 110 pounds on a medically supervised 500-calorie-a-day (2,100 kJ) diet, but occasionally, the scripts still included fat jokes at her expense. In her memoir, she says that between 1989 and 1991, she became increasingly obsessed with food and her weight and continued to slowly and steadily lose weight.

Kirk Cameron was an atheist in his early teens. When he was 17, during the height of his career on Growing Pains, he became a born-again Christian. After converting to Protestant Christianity, he began to insist that plot lines be edited to remove anything he thought too adult or inappropriate in Growing Pains. Cameron's conversion is said to have alienated him from his fellow cast members, as he did not invite any of them to his 1991 wedding.

Julie McCullough landed the role of nanny Julie Costello on the show in 1989. Her character appeared in eight episodes until McCullough was fired in 1990. Though the show's producers have claimed that her character was never intended to be permanent and Cameron stated in his 2008 memoir Still Growing that he did not call for her firing, it is alleged McCullough's termination from the show was a result of Cameron's objections to her having posed nude in Playboy, prompting Cameron to claim to the producers they were promoting pornography by hiring McCullough. Cameron reportedly did not reconcile with McCullough, who claims that Cameron refused to speak to her during a later encounter.[citation needed ] She remains critical of him, stating that the public criticism she endured during the controversy damaged her career.

At about age 14, Jeremy Miller received numerous letters from an older male stalker during the run of Growing Pains.

In 1990, Tracey Gold began group therapy in an eating disorder program but only learned more ways to lose weight. That season, her weight loss problem was touched upon slightly on the series, when Gold is seen looking at her body in a carnival mirror and describes to another character the distorted image in her head. In 1991, she started starving herself more than ever and vomiting, and lost a massive amount of weight, to the point that she was admitted to a hospital in early 1992. Her lowest weight is estimated to have been near 80 pounds. She was suspended from the show for her skeletal appearance. Photos of Gold's emaciated body were plastered all over tabloid magazines, and she was one of the first celebrities ever to be formally outed for anorexia. She last appeared in the 1991 episode, "Menage a Luke," after missing the two prior episodes where her problem is very obvious in some scenes and did not return until the last two episodes of the series in the late spring of 1992. Gold eventually recovered from her years-long struggle and starred in the 1994 television movie For the Love of Nancy, drawing on her own experiences with anorexia nervosa to portray the title character.

In 1991, Leonardo DiCaprio became a recurring cast member on Growing Pains, playing Luke Brower, a homeless boy who is taken in by the Seaver family. Co-star Joanna Kerns recalled DiCaprio being "especially intelligent and disarming for his age," but also mischievous on set. The teenage DiCaprio was cast by the producers to appeal to the teenage female audiences, but when the show's ratings did not improve, DiCaprio left. He was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Young Actor Co-starring in a Television Series.

In 1992, Alan Thicke appeared in the pilot episode of the sitcom Hangin' with Mr. Cooper. He appeared in the pre-credits teaser scene, alongside series star Mark Curry, humorously referencing the pilot episode being filmed on the same set used as the Seavers' home on Growing Pains.

After the series was canceled, Kirk Cameron did not maintain contact with his former co-stars and did not speak to Tracey Gold for eight years. Cameron has stated that this was not due to any animosity on his part toward any of his former cast-members but an outgrowth of his desire to start a new life away from the entertainment industry. In 2000, Cameron revealed he apologized to his TV family for some of his prior behavior, saying, "If I could go back, I think I could make decisions that were less inadvertently hurtful to the cast--like talking and explaining to them why I just wanted to have my family at my wedding."

Growing Pains spawned the spin-off series, Just the Ten of Us, which featured Coach Graham Lubbock, Mike and Carol's gym teacher, moving to California with his large family to teach at an all-boys Catholic school after he was fired from Thomas Dewey High School.

