Getty Images (2)
Did Matthew Perry Ever Marry? Inside the ‘Friends’ Actor’s Dating History Before His Death
Matthew Perry was loved by millions of fans who couldn’t get enough of his Friends character, Chandler Bing. In the years leading up to his death on October 28, 2023, the Emmy nominee was linked to several prominent Hollywood stars.
Who Did Matthew Perry Date?
Early on in his acting career, the Massachusetts native had a brief fling with Sydney costar Valerie Bertinelli.
“I fell madly in love with Valerie Bertinelli, who was clearly in a troubled marriage,” he recalled in his 2022 memoir. “My crush was crushing; not only was she way out of my league, but she was also married to one of the most famous rock stars on the planet, Eddie Van Halen.”
In the years that followed, Perry dated Gwyneth Paltrow and Tricia Fisher. While starring in Friends from 1994 to 2004, the sitcom star was one of the most sought-after actors in Hollywood. In 1995, he began dating Julia Roberts after she appeared as a guest star on an episode of the show.
“Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me,” he admitted. “I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unloveable.”
Following their split in 1996, Perry was linked to Neve Campbell, Yasmine Bleeth, Gabrielle Allan, Jamie Tarses, Rachel Dunn, Maeve Quinlan and Lauren Graham. From 2006 to 2012, the Mr. Sunshine actor dated Lizzy Caplan.
Did Matthew Perry Ever Marry?
Perry never got married to any of his partners, but he did come close to walking down the aisle once. He began dating literary manager Molly Hurwitz in 2018. The pair got engaged in November 2020 but called off their engagement in June 2021.
“Sometimes things just don’t work out, and this is one of them,” he said in a statement at the time. “I wish Molly the best.”
Following the devastating news of the actor’s death at age 54 in October 2023, Molly spoke out to pay tribute to her late ex-fiancé.
“While I loved him deeper than I could comprehend, he was complicated, and he caused pain like I’d never known,” she wrote on Instagram. “No one in my adult life has had a more profound impact on me than Matthew Langford Perry. I have tremendous gratitude for that, for everything I learned from our relationship.”
It appears Perry was single at the time of his death. One year before his passing, the West Wing alum opened up about potentially getting married and having kids in the future.
“I think I’d be great. I really do,” he told People in October 2022 of being a father someday. “I grew up with a lot of little kids around me, and that’s probably why, but I can’t wait.”
