Matt LeBlanc Biography

Summary

"Matthew Steven LeBlanc" (born July 25, 1967) is an Emmy and Golden Globe Award-nominated American actor, best known for his role as Joey Tribbiani in the hugely popular sitcom "Friends" (1994-2004) and its less successful spin-off "Joey" (2004-2006).

Background

LeBlanc graduated from Newton North High School in 1985. After high school he attended college at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston, MA. He left a while after starting his second semester. His father is Paul LeBlanc, and his mother is Pat Grossman. He is of mixed Irish, Dutch, English, and Acadian descent on his father's side, and of Italian ancestry on his mother's; he is almost always cast as Italian.

When Matt was 8 years old he wanted to be a motorcycle racer. He entered into junior competitions until finally giving it up. Matt trained and did well in carpentry when he was young, winning the 'Golden Hammer' award while attending high school. He was also cast as Jesus in Jesus Christ Superstar at the Cultural Arts Playhouse. LeBlanc also portrayed Sonny in Grease there winning the illustrious 'CAP' award for his performance.

Career

In the late 1980s, Le Blanc began appearing in a number of television ads, including well-known spots for Heinz, Levi's and Coca-Cola. Matt has said that with the one ketchup commercial he was able to buy a house, a car, a motorcycle, and a wardrobe full of clothes.

In 1988, he landed his first regular TV role, on the drama "TV 101" which ran for one season. In 1991 he starred in the music video for Alanis Morissette's single "Walk Away", where he played her boyfriend. In 1991, he went on to star in a spin-off of "Married With Children" entitled "Top of the Heap". The short lived series only lasted 7 episodes in April and May of 1991. He would also play his "Top of the Heap" character Vinnie Verducci in a number of "Married With Children" episodes.

Le Blanc finally made it big when he landed the role of Joey Tribbiani in 1994 and would go on to play him for twelve years, over ten seasons of "Friends" and two seasons of "Joey". When Matt LeBlanc auditioned for the role as Joey Tribbiani he only had $11 . When the cast got their paychecks, the first thing he bought was a hot dinner. "Friends" was hugely successful and Le Blanc, along with his co-stars, gained wide renown among television viewers.

The cast received a salary of one million dollars per episode for the last two seasons of Friends.

Le Blanc's most notable movie roles have been in the films "Ed" (1996), "Lost in Space" (1998), "Charlie's Angels" (2000) and "All the Queen's Men" (2001).

Awards

From 2002-2004, Le Blanc was nominated three consecutive years as Best Actor at the Emmy Awards, while from 2003-2005 he received three consecutive Best Actor nominations at the Golden Globe Awards. In 2000, he won Editor's Choice in TV Guide Awards (as "Friends"). In 2002, he won TV - Choice Actor - Comedy at the Teen Choice Awards (as "Friends"). In 2005, he won Favorite Male Television Star at the People's Choice Awards.

Personal life

On May 3, 2003, LeBlanc married long-time girlfriend Melissa McKnight and the couple had one daughter, Marina Pearl LeBlanc, who was born February 8, 2004. Marina Pearl was diagnosed as having a rare brain disorder. This disorder affects the motor abilities, causing seizures.

In August 2005, LeBlanc publicly apologized to his wife and the public for having inappropriate contact with a stripper during a vacation in British Columbia. The couple separated on January 1, 2006, and in March of that year, LeBlanc filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences, their divorce became final on October 6, 2006. According to Entertainment Tonight, LeBlanc has been dating co-star of 'Joey' Andrea Anders.