In 2000, the cast reunited for The Growing Pains Movie, followed by Growing Pains: Return of the Seavers in 2004. Before the premiere of The Growing Pains Movie, Kirk Cameron described his regrets over how his relationship with his cast mates changed after his religious conversion during the production of the series, admitting, "I definitely kind of made an about-face, going toward another aspect of my life," and "I shifted my focus from 100% on the show, to 100% on [my new life], and left 0% on the show-and even the friendships that were a part of that show."

Warner Home Video released the first two seasons on DVD in Region 1. Seasons 3-7 were released via the Warner Archive Collection as manufactured-on-demand titles, available exclusively through Warner's online store and Amazon.com.

On February 28, 2023, Warner Bros. released Growing Pains: The Complete Series on DVD in Region 1.

ABC aired reruns of the show on its daytime schedule from July 1988 to August 1989. The show originally aired at 11:00 AM (ET) until January 1989, when was canceled and was expanded to an hour from 11:00 AM-noon. The reruns moved to noon.

In the fall of 1989, the show was sold to local syndication, which continued until 1997. The show also aired on TBS for several years premiering in October 1993 at 6:35 PM. The show continued to air on TBS until September 1996.

Reruns aired on the Disney Channel from September 1997 to September 2001. The cable rights for the show moved to sister network ABC Family, where it ran from 2001 to 2004. It has also aired on ION Television during the fall of 2006 into the spring of 2007.

Nick at Nite began airing Growing Pains on February 12, 2007, launching with a marathon from 9:00 PM-1:00 AM. It was pulled from the line-up shortly after, and reruns later moved to sister network Noggin (as part of its teen block, The N). TeenNick re-aired the series on Monday, September 13, 2010, in a 5:00 AM hour block, and aired its final showings on December 27, 2010.

Growing Pains aired on Up TV from January 2015 to July 2017. Antenna TV began airing the series in December 2017.

It is currently available on the Roku channel (streaming app) as of November 2019.

Mainland China

The show was dubbed by Shanghai Television in the late 1980s Chéngzhǎng de Fánnǎo (成长的烦恼; literally "Growing vexation")

Growing Pains was dubbed in Japanese, and broadcast by the NHK of Japan in the title of "Yukai na Shiba Ke (愉快なシーバー家)" (Happy Seaver family) from 1997 to 2000

Growing Pains was broadcast by RCTI from September 1989 to August 1991 and re-run by SCTV from 1991 to around 1994.

Philippines

Growing Pains was aired by PTV-4 with Simulcast on GMA-7 in 1986-1991; it moved to ABC-5 in 1993-2000 with English Dubbed in 1993-1994 & Tagalized in 1994-2000

The show aired with the title Quoi de neuf docteur? (What's New Doctor?) on Antenne 2 from 1987 then as part of a block called from February 19, 1990, on the same network.

Two books were published in French exclusively about Growing Pains: Cyrille Rollet, Ph.D. (EHESS, Paris),

Physiologie d'un sitcom américain (voyage au cœur de Growing Pains), (volume 1) - Physiology of an American Sitcom (Journey to the Heart of Growing Pains)

Circulation culturelle d'un sitcom américain (volume 2) - The Cultural Circulation of an American Sitcom

The show aired with the title Unser lautes Heim (Our noisy home) on ProSieben from 1993.

The show aired in 1987 with the title Genitori in blue jeans (Parents in blue jeans) where the first two seasons original aired on Canale 5 then it moved to Italia 1 for the later four seasons. This was also the name of an Italian comedy film from the 60s.

The show aired in 1986 with Dutch broadcast organization AVRO as Growing Pains in English with subtitles in Dutch.

In Spain the series aired with the title Los problemas crecen (Growing problems) and was dubbed to Spanish. Originally aired in La 1 (Spanish TV channel) from the end of the 80s to the beginning of the 90s, and subsequently in La 2 (Spanish TV channel), Antena 3 (Spanish TV channel) y Factoría de Ficción

Digital free-to-air channel 7TWO began airing reruns of Growing Pains in October 2010, and reached the final episode in June 2011, replacing it with Night Court. The Nine Network first aired the show back in the 1980s and 1990s.

