What We Know About Matthew Perry's Famous Father

In light of the tragic death of actor Matthew Perry, many are reflecting on the life and career of the late comedian. Most audiences knew Perry from his role on NBC's "Friends." Notably, the Chandler Bing actor was actually the second member of the Perry family to make his mark on Hollywood.

Born on August 19, 1969, Matthew Perry was the son of Canadian journalist Suzanne Marie Langford and actor John Bennett Perry. You might recognize the elder Perry from a variety of film and television credits over the course of the last five decades. Alongside a handful of notable film credits, including 1976's "Midway" and 1996's "Independence Day," the majority of John Bennett Perry's acting career was focused on the small screen. He first appeared in a 1972 television movie called "Bobby Jo and the Good Time Band," an acting credit which he quickly followed up via brief appearances in popular TV shows like "Police Story," "Kung Fu," and "Little House on the Prairie." He later appeared in larger roles in series like 1979's "240-Robert," 1984's "Paper Dolls," and 1985's "Falcon Crest." 

John Bennett Perry has not worked as an actor since 2011, but he remained an active part of his son's life. In fact, eagle-eyed fans of the Perrys might have noticed that the late actor recently shared a photo of himself with his father on Instagram. 

"Friends" fans may remember John Bennett Perry's appearance in Season 4, Episode 18 of the classic sitcom, during which the elder Perry portrayed the father of Rachel's boyfriend, Joshua (Tate Donovan). As usual, comedic hijinks led to a variety of misunderstandings, which created an awkward situation when Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) met Joshua's parents for the first time in a minimum of clothing. Somewhat surprisingly, the two Perrys did not actually share any scenes.

However, the father-son duo appeared in a variety of other productions together. They first shared the small screen in a 1979 episode of "240-Robert," a series about a special task force within the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. The elder Perry led the series as Deputy Theodore Roosevelt "Trap" Applegate III. The younger Perry made his television debut at age 9 as a character named Arthur. In the episode, titled "Bank Job," Trapp's team is forced to combat a team of bank robbers, during which Trapp meets a number of young civilians, including Arthur, who are caught in the mix. They next joined forces in 1993 on the third episode of "Home Free," a short-lived sitcom centered on Matt Bailey, a character portrayed by a 23-year-old Matthew. In the episode, Bailey, a young and overly self-confident journalist, confronts a judge (John Bennett Perry), who he believes is corrupt. In 1997, they also both appeared in "Fools Rush In," a romantic comedy starring Matthew and Salma Hayek. 

Seven years later, the two were back on the small screen again, appearing in a single episode of "Scrubs" together. Their final shared TV appearance came courtesy of the final episode of Matthew's short-lived 2011 sitcom, "Mr. Sunshine." 

As if one famous father wasn't enough, Matthew Perry's stepfather was Keith Morrison, a correspondent for Dateline NBC famous for his deep-voiced narration of the long-running series. Morrison entered Perry's life when Perry's mother married Morrison in 1981. At the time, Perry was only 12 years old and more than a decade away from the fame of "Friends." However, it didn't take Morrison long to recognize Perry's talent for commanding a room. 

In fact, after only a few times taking Perry to his sporting events, Morrison spotted a recurring theme. "It was like Matthew and the hockey team. He was the one who scored all the goals. He was the guy," Morrison told People in 2020, adding that the same was true of any room Perry entered. "He's an intense, talented, focused character."

By all accounts, Perry and Morrison enjoyed a close relationship. When asked about their dynamic in a 2017 interview, Morrison had nothing but good things to share, including the fact that Perry once gifted him a Porsche 911. "He is really a very good guy," Morrison noted.