A slight comic actor chiefly known for his boyish charm, Matthew Broderick was born on the 21 March 1962, in New York City, New York to the late actor James Broderick and Patricia Broderick. Broderick initially took up acting at New York's upper crust Walden School after being sidelined from his athletic pursuits (football and soccer) by a knee injury. His father got him his stage debut at age 17 ...
show all A slight comic actor chiefly known for his boyish charm, Matthew Broderick was born on the 21 March 1962, in New York City, New York to the late actor James Broderick and Patricia Broderick. Broderick initially took up acting at New York's upper crust Walden School after being sidelined from his athletic pursuits (football and soccer) by a knee injury. His father got him his stage debut at age 17 in a workshop production of the play On Valentine's Day. Broderick's career then accelerated with parts in two Neil Simon projects: the play Brighton Beach Memoirs (1982-83), and the feature film "The Max Dugan Returns (1983)". Broderick reprised the role of Eugene in "Biloxi Blues (1988)", the second installment of the Neil Simon trilogy, for both the Broadway production and the 1988 film adaptation. For the third and final installment of the trilogy, he was replaced by Jonathan Silverman. In 1983, the same year as "Max Dugan Returns (1983)", Broderick had his first big screen success in the light comedy "WarGames (1983)". Since then, he has had his fair share of hits and misses at the cinemas, with some of his better films including "Project X (1987)" also starring Helen Hunt whom he subsequently dated, "Addicted to Love (1997)", and "Inspector Gadget (1999)". Other films he has appeared in which may be known but not so much respected include "Out on a Limb (1992)" with "Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)" co-star Jeffrey Jones , "Night We Never Met (1993)", "The Road to Wellville (1994)" and "The Cable Guy (1996)" with Jim Carrey which got him an MTV best fight award nomination, and the MTV film "Election (1999)" with Reese Witherspoon. In 1985, he was involved in a controversial car crash while driving in Ireland with his then fiancé Jennifer Grey . The crash killed a woman and her daughter. Although he was cleared of all charges, he paid a small fine to the family of the women. He broke his leg in the accident, which happened just as "Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986)", his biggest hit, was coming out in the states. The box office success (but critical flop) and special effects blockbuster "Godzilla (1998)" gave Broderick his first action figure. Should any "Godzilla (1998)" sequels be planned, he is under contract for two more. He has occasionally returned to the stage in New York, either in revivals of old musical warhorses such as 'How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying', or in revivals of old 'show people' plays, such as 'Night Must Fall'. In 1996, Broderick attempted to wear three hats as co-producer/director/actor of "Infinity (1996)", working very closely with his mother, who also wrote the screenplay. It was not deemed either a critical or commercial success, and he has not directed or produced since. Since May 1997, he has been married to Sarah Jessica Parker. He was previously engaged to both Helen Hunt and Jennifer Grey , and dated Lili Taylor . In 1999, he donned a trench-coat for the children's film "Inspector Gadget (1999)", alongside Rupert Everett as the evil villain Claw. In March 2001, Broderick returned to Broadway in the musical smash "The Producers" (based on the Mel Brooks film of the same name). He was nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Musical, which he lost to his co-star, Nathan Lane.
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