New Zealand

The show aired on TVNZ's TV2 on Saturday afternoons in the late 1980s-early 1990s.

The show aired at the beginning of the 1990s on Turkey's first private TV channel, Star TV.

The show was previously aired on Nickelodeon's block, Nick at Nite from 2006 to 2009.

Wight, Douglas (2012). Leonardo DiCaprio: The Biography. Blake Publishing. ISBN 978-1782197270.

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Growing Pains is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that aired on ABC from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The show ran for seven seasons, consisting of 166 episodes. The series followed the misadventures of the Seaver family, which included psychiatrist and father Jason, journalist and mother Maggie, and their children Mike, Carol, Ben, and Chrissy.

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Matthew Perry played a rookie police officer who cares and loves his family.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Sydney is an American sitcom television series starring Valerie Bertinelli, Matthew Perry and Craig Bierko that aired on CBS from March 21 to June 25, 1990. It was created and written by Michael J. Wilson and Douglas Wyman. This series marked Valerie Bertnelli's return to a CBS series after One Day at a Time ended back in 1984.

Sydney Kells (Valerie Bertinelli), a private investigator from a family of police officers, relocates her one-woman private detective agency from New York City to her small hometown. There, Sydney struggles to balance her personal and professional life. Her main client is an uptight lawyer, Matt Keating (Craig Bierko), with whom she shares sexual chemistry. Her over-protective brother Billy (Matthew Perry), a rookie officer, tries to help her when he can. Sydney and her best friend Jill (Rebeccah Bush) frequent a neighborhood bar run by Ray ( Barney Martin), her father's old police partner.

Bertinelli convinced then-husband Eddie Van Halen to grant permission for the Van Halen song " Finish What Ya Started", from their 1988 album , to be used as the opening theme song to Sydney.

Pat Harrington, Jr., who appeared with Bertinelli in the long-running CBS sitcom One Day at a Time, guest starred as a rival private investigator in the seventh episode of the season, which was directed by John Ratzenberger. Billy Van Zandt and Jane Milmore, who acted as creative consultants on the show, also made various guest appearances. Chazz Palminteri played Tony in the episode "Love Ya, Babe". Other guest actors included Yeardley Smith, Kevin Dunn, Annabelle Gurwitch, Tony Longo, Andy Dick and Michael E. Knight.

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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Sydney is an American sitcom television series starring Valerie Bertinelli, Matthew Perry and Craig Bierko that aired on CBS from March 21 to June 25, 1990. It was created and written by Michael J. Wilson and Douglas Wyman.

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1. Matthew Perry 's performance in The West Wing brought attention to his acting talent outside of sitcoms.

2. But even in articles that focus on Perry's other show, the topic still includes his role as Chandler in Friends.

3. Few celebrities have had a role bind them as much as Matthew Perry did to Chandler Bing. (“The Show That Shows Us Matthew Perry’s True Genius – and It’s Not Friends,” 2023)

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The show that shows us Matthew Perry’s true genius – and it’s not Friends

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Matthew Perry was so much more than Chandler Bing, argues Louis Chilton, who recalls the late actor’s extraordinary Emmy-nominated guest role in which his character unpicks a scandal that brings down the vice president. His show-stealing turn on the political drama gave a glimpse of what might have…

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(2001) Matthew Perry interrupted work as an actor due to sudden health problems.

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(2001) Matthew Perry interrupted work as an actor due to sudden health problems.

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Matthew's image has plummeted as a result of his drug addiction. Despite the support of his friends, his acting career and even his life are in danger of coming to an abrupt end.

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March 12, 2001
SHOW STOPPER

Matthew Perry bails out of Friends and a new movie and, without explanation, checks into a facility for another round of rehab.

