Matthew Broderick

Matthew Broderick was born March 21st, 1962 in Greenwich, New York. His father was actor James Wilke Broderick and his mother Patricia was a playwrite. Brodericks mother was of Jewish decent and his father was Catholic. He went to liberal arts schools in New York and hung out backstage with his father. He could not see himself acting but thought that a career in set designer or stage manager might be in his future. Matthew played football and soccer, but a knee injury put him out of both. At 17 his dad got him a part in a workshop production "On Valentines Day". From there Broderick won acclaim for his portrayal of David, the adopted gay son of drag queen Arnold Beckoff in the Off-Broadway production of "Torch Song Trilogy. In 1981 after only a couple of performances Matthews dad passed away from Cancer. Broderick continued to pursue the dream that his father believed in. He had great reviews and went on to perform in two Neil Simon plays, one being "Brighton Beach Memoirs" (1982-83). Since that time he has become one of the most well know and long lasting Broadway stars.

Once Matthew Broderick found his way on Broadway it wasn't long before Hollywood was knocking at his door. In 1983 Broderick had his first hit of a movie starring in "War Games". He reprised his role in Biloxi Blues in 1985 while on Broadway. For a short time Broderick dated Penelope Ann Miller. They appeared opposite one another.

In 1986 Broderick was the star in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off". This was another hit and it was there that he met Jennifer Grey who was his fiance' for a short time. In 1987 while they were vacationing in Northern Ireland Broderick was involved in a head on collision where he received some major injuries and the mother and daughter in the other car were killed.

Broderick spent four weeks in a Belfast hospital with a fractured leg and ribs, collapsed lung and concussion. Grey suffered minor injuries.

Broderick told authorities he had no recollection of the crash and did not know why he was in the wrong lane. "I don't remember the day. I don't remember even getting up in the morning. I don't remember making my bed. What I first remember is waking up in the hospital, with a very strange feeling going on in my leg," he said at the time.

Broderick was charged with causing death by dangerous driving and faced a prison term of up to five years. He was later convicted of the lesser charge of careless driving and fined $175. The victims' family called the case "a travesty of justice."

Broderick agreed to meet with the family of the two women in the spring of 2003 so that the family could gain some sense of closure on the accident.

As time went on the movie acting continued. In1987 he and Helen Hunt dated for awhile, but it was in 1992 that he met Sarah Jessica Parker. He was introduced to her through her brother Timothy Britten. They were married in 1997.

                                  A MATTHEW BRODERICK TRIBUTE

1980 Acting debut as Brother Vaughn in Horton Foote’s play Valentine’s Day; also

         starred his father James

1981 Played lead role in the off-Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy

1982 Film acting debut in Max Dugan Returns

1982 TV acting debut in an episode of Lou Grant (CBS)

1983 Broadway debut as Eugene Jerome in Neil Simon s semi-autobiographical play  

         Brighton Beach Memoirs

1983 Had leading role in the summer hit War Games

1984 Reprised role of Eugene Jerome in Simon s Biloxi Blues on Broadway

1985 Appeared in the Showtime production of Athol Fugard s Master Harold ... and the

         Boys

1986 Breakthrough film performance in title role of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

1986 Reprised his stage role of Brother Vaughn in the film On Valentine s Day

1988 Recreated stage role of Eugene Jerome in Mike Nichols film adaption of Biloxi

         Blues

1989 Delivered a fine turn as Robert Gould Shaw, the white commander of a black

         infantry during the Civil War in Glory

1990 Offered a comic turn opposite Marlon Brando in The Freshman

1993 Made rare TV acting appearance opposite Jack Lemmon in the TNT movie A Life

         in the Theatre

1994 Voiced the adult Simba in Disney s animated blockbuster The Lion King ; also sang

1995 Returned to Broadway to star in the revival of How to Succeed in Business Without

         Really Trying ; wife Sarah Jessica Parker co-starred in the final months of the

         shows run

1996 Co-produced (also directed and co-starred) the biopic Infinty ; film scripted by his

         mother Patricia Broderick

1996 Played the customer in whose life comes Jim Carrey s The Cable Guy

1998 Played a scientist tracking the lizard in the blockbuster, Godzilla

1999 Had title role in the live-action film, Inspector Gadget

1999 Offered a winning performance as a teacher out to thwart an overachieving female

          student in in Alexander Payne s Election

1999 Starred in the National Actors Theater Broadway revival of Night Must Fall

2000 Acted opposite Parker Posey in the ill-fated Broadway comedy Taller Than a Dwarf

2000 Played a bank manager in the Sundance hit You Can Count on Me directed by

         Kenneth Lonergan

2001 With Nathan Lane, co-starred in the Mel Brooks stage version of The Producers ;

          received a Tony nomination

2003 Portrayed Professor Harold Hill in the ABC television remake of the Music Man

2004 Co-starred with Nicole Kidman in the Frank Oz remake of the 1975 cult classic,

         The Stepford Wives

2004 Starred as a movie director in The Last Shot with Alec Baldwin, Toni Collette and

          Tony Shalhoub

2005 Re-united with Nathan Lane to play Oscar and Felix in the Broadway revival of The

         Odd Couple directed by Joe Mantello

2005 Reprised his role as Leo Bloom, opposite Nathan Lane in the feature adaptation of

         The Producers

2006 Co-starred with Danny DeVito in the holiday comedy Deck the Halls

2006 Played an astronomy teacher in the Broadway play, The Starry Messenger ; second

         collaboration with director Kenneth Lonergan

2006 Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (January)

2008 Featured in Helen Hunt s directorial debut, Then She Found Me

2009 Co-starred with Catalina Sandino Moreno in The New Group s Off-Broadway

          premiere of Kenneth Lonergan s The Starry Messenger

Sarah Jessica Parker and Matthew Broderick have been a couple since 1992. They now have 3 children. There is James Wilkie Broderick, born Oct. 28, 2002. Then there are their twin girls, Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick and Tabitha Hodge Broderick, both born on June 22, 2009 by way of a surrogate.

They seem to be a happy family. There have been rumors of infidelity but they are still together and will both be appearing on the upcoming "Who Do You Think You Are" preview airing in March of 2010 on NBC.

REGISTER NOW ON FOOTNOTE, AND FIND THE ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE"!