Friends star Matthew Perry, who passed away on Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023, at the age of 54, established a career—and a fortune—from his role as Chandler Bing on the iconic ’90s sitcom. Perry will always be remembered for Friends, but he had an outstanding record of roles and a staggering personal worth.
Perry has been acting since his late teens, and his prior credits include Who’s the Boss?, Growing Pains, and Just the Ten of Us, as well as the films Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek and The Whole Nine Yards with Bruce Willis. Explore Matthew Perry’s net worth and how much his role on Friends paid (and continues to pay).
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What Was Matthew Perry Net Worth?
At the time of his death, Perry’s net worth was estimated to be $120 million. Although he had minor appearances throughout his career, we may infer that Friends and the enormous residuals he and the actors continued to earn provided the most of his riches.
How Did Matthew Perry Become Famous?
Matthew Perry made his acting debut at the age of 18 in A Night in the Life of Jimmy Reardon, opposite River Phoenix. This role paved the way for her to appear as a guest star on popular shows such as Silver Spoons, Growing Pains, and Empty Nest.
Surprisingly, when Friends first aired in 1994, Perry was probably the most well-known member of the cast that would go on to become the most famous Friends in television history. At the time, none of them were household names. He was also a regular on the sitcom Sydney, which starred Perry, Craig Bierko, and Valerie Bertinelli in the titular role.
Perry is from a wealthy family. Suzanne Marie Morrison (née Langford), his mother, was the press secretary to then-Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau. Perry frequently encountered Trudeau’s son, Justin Trudeau, Canada’s current Prime Minister, on the playground. Trudeau announced Perry’s death on X (previously Twitter).
Matthew Perry’s passing is 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. Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed.
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) October 29, 2023
His father is John Bennett Perry, an actor, musician, and former model best known as the clean-shaven sailor in the late ’70s and early ’80s Old Spice advertisements. Keith Morrison, a Canadian journalist and Dateline NBC correspondent, is his stepfather.
What Did Matthew Perry Earn From Friends?
When Friends first aired in 1995, none of the cast members were well-known. As a result, Matthew Perry and the rest of the cast got $22,500 every episode, for a total of $540,000 for Season 1. Not bad for 1995, but little compared to the tremendous sums they will earn in subsequent seasons.
At the peak of the show’s popularity, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer all made $1 million per episode. Matthew Perry and Friends earned an estimated $90 million throughout the course of the series when you combine the ten seasons and the incremental raises they received.
Friends is one of the most popular streaming series, and the cast reportedly still earns $10 million to $20 million per year in residuals and syndication fees. Each cast member reportedly earned $2.5 million for their roles in the Friends reunion special on Max (previously HBO Max).
Must Read more articles on Matthew Perry:
- Matthew Perry Cause of Death: Remembering the Iconic Friends Star
- Matthew Perry Seeking Assistance While Struggling with Addiction: Alone, You Lose to the Disease
How Much Did Matthew Perry Make From the Sale of His Los Angeles Condo?
Matthew Perry’s real estate transactions have gotten almost as much attention as his post-Friends performances. Perry spent $20 million on a magnificent penthouse condo in Century City in 2017. The beautiful apartment is on the 40th level of a celebrity-approved skyscraper and is over 9,300 square feet in size.
He listed the refurbished condo for $35 million just two years later. Unfortunately, he did not receive the anticipated return on investment. He sold the skyscraper for $21.6 million in 2021. Perry most likely lost money on the condo acquisition, given the cost of ownership, renovations, and sales fees.
How Much Did Matthew Perry Earn for His Role in The Odd Couple?
Perry was a major force behind the 2015 relaunch as a fan of the original 1968 film starring Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, as well as the accompanying 1970 series with Tony Randall and Jack Klugman. He was an executive producer and contributed to the development of the series, in which he starred as Oscar Madison with Thomas Lennon as Felix Unger.
Perry and Joe Keenan also co-wrote the pilot episode. The show lasted three seasons. Although cast salaries were not disclosed, we presume Perry’s star power and EP status earned him one of the show’s higher salaries.
How Much Did Matthew Perry Get Paid for His Work on Sunset Boulevard’s Studio 60?
Riding the popularity of Friends, Matthew Perry starred in the short-lived Aaron Sorkin sitcom about the creation of a live comedy series similar to Saturday Night Live. He said in his 2022 memoir that he was initially promised $50,000 per episode for Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. He and his representative were able to raise his salary to $175,000 per episode.
What Did Matthew Perry Get Paid for Fools Rush In?
In his 2022 book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he also discusses his gains from the 1997 rom-com Fools Rush In, co-starring Salma Hayek. He was paid $1 million for the part, which he shot between Friends Seasons 2 and 3.