It has been a grueling few months for Matthew Perry. Saturdays through Wednesdays he has concentrated on Servicing Sarah. The romantic comedy he has been shooting in New York City and Dallas since December with costar Elizabeth Hurley. Thursdays and Fridays he has been back in L.A. taping Friends. On Feb. 16, as the hit sitcom's cast and crew headed into its moist recent break, Perry flew to Dallas to resume work on his film. Then came the shocker. About a week later, without any warning, he failed to show up for work. " Following the advice of his doctors," his publicist6 Lisa Kastele cryptically explained, "Matthew Perry has entered an undisclosed rehabilitation hospital."

Though the precise nature of Perry's problem remains a closely guarded secret, Kasteler concedes he is being treated for an unspecified "addiction." Perry, 31, who admitted in 1997 to an earlier addiction to painkillers, has throughout this season been attended on the Friends set by a male sobriety coach, whose presence helped convince cast and crew that the star had his dependencies under control. With just four episodes of the seventh season left to tape, May sweeps in the offing and the marriage of Perry's character, Chandler Bing, to Courteney Cox Arquette's Monica Geller hanging in the balance, NBC insiders and many of the Friends cast and crew were reportedly stunned by his return to rehab. "I've been on the set and he looks great and he's been a real trouper through February sweeps," says an NBC source. "IT caught me by surprise."

Someone who works on the Friends set says. "I would guess Matthew is embarrassed that he has let his castmates down. They have the competition against Survivor, and this is an added complication. I know they're all concerned for Matthew, but no one knows when he's coming back."

Another staffer insists gamely that Perry's absence won't pose an insurmountable problem. "They'll shoot around it," he says. "They'll deal with it. It's not going to affect the show." Over at Bright/Kauffman/Crane, the company that produces the show, an official vows, "We will still be in production and we will still have original episodes." Yet Friends writers must brace for the dicey possibility that Chandler Bing has gone AWOL for the rest of the season. If so, what's to become of Monica's season-long wedding plans? "It's all going to depend on when he comes back to us," says an NBC source. "Basically it's one day at a time."

The mood is far gloomier on the set of Paramount's Servicing Sara, where one prominent insider says, "We're still in shock trying to know what to make of it." On Feb. 24 the film's producers received word that Perry was being admitted to rehab under doctor's orders, with no date set for his release. "We have been told nothing about when he can come back to work," says a source on the set. "We know nothing." With just nine days left on the shooting calendar, production has come to a near standstill. Several people associated with the production insist that the halt is only temporary, pending Perry's return. "Matthew's in every scene," says a source close to the film. "There's not much that can be done without him."

Meanwhile, true to their all-for-one spirit, Perry's Friends castmates have offered no comment and kept their own counsel. When the group sat down on Feb. 27 for their weekly reading of the new script, no one mentioned Perry's problems. "This is a very professional group of people," says a show insider. "We read through the script, laughed and joked, just like any other week." While the other members of the celebrated sextet didn't let their concern show, one of the Friends retinue says, "[This] is just the closest cast you can imagine. I can't believe that there hasn't been a great outpouring of love and support." As for those behind the camera, a crew member says that when he last encountered Perry, a week before he checked into rehab, he seemed "totally normal."

Of course, it is the particular talent of actors to put on a convincing show. The question now is whether Perry's ongoing problems will hurt his chances of getting new roles. "For the most part, I think that there's a genuine concern for him and a genuine concern that he get his life together," says Lisa Beach, a casting director. She speculates that, like Robert Downey Jr., Perry won't be hurt if he successfully seeks treatment. Another casting director concurs. " Alcohol and drugs," he says, "are diseases that people forgive." Certainly executives sounded forgiving last week. "Our thoughts are with Matthew," says Jeff Zucker, president of NBC Entertainment. "He has been a central part of the NBC family for so many years, and we fully support him taking these positive steps."

