Matt LeBlanc

{{Infobox person

| name = Matt LeBlanc

| image = Matt LeBlanc, Arqiva British Academy Television Awards, 2013 (tone crop).jpg

| caption = LeBlanc in 2013

| birth_name = Matthew Steven LeBlanc

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1967|07|25}}

| birth_place = Newton, Massachusetts, U.S.

| death_place =

| occupation = Actor

| years_active = 1987–present

| net_worth =

| known_for = {{ubl

|Friends (1994–2004)

|Joey (2004–2006)

|Episodes (2011–2017)

|Man with a Plan (2016–2020)

|Top Gear (2016–2019)

}}

| spouse = {{marriage|Melissa McKnight|May 2003|October 2006|end=div}}

| partner = Andrea Anders (2006–2014)

| children = 1

| signature = Matt LeBlanc signature.svg

}}

Matthew Steven LeBlanc ({{IPAc-en|l|ə|ˈ|b|l|ɒ|ŋ|k}}; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor. He garnered global recognition with his portrayal of Joey Tribbiani in the NBC sitcom Friends and in its spin-off series, Joey. For his work on Friends, LeBlanc received three nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards. He has also starred as a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes (2011–2017), for which he won a Golden Globe Award and received four additional Emmy Award nominations. He co-hosted Top Gear from 2016 to 2019. From 2016 to 2020, he played patriarch Adam Burns in the CBS sitcom ''Man with a Plan.

Early life

LeBlanc was born at Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Massachusetts. His mother, Patricia ({{née|Di Cillo}}), was an office manager; his father, Paul LeBlanc, was a mechanic and a veteran of the Vietnam War. He has a brother Justin LeBlanc.{{cite magazine |url=https://people.com/archive/cover-story-way-to-go-joey-vol-59-no-19/ |title=Way to Go, Joey! |first=Michelle |last=Tauber |date=May 19, 2003 |magazine=People|access-date=May 3, 2021}}{{cite web|url= https://italoamericano.org/mattleblanc/|title=Matt LeBlanc takes his Italian origins to his heart|date=October 16, 2015 |website=Italo-Americano |access-date=August 22, 2017}} His father is of French-Canadian descent and his mother is of Italian ancestry, the daughter of immigrants from Arce, Lazio.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10833366/Matt-LeBlanc-I-have-an-ego-but-I-try-to-leave-it-at-the-door.html |title=Matt LeBlanc: 'I have an ego, but I try to leave it at the door' |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph |location=London, England |first=Stephanie |last=Rafanelli |date=May 17, 2014 |access-date=January 7, 2015 |archive-date=January 7, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150107231538/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/10833366/Matt-LeBlanc-I-have-an-ego-but-I-try-to-leave-it-at-the-door.html |url-status=live }} He attended Newton North High School, where he graduated in the same year as future comedian Louis C.K.{{cite web |url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/names/2015/09/19/emmy-nominees-louis-and-matt-leblanc-knew-them-when/K8mD1IpH0Fr5HtyZZvGe6L/story.html |title=Louis C.K. and Matt LeBlanc, way back when |work=The Boston Globe |last=Radsken |first=Jill |date=September 20, 2015 |access-date=July 23, 2021 |url-access=subscription}} After high school he attended college at Wentworth Institute of Technology in Boston. He dropped out shortly after starting his second semester.{{cite web|title=Joey Was Here – WIT Magazine|url=https://sites.wit.edu/wit-magazine/joey-was-here/|access-date=2021-05-30|website=sites.wit.edu}}

LeBlanc moved to New York at the age of 17 to pursue a career in modeling, but he was told he was too short to be in the industry. His acting career began after a woman invited him to accompany her to an audition, where he ended up getting signed by her manager.{{cite web|title=Matt LeBlanc|url=http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001455/bio|access-date=2021-05-30|website=IMDb}} Although he had booked commercials and television and film roles before Friends, he was reportedly down to his last eleven dollars before landing the role of Joey Tribbiani.{{cite web|date=2019-02-01|title=Matt LeBlanc Was Down to $11 Before Friends|url=https://www.eonline.com/news/1010667/matt-leblanc-was-down-to-11-before-friends|access-date=2021-05-30|website=E! Online}}

Career

= 1987–1994: Early career =

File:Matt Le Blanc.jpg, 1995]]

LeBlanc first appeared in a 1987 Heinz Tomato Ketchup commercial. In 1988, he starred in the television drama TV 101 for one season. In 1991, he had a recurring role on the hit Fox sitcom Married... with Children. He played Vinnie Verducci, a family friend of protagonist Al Bundy (Ed O'Neill) who briefly dates his daughter, Kelly (Christina Applegate). He also guest-starred in the first season of Red Shoe Diaries. LeBlanc starred in two short-lived Married... with Children spin-offs: Top of the Heap (1991) and Vinnie & Bobby (1992).

