5 Times Matthew Perry Shared The Screen With His Father John Bennett Perry
Like father, like son — Matthew Perry truly was like his dad, John Bennett Perry. From his looks to his personality, the "Friends" actor had plenty of his dad's qualities. And just like John, Matthew went into acting.
Matthew wasn't the first Perry to gain success in the entertainment industry. His father was an actor prior to his son's big success on "Friends." John starred in some blockbuster films. From "George of the Jungle" to "Independence Day," his acting credits go back to the 1970s. In fact, John's career was the reason he and Matthew had a distant relationship. After his parents divorced when the "17 Again" actor was just 1 year old, Matthew moved to Canada with his mother, Suzanne, while his dad pursued his career in entertainment.
Matthew explained his relationship with his father to People, sharing, "I didn't get much of a chance to see him as a kid. He'd call up and say, 'I'm getting killed on 'Mannix' this Thursday. Look for me." At age 15, the "Friends" star decided to get to know his father a bit more by moving to Los Angeles, where he not only got to hang out with John, but also picked up a few of his acting skills. Matthew began acting in the late 80s, but it would ultimately be his success on "Friends" that would catapult him into fame. Since John and Matthew were in the same field, their paths crossed on several projects.
Matthew Perry and John Bennett Perry's had a quick first gig together
From an early age, John Bennet Perry knew his son, Matthew Perry, had incredible acting skills. The "Farewell to the King" actor recalled to People how he noticed Matthew's skills when he starred in a school play. He said, "I thought, 'We've got a problem here, he's good. There's another generation shot to hell!'" Matthew was good, but it would take a couple of years and a few small acting gigs before he landed his big break with "Friends."
One of Perry's earliest projects included his father, John. Matthew starred in the television series "Home Free," which aired for just one season in 1993, per IMDb. Matthew was the lead actor who played a son still living with his mom, but his comfortable world gets turned upside down when his sister and her children come back to live with Perry's character and his on-screen mom. Now, where does John fit into this plotline? Well, John played a judge in one episode of the series.
The father-son duo only got to star together in that one episode of "Home Free," so they didn't get much shared screen time. However, it wouldn't be the last time Matthew and John would work on a project together.
Was John Bennett Perry the 7th friend?
"Friends" undeniably changed Matthew Perry's life forever. The show premiered in 1994 and catapulted the six main cast members to stardom. In 2015, Perry told the Daily Mail how the NBC sitcom changed his life for good. He explained, "It changed it in a wonderful way because I was able to have a creative output and be funny for a living. I'll never be involved in anything that successful again, and I certainly wouldn't be here talking to you today if it hadn't happened." The series remains iconic, with its timeless jokes, great chemistry, and of course, A-list celebrity guests.
Throughout its 10 seasons, "Friends" welcomed some spectacular guest stars — from Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt, to Reese Witherspoon and Bruce Willis, and so many more. But for Matthew, one such special guest was close to his heart — John Bennett Perry.
In "Friends" Season 4, John made a special appearance on the sitcom, although he didn't star alongside his son. Instead, he shared a scene with Matthew's co-star, Jennifer Aniston, in the episode titled, "The One with Rachel's New Dress." John played the father to Aniston's love interest, Joshua. In the scene, John and his on-screen wife return home early from a trip when Aniston tries to get intimate with Joshua. The episode was hilarious, but we cannot help but wish he and Matthew had shared a scene, too.
Matthew Perry and John Bennett Perry were a father-son duo on-screen and off
In 1997, Matthew Perry and John Bennett Perry would get the chance of a lifetime to star as a father and son duo in the film "Fools Rush In."
That's right! John played Matthew's father in "Fools Rush In," and it was truly a joy for the "Friends" actor to star alongside his father. In 1996, he told Access Hollywood what it was like to work with his dad, saying, "I knew it would be great, but I didn't know how great it would be. We kind of rehearsed a scene and they were lighting it and we kind of caught each other's eyes and just started giggling at how ridiculous it was that he was playing my dad." It was seemingly surreal for Matthew to work alongside his father, but it made for the best memory, and John thought so, too. He shared with the outlet, "It's just been a kick for me to be on a set with Matthew and enjoying his humor and the stuff that we do together."
When Matthew tragically died in 2023, Salma Hayek, who also starred in "Fools Rush In," noted that Matthew once said the film was "probably his best movie" on social media. Whether that was because of his acting or the memories he created on-set, Matthew's time with his father had to have played a role in it the honor he bestowed the film.
Matthew Perry and John Bennett Perry both took on The West Wing
"The West Wing" had enough room for two Perrys. Matthew Perry and his father, John Bennett Perry, both starred in the series. However, the father-son duo wasn't on the same episode, nor were they on the same season (so maybe we can't really count this one), but both did make an appearance on the show.
John was the first to get a gig on the show in 2001 as Bill Wakefield in one episode. Two years later, Matthew followed in his father's footsteps by taking on the role of Joe Quincy, a Republican lawyer, on "The West Wing." Matthew only starred in three episodes, but made quite the impact. According to The Emmys, the "Friends" actor was nominated for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his time as Joe Quincy — twice. Although he didn't win, Matthew clearly left an impression on his fellow "The West Wing" co-stars.
After Matthew tragically died in 2023, the "17 Again" actor's former co-star, Richard Schiff, shared some touching words about his time on-set. "He [Matthew] was very, very much into doing well and meeting the challenge of working in something so different from the Friends set, which was just an alleyway or two down the way from The West Wing set," Schiff told People.
Matthew Perry and John Bennett Perry scrubbed in for a role
Matthew Perry and John Bennett Perry got a second shot at playing a father-son duo, but this time on a television series. In 2004, it was announced that the "Friends" actor would not only make a cameo in the television series "Scrubs," but he would also be directing the episode, according to Today. The episode was also set to star Matthew's father, John, as his on-screen dad. The "17 Again" actor played a son willing to donate a kidney to his father.
The "Scrubs" cameo marked one of Matthew's first on-screen appearances after wrapping "Friends." The actor spoke about taking on the role of directing in comparison with his time on "Friends," saying, "I feel like my experience on 'Friends' can never really be topped, so if I were to direct another four-camera show, it just wouldn't be as good as the 'Friends' experience was."
Although he doubted his cameo and directing skills compared to the wide success of "Friends," it didn't turn out too bad, and it helped that Matthew had his family on-set. He shared, "That was just a wonderful gift that they gave me. The story was about a father and a son and my father's a wonderful actor. And my uncle's actually in the episode, so it's kinda a family affair." It truly was a family affair as the Perrys took over "Scrubs."