The TV series threw Perry and the rest of the comedy’s cast into the spotlight and saw him achieve fame and fortune over the show’s 10-year run.
What’s more, Perry and his beloved Friends co-stars made history in 2002 by scoring the first-ever US$1 million ($1.72 million) per episode pay cheque. The six-person cast negotiated as a group and threatened to leave the show if they were not paid the same amount of money.
It was the biggest ever pay deal for a 30-minute TV show at the time and it was a huge increase from what the actors were initially said to have been paid when the series first hit screens.
Earlier in their career, Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer were reportedly paid US$14,260 ($24,524) for every episode. However, by the third season, the cast were reportedly making UD$63,381 ($108,997) every episode, according to MarketPlace.
Perry is said to have earned at least US$90m ($155m) during his 10 years on Friends.
'Friends' cast Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courtney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry. Photo / Getty Images
Even after Friends came to a close in 2004, the group’s smart negotiation skills saw them make huge profits over the years that passed thanks to syndication payments - which they won when negotiating season six payments.
Scoring syndication rights was a big milestone for the Friends cast, reports the New York Times, as it was something in the past that had really only been offered to actors who had ownership rights in a production.
So, while Warner Bros made roughly US$1 billion ($1.72b) a year from reruns of the series, USA Today revealed in 2015 that the six cast members were taking home 2 per cent of that, which came to an annual income of around US$20 million ($34.4 million).
However, in 2021, Forbes estimated that – after deductions – the Friends cast had earned A$260 million ($283 million) through syndication, according to data provided by S&P Global and chats with insiders close to the deals.
Despite the big pay cheque, Perry was one of the few Hollywood stars to say he was a working actor and kept himself busy with various TV shows and movies throughout his time in the spotlight.
Matthew Perry attends the GQ Men of the Year Party 2022 at The West Hollywood EDITION on November 17, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo / GQ
He featured in films such as The Ron Clark Story, Fools Rush In, The Whole Nine Yards, and 17 Again. He also starred in a few TV stints like The Odd Couple.
Perry kept his life under the radar ever since his last major movie in 2009. However, he returned to the screen in 2021 for the much-anticipated Friends Reunion, in which he and the cast were allegedly paid more than US$2.5m ($4.3m) each to feature.
The actor published his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing in 2021 andit became a huge hit and bestseller among fans.
The cast during the reunion episode. Photo / HBO
Perry has also been active in the real estate game, investing and developing properties over the years, as well as owning a few of his own multimillion-dollar homes across California. He has bought and sold various properties across the state, such as selling his latest US$5m ($8.6m) house in the Hollywood Hills in June of this year.
When he died, Perry had an estimated net worth of roughly US$120m ($206m), according to Celebrity Net Worth, thanks to his career in acting, as well as his work as an executive producer and screenwriter.
Brian Kelly has spent 55 years on the airwaves, and is New Zealand's voice of motorsport. Now he's been made a member of the NZ Order of Merit in the King's Birthday honours.
