Matthew Broderick Biography

As a young actor, Matthew Broderick started out on Broadway. After much success in movies in his early twenties, he has now found himself back on Broadway reviving his career. In between, he's had some public trouble with the law, and even more public romances.Considering Broderick was born into an entertainment family, this all makes sense. Born on March 21, 1962 to the late James Broderick, an actor most notably known for his role as the patriarch of the Lawrence family in Family with Kristy McNichol, and Patricia Biow, a playwright, Broderick took up acting after a knee injury ended any hopes he had of an athletic career in football or soccer. His father got him a part alongside him in the play On Valentine's Day.After being noticed in On Valentine's Day, Broderick landed the lead role in the off-Broadway Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein. He then picked up the lead role, as Eugene Jerome, in two Neil Simon plays, Brighton Beach Memoirs, for which he won a Tony award, and Biloxi Blues. His first movie role was in Max Dugan Returns alongside Marsha Mason, Jason Robards, and Donald Sutherland. It was also the debut of Keifer Sutherland, keeping Broderick in good company. For the third play written about Eugene Jerome, Jonathon Silverman took over the role. Broderick was also offered the role that eventually went to Michael J Fox in Family Ties, but had to turn it down as he was becoming too busy with his movie roles.Broderick's career began moving quickly at this point, with him landing the role of the computer-obsessed teenager in WarGames, movie he filmed with Ally Sheedy. He then filmed LadyHawke, his first role as an adult, with Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer. The role he will be forever linked to, that of the title character in Ferris Bueller's Day Off, came next. One of the popular 1980s Jonathon Hughes movies about teenagers in the Chicago area, Broderick starred with Alan Ruck, Charlie Sheen, and Jennifer Grey.Despite the fact that Grey appeared in Ferris Bueller's Day Off as his sister, Broderick began a relationship with her and they eventually became engaged. While on vacation together in Northern Ireland, they were riding in a rental car with Broderick at the wheel, and he ran head-on into another car. The two women in the other car died as a result of their injuries, Grey received minor injuries, and Broderick broke his leg and also picked up a charge of careless driving for which he paid a fine.Broderick's next major film role was as a military man saving chimpanzees being used in science projects in Project X. He fell in love and became engaged to a co-star once again, this time with Helen Hunt. Shortly after this, Broderick reprised his roles in the film adaptations of Biloxi Blues next to Christopher Walken and Penelope Ann Miller, whom he also dated, and in Torch Song Triology next to Anne Bancroft and Harvey Fierstein.With the good adult roles not coming his way, Broderick turned to voicing characters in animated movies, providing the voice of Simba in The Lion King. He was in good company with the voices of James Earl Jones, Whoopee Goldberg, Jeremy Irons, and Nathan Lane. After this success, the adult roles came his way again, as he starred in The Cable Guy with Jim Carrey and the blockbuster Godzilla with Hank Azaria, ironically another ex of Helen Hunt.Broderick returned to Broadway, appearing in How To Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, which earned him his second Tony award. Next up was a role in Mel Brooks The Producers. He was up for his third Tony award, but lost out to his co-star from The Producers, whom he had also worked with on The Lion King. A few years later, Lane and Broderick reprised their roles in the movie adaptation of The Producers. Both went back to Broadway, starring together in another Neil Simon play, The Odd Couple.In his personal life, Broderick finally settled down, marrying actress Sarah Jessica Parker of Sex in the City in 1997. Together they had a child in 2002, James Wilke Broderick, named after Broderick's deceased father.