Matthew Broderick is an American actor and comedian born on March 21, 1962. You might recognize him from his roles in popular movies like Ferris Bueller’s Day Off (1986), where he played the main character, or as the voice of adult Simba in Disney’s The Lion King (1994). He also played Leo Bloom in the Broadway musical The Producers and its 2005 film version.
Broderick has been in several other films too, like WarGames (1983), Glory (1989), The Freshman (1990), The Cable Guy (1996), Godzilla (1998), Election (1999), Inspector Gadget (1999), You Can Count on Me (2000), and The Last Shot (2004). He even directed himself in a movie called Infinity (1996) and did voice work in films like Good Boy (2003), Bee Movie (2007), and The Tale of Despereaux (2008).
On top of his success in movies, Broderick has also done well on stage. He’s won two Tony Awards, one for his role in Brighton Beach Memoirs (1983) and another for How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1995). He’s also been in big Broadway hits like The Producers and It’s Only a Play.
In 2006, he got a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, and in 2017, he was honored with a spot in the American Theater Hall of Fame.
| Full Name | Matthew Broderick |
| Date of Birth | March 21, 1962 |
| Place of Birth | Manhattan, New York, United States |
| Occupation | Actor, comedian, voice actor |
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) |
| Spouse | Sarah Jessica Parker (married 1997) |
| Children | James Wilkie Broderick, Marion Loretta Elwell Broderick |
| Net Worth | $200 Million |
Matthew Broderick’s Early Life and Education
Matthew Broderick grew up in Manhattan. His mom, Patricia was a playwright, actress, and painter, while his dad, James was an actor and a veteran of World War II. His mom’s side of the family was Jewish with ancestors from Germany and Poland, while his dad’s side was Catholic with roots in Ireland and England.
For school, Broderick went to City and Country School for grade school and then to the Walden School for high school, both in Manhattan. He learned acting at HB Studio.
Matthew Broderick Career
From Breakout Roles to Tony Wins
Matthew Broderick got his first big acting break in a workshop version of Horton Foote’s play On Valentine’s Day at HB Studio. His dad was friends with Foote. After that, he played a gay adopted son named David in an off-Broadway show called Torch Song Trilogy by Harvey Fierstein. A critic from The New York Times liked his performance and gave him a good review, which helped him get noticed on Broadway.
In an interview in 2004, Broderick talked about how that one review changed everything for him. Suddenly, he was in demand for roles because of it. He had to leave Torch Song Trilogy, and Jon Cryer took over because he looked a lot like Broderick.
After that, Broderick played Eugene Morris Jerome in Neil Simon’s Eugene Trilogy, which includes the plays “Brighton Beach Memoirs” and “Biloxi Blues.” He even won a Tony Award for his role in “Brighton Beach Memoirs.” Broderick also helped start a theater group called Naked Angels. Cryer also filled in for Broderick in some of his roles.
From Ferris Bueller to Lion King
Matthew Broderick’s journey into the film world began with his role as Michael McPhee in Max Dugan Returns in 1983, a film written by Neil Simon. But it was his role in WarGames, also in 1983, that catapulted him into the spotlight. In this summer hit, he portrayed a Seattle teenager named David Lightman who was skilled in hacking.
His next notable role was as Philippe Gaston in Ladyhawke in 1985. But it was his portrayal of the charming slacker in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off in 1986 that cemented his fame. Playing the title character, a high school student who decides to take a day off with his friends in Chicago, Broderick became a favorite among teenage audiences.
Following this success, he appeared in Project X in 1987 as Air Force research assistant Jimmy Garrett, and in 1988, he played Alan, the ill-fated lover of Harvey Fierstein’s character in the movie adaptation of Torch Song Trilogy.
In the 1990s, Broderick took on diverse roles, such as Clark Kellogg in The Freshman (1990) and providing the voice of adult Simba in Disney’s animated classic The Lion King (1994). He also voiced Tack the Cobbler in The Thief and the Cobbler (1995). Broderick showcased his versatility in dark comedies like The Cable Guy (1996) alongside Jim Carrey and Election (1999) with Reese Witherspoon.
Entering the 2000s, Broderick continued to showcase his talent, starring in films like You Can Count on Me (2000) and Good Boy (2003). He also appeared in comedies like The Stepford Wives (2004) and Deck the Halls (2006). Additionally, he lent his voice to animated films like Bee Movie (2007) and The Tale of Despereaux (2008).
