Matthew Broderick biography

Synopsis

Early Career

Matthew Broderick was born on March 21, 1962, in New York City. His mother, Patricia, was a playwright, actress and painter, and his father James was an actor. Broderick attended the Walden School in Manhattan, where he studied acting.

Broderick got his start on the stage, in an Off-Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy. A positive review from the New York Times helped him land more roles in the theater, including the Neil Simon Trilogy plays. In 1983, at age 21, Broderick won a Tony Award for his role in Brighton Beach Memoirs.

Big Break

Next, Broderick transitioned to the big screen. He starred as a teenage computer hacker who nearly starts World War III in 1983's War Games. Broderick's most iconic role to date was in 1986's Ferris Bueller's Day Off. He played the title role as a smart, smooth-talking teenager who plays hooky, and embarks on a day of adventures in Chicago. Bueller was one of the top-grossing films at the box office that year, and remains a comedy classic.

In 1989, Broderick recieved positive reviews for his role as a Civil War officer in the film Glory. In 1994, he voiced the adult Simba in The Lion King, and in 1998 he won critical praise for his role in the film Election.

Broadway

In 1995, Broderick returned to the stage, winning a Tony for his role in How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. In 2001, he was again nominated for a Tony Award, this time for his role in the Broadway adaptiation of Mel Brooks' The Producers.

Personal Life

In 1986, Broderick was engaged to his Bueller co-star, Jennifer Grey. The two were involved in a tragic car accident in Northern Ireland in 1987, in which the driver and passenger in the other car were killed. Broderick was convicted of careless driving, and spent four weeks in a Belfast hospital.

Broderick married actress Sarah Jessica Parker in May 1997. Their son, James Wilke Broderick, was born in October 2002. In June 2009, the couple had two daughters delivered through a surrogate: Marion Loretta Elwell and Tabitha Hodge.

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