But there could be problems. Beach notes that all lead actors, regardless of their box office stature, are required to undergo physical examinations prior to production. "That's kind of a blanket thing for the underwriting or the bond company," she says, referring to businesses that help insure movie productions. While these exams do not typically include blood or urine analyses, one movie producer suggests that in a case such as Perry's, "a rider will be attached to the policy and he would probably have to take a drug test." If drugs were found, he adds, "he wouldn't get insurance and wouldn't be able to work in the film. He will be under much greater scrutiny."

In recent years Perry's health problems and addictions have attracted nearly as much attention as Jennifer Aniston's myriad hairstyles. In the mid-'90s he became dependent on the painkiller Vicodin, which he had begun taking for wisdom-teeth pain and injuries suffered in a Jet Ski accident. In 1997 the actor checked into Minnesota's Hazeldon Foundation rehabilitation center, where he has said he kicked his pill addiction during a 28-day stay. "I don't think there's anything in the world that I can't face, having faced that," he told People the following year. "That was the scariest thing that's ever happened to me. You get a whole new respect for yourself and life when you go through something that difficult."

Over the next few years, as the 6ft actor's weight yo-yoed wildly, hitting a low of 145, Perry repeatedly felt compelled to shoot down rumors of an eating disorder. Last May, not long after Friends wrapped its sixth season, he checked into L.A.'s Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, complaining of stomach pains. As rumors circulated that he was suffering the side effects of an extreme high-protein diet, publicist Lisa Kasteler initially declared that Perry had "the flu". The actor then told People that he was receiving treatment "for a serious stomach ailment."

Five months after his 2-week stay at Cedars-Sinai, he owned up to the real problem: pancreatitis, a potentially chronic inflammatory condition that can be caused by either alcohol abuse or prescription drugs. "In my case, it was hard living and drinking and eating poorly," he told Us magazine. "You play, you pay." But he insisted there had been no prescription pills involved, maintaining, "I learned my lesson at Hazelden." As for alcohol, he said, "I'm also sober."

Through the summer he stayed clear of the limelight, avoiding temptation. He visited often with his father, actor John Bennett Perry, near Santa Barbara, and stayed at the Laguna Beach home of his mother, Suzanne Morrison (once press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau), and his stepfather, NBC correspondent Keith Morrison. Once the No. 2-ranked junior tennis player in Ottawa, Perry returned to the court and hired a personal trainer. He also reportedly steered clear of his old after-hours watering holes.

When he returned to the Friends set last August, Perry was 20 lbs. lighter, in stark contrast to the chunky Chandler who had closed out the previous season. "I was still healing," he would say of the weight loss. "I couldn't eat more than chicken soup." As Friends fans observed, he soon filled out again, and he emphatically denied tabloid stories that he was in need of a liver transplant. (On the day he left hospital, he swerved to avoid an oncoming vehicle and crashed into a porch 200 yards from his former home in Hollywood Hills. Though his Porsche was totaled, he was uninjured, and police found no indication of drugs or alcohol.)

Since that time, apart from an accident last fall when the limo in which he was riding rear-ended another car, Perry's life had appeared to hum along tidily. After signing a $750, 000-per-episode Friends contract last May, he moved into a four-bedroom house in Beverly Hills. At present, Perry, who has previously been linked with Julia Roberts and former ABC entertainment president Jamie Tarses, appears to have no love interest in his life, according to work associates.

His unforgiving schedule suggests that work remains his principal focus. As for his health, a source on the Sara set says Perry briefly checked into Dallas's Baylor Hospital in mid-January for what the production crew was told was "the flu." The Baylor personnel decline either to confirm or deny the visit.

As always, friends and family are forming an impenetrable shield around the star to provide him with the space he needs to mend now. One pal says of Perry's current stint in rehab, "It's sad that he has to be [there] - and it's wonderful that he is." Then, he adds, "I think it's the greatest thing in the world that he's doing something about it."