He appeared in two Bon Jovi music videos: "Miracle," from the Young Guns II soundtrack in 1990, and "Say It Isn't So" in 2000.{{cite web |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRSB-QZHpXM |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/GRSB-QZHpXM| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|title=Bon Jovi – Say It Isn' So |work=YouTube |date=September 20, 2010 |access-date=May 22, 2011}}{{cbignore}} He also appeared in videos for Alanis Morissette's single "Walk Away," Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers's "Into The Great Wide Open" and Bob Seger's "Night Moves".{{cite web |url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01brd8t |title=Top Gear; Series 18, Episode 2 |website=BBC Two |access-date=February 5, 2012}}

= 1994–2006: ''Friends'', ''Joey'' and film roles =

LeBlanc found success as the dimwitted but lovable Joey Tribbiani on Friends; he played this character for 12 years—10 seasons of Friends and two seasons of Joey. Friends was wildly successful, and LeBlanc (along with co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer) gained wide recognition among viewers. This ensemble situation comedy became a major hit for NBC, airing on Thursday nights for ten years.{{cite web| url=http://www.notablebiographies.com/newsmakers2/2005-La-Pr/LeBlanc-Matt.html| title=Matt LeBlanc Biography – life, family, children, parents, name, story, wife, school, mother – Newsmakers Cumulation| website=Notable Biographies| language=en| access-date=December 1, 2017}}

For his performance, LeBlanc received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three Golden Globe award nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. During this time he also appeared in the films Lookin' Italian (1994), Ed (1996), Lost in Space (1998), Charlie's Angels (2000), and its sequel, Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003).

Following the cancellation of Joey, LeBlanc announced that he would be taking a one-year hiatus from acting on television, which eventually turned into five years.{{cite magazine |title=Matt LeBlanc on Life after 'Friends' and Taking a Six Year Hiatus |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/video/matt-leblanc-life-friends-taking-712923 |date=June 27, 2014 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |access-date=March 30, 2016}}

= 2011–present: Career revival =

File:LeBlanc and Meryl at 69th Annual Golden Globes Awards.jpg, 2012]]

From 2011, LeBlanc appeared as a fictionalized version of himself in Episodes,{{Cite web |last=Hunt |first=Stacey Wilson |date=2011-08-17 |title=Emmys 2011: Matt LeBlanc on Playing Matt LeBlanc |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/emmys-2011-matt-leblanc-playing-223273/ |access-date=2023-04-07 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} a television series about an American remake of a fictional British television series.{{cite news |first=James |last=Rampton |date=January 6, 2011 |title=Episodes: The one where Matt LeBlanc plays himself... |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/episodes-the-one-where-matt-leblanc-plays-himself-2177012.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220512/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/features/episodes-the-one-where-matt-leblanc-plays-himself-2177012.html |archive-date=May 12, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |newspaper=The Independent |location=London |access-date=March 2, 2011}}{{cite web |date=January 4, 2011 |title=Matt LeBlanc Spoofs Himself On Comedy 'Episodes' |url=http://www.accesshollywood.com/matt-leblanc-pokes-fun-at-the-world-of-tv-friends-and-himself-on-showtimes-episodes_article_41726 |website=Access Hollywood |access-date=March 2, 2011}} The series is written by Friends co-creator David Crane and his partner Jeffrey Klarik.{{cite web |last=Parks |first=Tim |date=September 30, 2009 |title=LeBlanc to star as himself on 'Episodes' |url= http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/ustv/a179903/leblanc-to-star-as-himself-on-episodes.html |website=Digital Spy |access-date=September 30, 2009}} The role was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award four times and, at the 69th Golden Globe Awards in 2012, LeBlanc was awarded Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy of 2011.{{cite web |url=http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/ |title=Nominations & Winners |website=Golden Globes |access-date=January 16, 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100108115828/http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/ |archive-date=January 8, 2010 }}

In February 2012, LeBlanc appeared in the second episode of the eighteenth season of Top Gear, where he set the fastest lap time in the "Star in a Reasonably Priced Car" segment in a Kia Cee'd. Lapping at 1:42.1, he beat the show's previous record-holder, Rowan Atkinson, by 0.1 seconds. He also appeared in the fourth episode of the nineteenth season to race the New Kia Cee'd, and beat his previous time.

