Matthew Broderick

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Matthew Broderick
Matthew Broderick in 1986.
Birth name	Matthew Broderick
Born	March 21, 1962 (age 44) New York, New York, USA
Height	5' 8" (1.73 m)
Official site	None
Notable roles	Ferris Bueller in Ferris Bueller's Day Off Voice of Simba in The Lion King
Spouse(s)	Sarah Jessica Parker 1 Child

Matthew Broderick (born March 21, 1962) is an American film and stage actor who is perhaps best known for his roles as the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off and as the adult voice of Simba in The Lion King. He is also acclaimed for his role as Leo Bloom in The Producers.

1 Biography
2 Filmography
3 Television work
4 Stage appearances
5 Footnotes
6 External links

[edit] Biography

[edit] Early life

Broderick was born in New York City, the son of actor James Wilke Broderick and Patricia Biow, a playwright. Broderick's mother was Jewish and his father was Catholic.^[1] Broderick attended the Walden School, a private school in Manhattan with a strong drama program.

[edit] Career

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."

He 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 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 American Civil War hero Robert Gould Shaw.

Broderick in the 1990's took two dark comedy roles. The first was that of a bachelor who attracts the friendship of an insane, yet lonely cable repairman (played by Jim Carrey) in The Cable Guy. The second was that of a Midwest teacher determined to stop an overachieving student (played by Reese Witherspoon) from becoming class president in Alexander Payne's Election.

Broderick returned to Broadway as a musical star in the 1990s, most notably his Tony Award winning performance in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying and his Tony Award nominated performance in the Mel Brooks' stage version of The Producers in 2001. He also continues to make feature films, including the 2005 adaptation of The Producers. Broderick played the role of Leopold “Leo” Bloom, an accountant who co-produces a musical designed to fail, but which turns out to be successful. In “The Producers” Broderick sings several songs, both alone and with other characters.

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. He 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.

[edit] Personal life

[edit] Home life

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-soaked 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 and Broderick had no memory of the event, Grey was distracted at the moment of the accident in the process of changing audio tapes and remembering or 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.

Broderick met actress Sarah Jessica Parker via her brother. The couple were married in May,1997, in a civil ceremony in a historic synagogue that is no longer used as a house of worship; both Parker and Broderick consider themselves "culturally Jewish."[1] The ceremony was performed by his sister, the Reverend Janet Broderick, who currently serves as the rector of Grace Church Van Vorst in Jersey City, NJ. [2]

Parker and Broderick's first child, James Wilke Broderick (born on October 28, 2002), was named after his father. They spend a considerable amount of time at their holiday home in County Donegal, Ireland where Broderick spent his summers as a child.

He is left-handed, a fact made evident during the movie The Producers when he is drawing in his ledger. Broderick is an avid baseball fan. His favorite team is the New York Mets.