Matthew Broderick Biography
Biography
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Matthew Broderick was born in New York City, the son of the
late Irish American Catholic actor James Broderick and his
Jewish wife, the late Patricia Biow, a playwright. Broderick
attended the Walden School, a private school in Manhattan with a
strong drama program.
Broderick's first major acting role came in a role in an HB
Studio workshop production of playwright Horton Foote's On
Valentine's Day, playing opposite his father James, who was a
friend of Foote's. This was followed by a lead role in the
off-Broadway production of Harvey Fierstein's Torch Song
Trilogy; a good review by New York Times theater critic Mel
Gussow brought him to the attention of Broadway. Broderick
commented on the effects of that review in a 2004 60 Minutes II
interview:
"Before I knew it, I was like this guy in a hot play. And
suddenly all these doors opened. And it’s only because Mel
Gussow happened to come by right before it closed and happened
to like it. It’s just amazing. All these things have to line up
that are out of your control."
Matthew Broderick followed that with the role of Eugene Morris
Jerome in two Neil Simon plays: Brighton Beach Memoirs and
Biloxi Blues, both plays are part of what is known as the
"Eugene Trilogy" . In between those plays he starred in WarGames,
a summer hit in 1983. Broderick auditioned for the role of Alex
P. Keaton on the NBC sitcom Family Ties and was offered the
role, but he had to turn it down because of his movie schedule.
Broderick then got the role that he will always be remembered
for as the charming, clever slacker in Ferris Bueller's Day Off.
Broderick, who in real life was in his mid 20's, played a high
school student who, with his girlfriend and best friend,
explores Chicago while avoiding the clutches of the dean of
students, who is eager to catch Bueller in the act. The movie
remains an 80's comedy favorite today. In 1989's Glory Broderick
received good notices for his portrayal of -- and uncanny
resemblance to -- the Civil War hero Robert Gould Shaw.
Matthew Broderick in the 1990's took two dark comedy roles. The
first was that of a bachelor who attracts the friendship of a
lonely cable guy played by Jim Carrey in The Cable Guy. The
second was that of a Midwest teacher determined to stop the
school overachiever from becoming class president in Alexander
Payne's Election. Some comment on the irony of Broderick playing
the role of teacher to a clever student (played by Reese
Witherspoon), in that it's a role reversal from Ferris Bueller.
Broderick returned to Broadway as a musical star in the 1990s,
most notably in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying
and Mel Brooks' stage version of The Producers in 2001. Matthew
also continues to make feature films, including the 2005
adaptation of The Producers.
Broderick reunited with his co-star from The Lion King and The
Producers, Nathan Lane, in The Odd Couple, which opened on
Broadway in October 2005.
Matthew has won two Tony Awards, one in 1983 for his featured
role in the play Brighton Beach Memoirs, and one in 1995 for his
leading role in the musical How to Succeed in Business Without
Really Trying. He was also nominated for The Producers, but lost
to co-star Nathan Lane.
Matthew Broderick met actress Jennifer Grey on the set of Ferris
Bueller's Day Off. On August 5, 1987, she was with him as he
drove on a rain-slicked road on the outskirts of Enniskillen in
Northern Ireland. Broderick drove his rented BMW 316 head-on
into another car carrying 63-year-old Margaret Doherty and her
30-year-old daughter Anna Gallagher; both women were killed.
Broderick had to be cut out of the car; he suffered facial
lacerations and a broken thigh. Grey escaped with minor
injuries. Broderick had no memory of the event and Grey was
distracted at the moment of the accident, changing audio tapes
and seeing nothing. The lack of witnesses, skid marks, or other
evidence led Broderick to plead guilty in absentia on February
15, 1988 to the lesser charge of careless driving. He was fined
£100.
Back in the United States, when asked about his trip to Northern
Ireland, Broderick noted that he wanted to put the experience
behind him. "My leg was broken", he says, "I was badly messed
up. I have no desire to be more badly hurt. I don't feel that I
need to have more misfortune or that anything bad has to happen
to me to pay for this. I can say it's over, and I'm really glad
it's over. I want to go on."
Matthew Broderick met actress Sarah Jessica Parker in 1992 and
has been married to her since 1997. The couple has one child,
James Wilke Broderick (born October 28, 2002), named after
Broderick's father. They live in New York.
Film List
- Max Dugan Returns (1983)
- WarGames (1983)
- 1918 (1985)
- Ladyhawke (1985)
- Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)
- On Valentine's Day (1986)
- Courtship (1987)
- Project X (1987)
- She's Having a Baby (1988) (Cameo)
- Biloxi Blues (1988)
- Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
- Family Business (1989)
- Glory (1989)
- The Freshman (1990)
- Out on a Limb (1992)
- The Night We Never Met (1993)
- The Lion King (1994) (voice)
- Mrs. Parker and the Vicious Circle (1994)
- The Road to Wellville (1994)
- Arabian Knight (1995) (voice)
- The Cable Guy (1996)
- Infinity (1996) (also director and producer)
- Addicted to Love (1997)
- Godzilla (1998)
- Walking to the Waterline (1998)
- Election (1999)
- Inspector Gadget (1999)
- You Can Count on Me (2000)
- Good Boy! (2003) (voice)
- Marie and Bruce (2004)
- The Stepford Wives (2004)
- The Last Shot (2004)
- Strangers with Candy (2005)
- The Producers (2005)
- Margaret (2006)
- Deck the Halls (2006)
- Bee Movie (2007) (voice)
This Matthew Broderick Biography Page is Copyright The Planets © 2004 - 2006 Chuck Ayoub