In February 2016, the BBC announced LeBlanc had signed on to become one of the new Top Gear hosts,{{cite web |title=Matt LeBlanc joins Top Gear! |url=http://www.topgear.com/car-news/top-gear-tv/matt-leblanc-joins-top-gear |website=Top Gear |access-date=February 4, 2016|date=February 4, 2016 }} signing a two-year deal later that year.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-37470962 |title=Top Gear: Matt LeBlanc signs two-series deal |date=September 26, 2016 |website=BBC News |access-date=August 22, 2017}} In May 2018, he announced that he was leaving the series in order to spend more time with his family and friends in the US.{{cite news|title = Matt LeBlanc to leave Top Gear|url = https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-44320696|website = BBC News|date = 2018-05-31|access-date = 2019-04-07|df = mdy-all}} He and Rory Reid were replaced by new co-hosts Paddy McGuinness and Andrew Flintoff in the twenty-seventh series in October 2018.

LeBlanc played the lead role in the CBS sitcom Man with a Plan, which began airing in 2016 until it was cancelled in 2020.{{cite web |url=https://deadline.com/2016/06/cbs-fall-premiere-dates-2016-1201776569/ |title=CBS Sets Fall 2016 Premiere Dates, Slates JonBenet Ramsey Limited Series |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |website=Deadline Hollywood |date=June 21, 2016 |access-date=June 21, 2016}}

Personal life

LeBlanc has an extensive interest in cars, and worked as a carpenter before acting.{{cite web|date=January 31, 2019|title=Hiking with Kevin|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0fkh-7rnTI |website=YouTube}} In the mid-1990s, he dated actress Kate Hudson.{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/newspage/1012565719|title=Matt LeBlanc wants to wed Goldie's teenage daughter|date=August 1, 1996|work=The Hamilton Spectator}}{{cite book|first=Lanford|last=Beard|title=The Real Stories Behind the Glitter|year=2005|publisher= Chamberlain Bros.|isbn=9781596090910|page=363}} He married Melissa McKnight, a British-born American model and a divorced single mother of two children, in May 2003.{{cite magazine |last=Wulff |first=Jennifer |url=http://www.people.com/people/archive/article/0,,20157263,00.html |title=Matt Leblanc's Surprise Split |magazine=People |volume=65 |number=15 |date=April 17, 2006 |access-date=November 3, 2010}} They had been introduced to each other in 1997 by McKnight's friend, Kelly Phillips (wife of actor Lou Diamond Phillips). LeBlanc proposed to her a year later. Their daughter, born in 2004, began suffering seizures at eight months old. By the time she was two years old, the condition, thought to be due to cortical dysplasia, had mostly subsided.{{cite news |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12143835/New-Top-Gear-presenter-Matt-LeBlanc-on-his-daughter-his-marriage-breakdown-and-his-darkest-years.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220111/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/celebritynews/12143835/New-Top-Gear-presenter-Matt-LeBlanc-on-his-daughter-his-marriage-breakdown-and-his-darkest-years.html |archive-date=January 11, 2022 |url-access=subscription |url-status=live |first=Patrick |last=Sawer |date=February 6, 2016 |title=New Top Gear presenter Matt LeBlanc on his daughter, his marriage breakdown and his darkest years |newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|access-date=August 22, 2017}}{{cbignore}} LeBlanc and McKnight divorced in October 2006, citing irreconcilable differences.{{cite magazine |url=https://people.com/celebrity/matt-leblancs-other-woman/ |magazine=People |title=Matt LeBlanc's Other Woman |date=April 6, 2006 |access-date=January 6, 2021}}

