Matt LeBlanc
Date of Birth: July 25, 1967
Hunky and half-witted... somehow it seems like an appealing
combination when Matt LeBlanc plays Joey Tribbiani on TV's phenomenally
popular Friends.
Though much, much smarter than his TV persona, Joey Tribianni's
struggles as an aspiring actor mirror Matt LeBlanc's own early
days. His childhood dreams of become a professional racer gave
way to his Mom's more practical insistence that he get a "real"
job. But being a carpenter didn't really pay off, so LeBlanc took
a friend's advice to pursue a career in modeling. (According to
an ex-girlfriend, "Matt adores his mother. He won't do a
thing without her okay". This may be the one exception.)
Once in New York City, jobs flipping burgers at Fatburger were
easier to find than modeling assignments. But LeBlanc soon found
work in TV commercials, shilling Heinz Ketchup, Coca Cola, Doritos,
and Levi's. Two years later, in 1989, LeBlanc scored his first TV
series, TV 101. It was followed by two other flops (Top
of the Heap and Vinnie & Bobby) but LeBlanc finally
found real success in 1994 with Friends.
LeBlanc's first bigscreen starrer Ed tanked (what else
would you expect from a film where LeBlanc played second banana to
a baseball-playing monkey?). But with his role as Major Don West
in the blockbuster remake of Lost in Space, LeBlanc might
finally make the leap from space cadet Joey Tribbiani.
Filmography
Charlie's Angels 2: Halo (2003)
Charlie's Angels(2000)
Lost in Space(1998)
Ed (1996)
Looking Italian (1994)