John Bennett Perry
Encyclopedia
John Bennett Perry is an American actor
and former model
. He is the father of actor Matthew Perry
.
, the son of Maria Schaefer (née
Bennett) and Alton L. Perry. He married twice. His first wife was Suzanne Morrison, a former press secretary to Canadian
Prime Minister
Pierre Trudeau
, with whom he fathered Matthew Perry
. Perry and Morrison divorced before Matthew's first birthday. He has a daughter, Mia Perry, born 1986, with his second and current wife, Debbie.
His stage credit includes the 1967 musical Now Is The Time For All Good Men
.
Perry is well known for playing the clean-shaven "sailor" in the Old Spice
commercials of the 1970s and 1980s. He has appeared in numerous films and television programs, including Independence Day
, George of the Jungle
, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
, The West Wing, L.A. Law
, Days of our Lives
, Little House on the Prairie
, 240-Robert
, Falcon Crest
, Murder, She Wrote
and Magnum, P.I.
. He also portrayed General Douglas MacArthur
in Farewell to the King
.
He appeared alongside his son (portraying his father) in the 1997 movie Fools Rush In, and in the episode "My Unicorn
" of the sitcom Scrubs
. He also appeared in an episode of Friends
, "The One with Rachel's New Dress", playing the father of Rachel Green
's boyfriend Joshua.
Actor
An actor is a person who acts in a dramatic production and who works in film, television, theatre, or radio in that capacity...
and former model
Model (person)
A model , sometimes called a mannequin, is a person who is employed to display, advertise and promote commercial products or to serve as a subject of works of art....
. He is the father of actor Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry is Canadian-American television and film actor.Matthew Perry or Matt Perry may also refer to:*Matthew C. Perry , American naval officer who forcibly opened Japan to trade with the West...
.
Life and career
Perry was born in Williamstown, MassachusettsWilliamstown, Massachusetts
Williamstown is a town in Berkshire County, in the northwest corner of Massachusetts. It shares a border with Vermont to the north and New York to the west. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,754 at the 2010 census...
, the son of Maria Schaefer (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Bennett) and Alton L. Perry. He married twice. His first wife was Suzanne Morrison, a former press secretary to Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Prime Minister
Prime minister
A prime minister is the most senior minister of cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. In many systems, the prime minister selects and may dismiss other members of the cabinet, and allocates posts to members within the government. In most systems, the prime...
Pierre Trudeau
Pierre Trudeau
Joseph Philippe Pierre Yves Elliott Trudeau, , usually known as Pierre Trudeau or Pierre Elliott Trudeau, was the 15th Prime Minister of Canada from April 20, 1968 to June 4, 1979, and again from March 3, 1980 to June 30, 1984.Trudeau began his political career campaigning for socialist ideals,...
, with whom he fathered Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry (actor)
Matthew Langford Perry is a Canadian-American actor and comedian, best known for his Emmy-nominated role as Chandler Bing on the popular, long-running NBC television sitcom Friends...
. Perry and Morrison divorced before Matthew's first birthday. He has a daughter, Mia Perry, born 1986, with his second and current wife, Debbie.
His stage credit includes the 1967 musical Now Is The Time For All Good Men
Now Is The Time For All Good Men (musical)
Now Is the Time for All Good Men was a 1967 Off-Broadway musical with music by Nancy Ford, book and lyrics and by Gretchen Cryer. It premiered at the Theatre De Lys on September 26, 1967 and closed on January 16, 1968.-Synopsis:...
.
Perry is well known for playing the clean-shaven "sailor" in the Old Spice
Old Spice
Old Spice is a prominent American brand of male grooming products. It is manufactured by Procter & Gamble, which acquired the brand in 1990 from the Shulton Company.-History:...
commercials of the 1970s and 1980s. He has appeared in numerous films and television programs, including Independence Day
Independence Day (film)
Independence Day is a 1996 science fiction film about an alien invasion of Earth, focusing on a disparate group of individuals and families as they converge in the Nevada desert and, along with the rest of the human population, participate in a last-chance counterattack on July 4 – the same...
, George of the Jungle
George of the Jungle (film)
George of the Jungle is a 1997 live-action, family-oriented, romantic-adventure-comedy film based on the characters from the original cartoon of the same name. The film was produced by Walt Disney Pictures with Mandeville Films and originally released to movie theatres on July 16, 1997...
, The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin
The 40-Year-Old Virgin is a 2005 American buddy comedy film about a middle-aged man's journey to finally have sex. The film was written and directed by Judd Apatow and co-written by its lead star, Steve Carell, though the film itself features a great deal of improvised dialogue...
, The West Wing, L.A. Law
L.A. Law
L.A. Law is a US television legal drama that ran on NBC from September 15, 1986 to May 19, 1994. L.A. Law reflected the social and cultural ideologies of the 1980s and early 1990s and many of the cases featured on the show dealt with hot topic issues such as abortion, racism, gay rights,...
, Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives
Days of our Lives is a long running daytime soap opera broadcast on the NBC television network. It is one of the longest-running scripted television programs in the world, airing nearly every weekday in the United States since November 8, 1965. It has since been syndicated to many countries around...
, Little House on the Prairie
Little House on the Prairie (TV series)
Little House on the Prairie is an American Western drama television series, starring Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, about a family living on a farm in Walnut Grove, Minnesota, in the 1870s and 1880s. The show was an adaptation of Laura Ingalls Wilder's best-selling series of Little House books...
, 240-Robert
240-Robert
240-Robert is an American drama series that ran on ABC from 1979 to 1981. The series title is a reference to the call-sign designation for the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department's search and rescue/paramedic teams.-Synopsis:...
, Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest
Falcon Crest is an American primetime television soap opera which aired on the CBS network for nine seasons, from December 4, 1981 to May 17, 1990. A total of 227 episodes were produced....
, Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote
Murder, She Wrote is an American television mystery series starring Angela Lansbury as mystery writer and amateur detective Jessica Fletcher. The series aired for 12 seasons from 1984 to 1996 on the CBS network, with 264 episodes transmitted. It was followed by four TV films and a spin-off series,...
and Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I.
Magnum, P.I. is an American television series starring Tom Selleck as Thomas Magnum, a private investigator living on Oahu, Hawaii. The series ran from 1980 to 1988 in first-run broadcast on the American CBS television network....
. He also portrayed General Douglas MacArthur
Douglas MacArthur
General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was an American general and field marshal of the Philippine Army. He was a Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the...
in Farewell to the King
Farewell to the King
Farewell to the King is a 1989 film written and directed by John Milius. It stars Nigel Havers, Frank McRae, Gerry Lopez and Nick Nolte, and is based on the 1969 novel L'Adieu au Roi by Pierre Schoendoerffer. Longtime Milius collaborator Basil Poledouris composed the musical score...
.
He appeared alongside his son (portraying his father) in the 1997 movie Fools Rush In, and in the episode "My Unicorn
My Unicorn
"My Unicorn" is the eleventh episode of the fourth season of U.S comedy-drama Scrubs. It guest starred and was directed by Friends star Matthew Perry, and first aired on November 23, 2004 on NBC.-Plot:...
" of the sitcom Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
. He also appeared in an episode of Friends
Friends
Friends is an American sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, which aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004. The series revolves around a group of friends in Manhattan. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, "The One with Rachel's New Dress", playing the father of Rachel Green
Rachel Green
Rachel Karen Green is a fictional character on the popular U.S. television sitcom Friends, portrayed by Jennifer Aniston. Aniston received an Emmy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Golden Globe for her performances.-Background:...
's boyfriend Joshua.