LeBlanc met actress Andrea Anders in 2004 while she was co-starring as his friend and eventual love interest on Joey. The pair eventually embarked on a relationship, which was confirmed in 2006 following LeBlanc's divorce from his wife Melissa McKnight.{{cite web|url=https://people.com/celebrity/matt-leblancs-other-woman/|title=Matt LeBlanc's Other Woman|date=6 April 2006|newspaper = People}}{{cite web|url=https://people.com/archive/matt-leblancs-surprise-split-vol-65-no-15/|title=Matt Leblanc's Surprise Split|last=Wulff |first=Jennifer|date=17 April 2006|newspaper = People}} After over eight years as a couple, LeBlanc announced at the start of 2015 that he and Anders had separated several months earlier.{{cite web|url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/celebrity-news/matt-leblanc-announces-split-from-partner-andrea-anders-after-eight-years-9962153.html|title=Matt LeBlanc announces split from partner Andrea Anders after eight years|last=Krishnan|first=Joe|date=7 January 2015|newspaper = Evening Standard}}

Leblanc started getting gray hair around the second season of Friends and dyed his hair throughout the course of the series. Once the spin-off series Joey ended, he stopped dyeing his hair.{{cite web | url=https://www.today.com/popculture/matt-leblanc-recalls-going-gray-friends-hilarious-hair-dye-mishap-t118559 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107101246/https://www.today.com/today/amp/tdna118559 | archive-date=November 7, 2020 | title=Matt LeBlanc recalls going gray on 'Friends' — and hilarious hair-dye mishap }}

LeBlanc primarily resides in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles.{{cite web | url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/karenhua/2016/06/21/matt-leblanc-8-75-million-pacific-palisades-mansion/ | title=Matt LeBlanc's Pacific Palisades Mansion is Selling for $8.75 Million | website=Forbes }}

Filmography

= Film =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year	Title	Role	Notes
1987 \|Doll Day Afternoon \|G.I. Joe \|Film debut, short film
1993 \|Grey Knight \|Terhue \|
1994 \|Lookin' Italian \|Anthony Manetti \|
1996 \|Ed \|Jack "Deuce" Cooper \|
1998 \|Lost in Space \|Major Don West \|
2000 \|Charlie's Angels \|Jason Gibbs \|
2001 \|All the Queen's Men \|O'Rourke \|
2003 \|Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle \|Jason Gibbs \|
2010 \|Jonah Hex \|{{n/a}} \|Executive producer
2014 \|Lovesick \|Charlie Darby \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

Title

Role

Notes

1987

|Doll Day Afternoon

|G.I. Joe

|Film debut, short film

1993

|Grey Knight

|Terhue

1994

|Lookin' Italian

|Anthony Manetti

1996

|Ed

|Jack "Deuce" Cooper

1998

|Lost in Space

|Major Don West

2000

|Charlie's Angels

|Jason Gibbs

2001

|All the Queen's Men

|O'Rourke

2003

|Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle

|Jason Gibbs

2010

|Jonah Hex

|{{n/a}}

|Executive producer

2014

|Lovesick

|Charlie Darby

= Television =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Role ! Notes
1988–1989 \| TV 101 \| Chuck Bender \| Series regular (13 episodes)
1989 \| Just the Ten of Us \| Todd Murphy \| 2 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 1990 \| Anything to Survive \| Billy Burton \| Television film
Monsters \| Tommy \| Episode: "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites"
rowspan="2" \| 1991 \| Married... with Children \| rowspan=3\|Vinnie Verducci \| 4 episodes
Top of the Heap \| Main cast (7 episodes)
rowspan="2" \| 1992 \| Vinnie & Bobby \| Main cast (7 episodes)
rowspan="2" \| Red Shoe Diaries \| Kyle \| Episode: "Just Like That"
rowspan="2" \| 1993 \| Jed Cody \| Episode: "Kidnap"
Class of '96 \| Frank Goodman \| Episode: "Bright Smoke, Cold Fire"
1994 \| Reform School Girl \| Vince \| Television film
1994–2004 \| Friends \| rowspan=2\|Joey Tribbiani \| Main cast (236 episodes)
2004–2006 \| Joey \| Lead role (46 episodes)
2011–2017 \| Episodes \| Fictionalized version of himself \| Main cast (41 episodes)
2011–2012 \| Top Gear \| Himself (guest) \| 2 episodes
rowspan="2" \| 2013 \| Web Therapy \| rowspan=2\|Nick Jericho \| Web series; 3 episodes
Web Therapy \| Television series; 2 episodes
2015 \| The Prince \| {{n/a}} \| Television film; producer
2016–2019 \| Top Gear \| Himself (presenter) \| 24 episodes (series 23, 24, 25, 26)
2016–2020 \| Man with a Plan \| Adam Burns \| Main cast (69 episodes); also executive producer
rowspan="2" \| 2021 \| Friends: The Reunion \| Himself \| Television special; also executive producer{{cite web \|last1=Andreeva \|first1=Nellie \|last2=Petski \|first2=Denise \|title='Friends' Reunion Special Officially A Go At HBO Max With Cast Returning \|url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/friends-reunion-special-confirmed-hbo-max-cast-returning-jennifer-aniston-courtney-cox-1202865593 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221222755/https://deadline.com/2020/02/friends-reunion-special-confirmed-hbo-max-cast-returning-jennifer-aniston-courtney-cox-1202865593/ \|url-status=dead \|archive-date=February 21, 2020 \|website=Deadline Hollywood \|access-date=February 24, 2020 \|language=en \|date=February 21, 2020}}
Top Gear: A Tribute to Sabine Schmitz \| Himself \| 1 episode

