Matt Albie

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Matt Albie
First appearance	Pilot
Information
Gender	Male
Age	36
Occupation	Executive Producer of Studio 60
Portrayed by	Matthew Perry
Created by	Aaron Sorkin

Matthew Albie is a fictional character on the U.S. TV series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, played by Matthew Perry.

[edit] Personal history

Matt began working at Studio 60 in 1997, but remained largely anonymous until 1999, when Harriet Hayes joined the cast. The two propelled each other into success; Matt's writing reached a new standard as he tried to impress Harriet and Harriet gained recognition as she received the lion's share of roles in Matt's sketches. Matt was eventually made a co-executive producer, while Harriet came to be considered one of the "Big Three" cast members alongside Simon Stiles and Tom Jeter.

Matt was one of the first people to voice his support for Bill Maher after Maher's controversial on-air remark regarding the September 11, 2001 attacks. The network distanced itself from him as a result. Matt still holds a grudge against writer Ricky Tahoe for telling reporters that "Matt Albie certainly doesn't speak for the cast, crew and staff of Studio 60 whose thoughts and prayers are with the brave men and women who lost their lives on September 11th".

In 2002, Matt was fired by NBS chairman Jack Rudolph for his outspoken politics. His friend Danny Tripp chose to resign as a show of support for Matt, and the two went on to respectively direct and write what would become a critically acclaimed film, Removing All Doubt. In 2006, he won a WGA award for the script.

In the pilot, Matt and Danny are convinced to return to NBS as executive producers of Studio 60, following Wes Mendell's on-air meltdown. Matt took over Wes' Office at Studio 60, although he would have preferred Danny to have it.

In the pilot, Matt has recently ended a romantic relationship with Harriet, following a fight over her appearance on The 700 Club to promote her new album of spiritual music. However, Matt, by his own admission, is not entirely over his feelings for her; in "The Christmas Show", he even kisses her. The confusion that the two feel over the status of their relationship builds to a cresendo in "The Harriet Dinner, Part 2", where Harriet decides she is breaking up with Matt 'for good.' This, along with the stresses of writing the show almost single-handed, has lead to Matt developing an apparent dependency on prescription drugs.

Though raised Jewish, Matt's religious beliefs are described by Harriet as "East Coast liberal Jewish atheist". In "The Christmas Show", Matt ironically observes that he is the only Jew and most fervent supporter of Christmas among the writing staff. Matt has a nephew who's entering college in the fall of 2007, implying the existence of an older brother or sister for Matt. Both his parents are still alive.

Matt and Harriet's relationship is based on Sorkin's relationship with West Wing actress Kristin Chenoweth.^[1]

He and his former friend and rival Luke Scott are often seen chugging down Red Bulls, which they might have both developed a taste for when they shared an office in 1999.

STUDIO 60 ON THE SUNSET STRIP
EPISODES   |   CHARACTERS   |   CATEGORY   |   AWARDS
Primary Characters	Matt Albie | Danny Tripp | Jordan McDeere | Harriet Hayes Tom Jeter | Simon Stiles | Jack Rudolph | Cal Shanley
Secondary Characters	Ricky Tahoe | Ron Oswald | Wes Mendell | Martha O'Dell Jeannie Whatley | Samantha Li | Alex Dwyer | Dylan Killington Darius Hawthorne | Lucy Kenwright | Andy Mackinaw | Wilson White
Organizations	National Broadcasting System | Tunney Media Group
Fictional Studio 60	The Studio | The Show | News 60
Key Creators	Aaron Sorkin | Thomas Schlamme | W. G. Walden
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[edit] References