**PLEASE DO NOT JUST TAKE THESE ARTICLES TO USE ON YOUR SITE. IF YOU WISH TO USE THEM, PLEASE ASK US FIRST. WE HAVE TAKEN A LOT OF TIME TO TYPE UP THE ARTICLES. THANK YOU**

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March 12, 2001SHOW STOPPER Matthew Perry bails out of Friends and a new movie and, without explanation, checks into a facility for another round of rehab. It has been a grueling few months for Matthew Perry. Saturdays through Wednesdays he has concentrated on Servicing Sarah.

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Matthew Perry's acting career is getting busier at the same time that he's in serious crisis over his drug addiction.

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Matthew Perry's acting career is getting busier at the same time that he's in serious crisis over his drug addiction.

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1. Matthew Perry struggled with drug and alcohol addiction throughout the filming. And the film received very negative reviews.

2. Compared to Friends, the film lacks impact. Therefore Matthew Perry's role in the film did not have a noticeable impact on his star image of a humorous friend.

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Serving Sara is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, and Bruce Campbell. The story follows a process server given the assignment to serve a British socialite with divorce papers, but is persuaded to serve her husband instead so that she can get a larger portion of his money in the divorce. The film was panned by critics and did poorly at the box office, debuting in the top 10 when it was released on August 23, 2002, in the US, where it grossed only $ 5,750,000 on the weekend.

Joe Tyler, a process server, is a week late serving a Mafia kingpin known as Fat Charlie with a summons to appear as a witness in court. Joe's abrasive boss Ray ridicules him while complimenting Joe's rival, Tony, for serving multiple summonses in record time. Willing to give Joe one last shot, Ray gives him an assignment to serve British socialite Sara Moore with divorce papers from her husband, Gordon, who is at his ranch in Texas with his mistress, Kate, while Sara is vacationing in upstate New York.

While Joe is attempting to serve Sara, Tony tips her off, thus revealing that Joe has been failing lately because Tony is sabotaging his efforts. Eventually Joe does serve her, but is mugged soon thereafter. Joe and Sara are forced to take the same bus; while they are riding together, Joe informs her that, under Texas law, she stands to gain nothing from the divorce. When she learns that "half of everything" would apply if the papers had been served under New York law, Sara offers Joe a million dollars to serve her husband and rip up her papers. Despite knowing that he might lose his job, Joe agrees and the two set off together to serve Gordon.

When Ray hears of their plan, he informs Gordon and sends Tony off to re-serve Sara. Gordon hires a bodyguard named Vernon to protect himself, and Joe, expecting Tony to tail him, leaves a set of bogus clues that lead Tony to Miami, Florida, Bangor, Maine, and then Amarillo, Texas, where Tony is shot in the back as he attempts to get on the grounds of the wrong ranch to try to serve the papers. Sara and Joe trail Gordon to his ranch, but Gordon evades them. At the ranch, Sara takes some money and Gordon's passport so that he cannot leave the country. Sara and Joe stay overnight at a hotel, and Joe tells Sara of his dream of owning a vineyard. While Sara is bathing, Joe goes to the bar, and Gordon's mistress appears to suggest a new deal to Joe; for one million dollars from the divorce settlement, she will reveal Gordon's location. Joe agrees, but the entire deal is a setup to get Tony into the hotel room to serve Sara, which he does. Furious, Sara kicks Joe out.

While Joe contemplates his lost fortune and budding affection for Sara, he notices Tony's watch in the picture Tony took of him serving Sara, and calls Ray to inform him that Tony forgot to set his watch to Central Time Zone, so that the papers do not take effect until 7:04 pm Central Time. With mere minutes until they both lose a fortune, Joe and Sara trail Gordon to a monster truck rally. They chase Gordon and evade both Vernon and Tony, and with seconds to spare, Sara knocks Gordon down by dropping a six-pack of beer on his head. Joe serves him under New York law and Gordon receives the papers. Tony and Vernon are carried out of the stadium on stretchers (due to Tony accidentally running over Vernon) and then attempt to fight one another. The final scene shows Joe and Sara at Joe's vineyard, where they taste-test a bottle of Joe's first vintage before going inside to have sex.