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Role

! Notes

1988–1989

| TV 101

| Chuck Bender

| Series regular (13 episodes)

1989

| Just the Ten of Us

| Todd Murphy

| 2 episodes

rowspan="2" | 1990

| Anything to Survive

| Billy Burton

| Television film

Monsters

| Tommy

| Episode: "Shave and a Haircut, Two Bites"

rowspan="2" | 1991

| Married... with Children

| rowspan=3|Vinnie Verducci

| 4 episodes

Top of the Heap

| Main cast (7 episodes)

rowspan="2" | 1992

| Vinnie & Bobby

| Main cast (7 episodes)

rowspan="2" | Red Shoe Diaries

| Kyle

| Episode: "Just Like That"

rowspan="2" | 1993

| Jed Cody

| Episode: "Kidnap"

Class of '96

| Frank Goodman

| Episode: "Bright Smoke, Cold Fire"

1994

| Reform School Girl

| Vince

| Television film

1994–2004

| Friends

| rowspan=2|Joey Tribbiani

| Main cast (236 episodes)

2004–2006

| Joey

| Lead role (46 episodes)

2011–2017

| Episodes

| Fictionalized version of himself

| Main cast (41 episodes)

2011–2012

| Top Gear

| Himself (guest)

| 2 episodes

rowspan="2" | 2013

| Web Therapy

| rowspan=2|Nick Jericho

| Web series; 3 episodes

Web Therapy

| Television series; 2 episodes

2015

| The Prince

| {{n/a}}

| Television film; producer

2016–2019

| Top Gear

| Himself (presenter)

| 24 episodes (series 23, 24, 25, 26)

2016–2020

| Man with a Plan

| Adam Burns

| Main cast (69 episodes); also executive producer

rowspan="2" | 2021

| Friends: The Reunion

| Himself

| Television special; also executive producer{{cite web |last1=Andreeva |first1=Nellie |last2=Petski |first2=Denise |title='Friends' Reunion Special Officially A Go At HBO Max With Cast Returning |url=https://deadline.com/2020/02/friends-reunion-special-confirmed-hbo-max-cast-returning-jennifer-aniston-courtney-cox-1202865593 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200221222755/https://deadline.com/2020/02/friends-reunion-special-confirmed-hbo-max-cast-returning-jennifer-aniston-courtney-cox-1202865593/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=February 21, 2020 |website=Deadline Hollywood |access-date=February 24, 2020 |language=en |date=February 21, 2020}}

Top Gear: A Tribute to Sabine Schmitz

| Himself

| 1 episode

= Music videos =

class="wikitable sortable"
Year ! Title ! Artist ! Role ! Notes
1990 \|"Miracle" \|Jon Bon Jovi \|Friend \|
rowspan=2\|1991 \|"Into the Great Wide Open" \|Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers \|Young man \|
"Walk Away" \|Alanis Morissette \|Boyfriend \|
1994 \|"Night Moves" \|Bob Seger \|Young man \|
2000 \|"Say It Isn't So" \|Bon Jovi \|Unknown \|

class="wikitable sortable"

Year

! Title

! Artist

! Role

! Notes

1990

|"Miracle"

|Jon Bon Jovi

|Friend

rowspan=2|1991

|"Into the Great Wide Open"