From Tony Triumphs to Transatlantic Success!
Matthew Broderick has had quite a journey in the world of theater. In the 1990s, he became a big deal on Broadway, winning a fancy award called a Tony for his role in a musical called How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying. Then, he teamed up with another famous actor, Nathan Lane, for a stage version of The Producers in 2001. That show was a huge hit, winning a bunch of Tony awards. They even made it into a movie later.
After that, Broderick did some smaller plays, like The Foreigner in 2004 and The Odd Couple in 2005, where he worked with Nathan Lane again. He also played a college professor in a play called The Philanthropist in 2009.
In 2012, he returned to the big Broadway stage with a musical called Nice Work If You Can Get It, and in 2015, he was in Sylvia. He even went to London’s West End for a play called The Starry Messenger in 2019.
But wait, there’s more! In 2022, Broderick went back to Broadway yet again, this time in Plaza Suite, and guess who he starred with? Yep, his wife Sarah Jessica Parker. And now, in 2024, that same show moved across the pond to London’s Savoy Theatre. Quite the journey for a Broadway star!
From Tower Heist to Netflix’s Daybreak
Matthew Broderick joined a fun movie called Tower Heist in 2011, acting alongside big names like Ben Stiller, Eddie Murphy, and Alan Alda. Then, in 2018, he got a big role in a Netflix show called Daybreak playing a character named Michael Burr.
Moving forward to 2023, Broderick was in another comedy movie called No Hard Feelings where he played a character named Laird Becker. And he even made appearances as himself in a couple of episodes of a Hulu comedy series called Only Murders in the Building.
What Is Matthew Broderick’s Net Worth?
Matthew Broderick’s Net Worth is estimated to be $200 Million as of 2024, according to Celebrity Net Worth.
Personal Life
Matthew and Sarah Jessica Parker’s Love Story
Matthew Broderick and actress Sarah Jessica Parker got married on May 19, 1997, in a special ceremony led by his sister, Rev. Janet Broderick Kraft. They have a son and twin daughters who were born via surrogacy.
Even though they call the West Village home, they love spending time at their second home in Kilcar, a village in County Donegal, Ireland, where Broderick has fond memories of spending summers as a kid. They also own a house in The Hamptons. Broderick is known to be politically liberal.
Ancestral Heroes from the Civil War to WWI
Back in March 2010, Matthew Broderick appeared on a show called Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC. He talked about how being part of this ancestry investigation connected him emotionally to the role he played in Glory. Turns out, he found out about his great-great-grandfather Robert Martindale, who fought for the Union army in the Civil War. Martindale was in the 20th Connecticut regiment and died after the Battle of Atlanta. He was buried in an unnamed grave in Marietta National Cemetery. With the help of historian Brad Quinlin, Broderick was able to find his ancestor’s grave and finally give him his name back.
During the same show, Broderick also learned about his paternal grandfather James Joseph Broderick II. He didn’t know much about him before but it turns out he was a brave medic in World War I. He earned a lot of awards for his service during the Meuse-Argonne offensive.
Tragic Car Accident
On 5 August 1987, Matthew Broderick was driving a rental car in Northern Ireland when he got into a terrible accident. He ended up in the wrong lane and crashed into another car, killing the driver, Anna Gallagher, and her mother, Margaret Doherty, on the spot. At that time, Broderick was dating Jennifer Grey, his co-star from Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and they were on vacation together.
Broderick got pretty banged up in the crash too, with a fractured leg and ribs, a concussion, and a collapsed lung. Jennifer Grey also suffered severe whiplash and needed surgery later on to avoid paralysis.
Interestingly, Broderick couldn’t remember anything about the crash when he woke up in the hospital. He even told the police that he didn’t know why he was in the wrong lane. He faced serious charges for causing the deaths by dangerous driving, but he ended up being convicted of careless driving and was fined £100.
The family of the victims thought the verdict was unfair. Martin Doherty, the brother/son of the victims, eventually forgave Broderick and planned to meet him in 2003. However, by 2012, they still hadn’t met, and Doherty criticized Broderick’s appearance in a pricey Honda commercial during the Super Bowl, saying he wasn’t the best choice considering his past driving history.