Matthew Perry was struggling with drug and alcohol addiction during the production. He was working on the show and filming Serving Sara at the same time. He was taking Xanax, Methadone, and drinking a quart of vodka a day. Filming was delayed for two months while Perry went to rehab.

Critical response

Serving Sara was panned and received negative reviews from critics. Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 18 out of 100, based on 26 critics, indicating "overwhelming dislike". On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 4% of 113 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 3.2/10. The website's consensus reads: "A romantic comedy that's neither funny nor particularly romantic, Serving Sara is a forgettable time waster."

Cynthia Fuchs from PopMatters found the progression of the plot "increasingly incoherent, a string of rehashed sight gags based in insipid vulgarity." Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum described the film's humor as being "a cattle ranch full of joke droppings and mooing shtick not worth stepping in." Scott Tobias of said about the film, "[A] third-rate conflation of Midnight Run and It Happened One Night, Serving Sara relies heavily on Perry's perpetually exasperated shtick, which fits more comfortably among the democratic ensemble of TV's ." Manohla Dargis of the Los Angeles Times called it, "One of the more cynical and insulting Hollywood offerings in recent memory," saying that, "Unfunny and lacking any sense of commitment to or affection for its characters, the Reginald Hudlin comedy relies on toilet humor, ethnic slurs." In a review for The New York Times, Stephen Holden criticized the film for utilizing a similar cattle gag scene from the Farrelly brothers comedy Say It Isn't So to grab laughs from the audience, saying that "Some jokes, apparently, are just so uproarious they have to be recycled." He also gave note of the performances of Perry and Hurley, finding the latter coming out unscathed but felt the former doesn't do well because "his blocky, charmless screen presence and attitude of blustery impatience make the movie sometimes hard to watch."

The film opened at #6 at the U.S. box office and earned $5.7 million in its opening weekend. The film had a budget of $29 million and the film's total gross in the United States was $16.9 million. The film grossed a further $20,146,150 at the international box office.

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Serving Sara is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, and Bruce Campbell. The story follows a process server given the assignment to serve a British socialite with divorce papers, but is persuaded to serve her husband instead so that she can get a larger portion of his money in the divorce.

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（1996）Tv Guide Magazine Matthew Perry Friends

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（1996）Tv Guide Magazine Matthew Perry Friends

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The cover shows an image of Matthew Perry as young, friendly and energetic, which is similar to Chandler's image. The title emphasises that Matthew is the viewer's "best friend". This helps to create an image of Matthew Perry as a friend.

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Fan message under Matthew's memorial video

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Fan message under Matthew's memorial video

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Fans have said that Matthew Perry used to bring them a mix of fun both off-screen and on-screen. This is a reflection of Matthew Perry's humorous star image.

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【ins】Matthew Perry posted funny image of Chandler Bing on social media platforms.

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【ins】Matthew Perry posted funny image of Chandler Bing on social media platforms.

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This photo showed Matthew Perry's star image: friend and humor.

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Matthew Perry on Instagram: "Happy Easter! From this fine dramatic actor."

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1M likes, 12K comments - mattyperry4 on April 12, 2020: "Happy Easter! From this fine dramatic actor." 

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View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Matthew Perry (@mattyperry4)

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(1994) 'Friends' Cast Talk Show's Success

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(1994) 'Friends' Cast Talk Show's Success

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1.The actors in Friends were interviewed together, which matched the background of Friends where the camaraderie between a group of friends creates a sense of unity and belonging. This reinforces the Matthew Perry's star image of friend.

2.Matthew Perry's appearance in front of the public with several other actors met the expectations of the audience and brought commercial value.

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Flashback: Watch ‘Friends’ Cast Talk Show's Success In 1994 | TODAY

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Matthew Perry has been experiencing the pain of drug addiction for several years running and his star image was in crisis.

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Matthew Perry has been experiencing the pain of drug addiction for several years running and his star image was in crisis.

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Matthew Perry's public appearances with the actor helped to create a star image of friend and had more commercial value.