Matt LeBlanc

**Matthew Steven LeBlanc** (/ləˈblɒŋk/; born July 25, 1967) is an American actor, comedian, television host, and producer, who played as Adam Burns in the CBS sitcom *Man with a Plan*. He also played as the dim-witted, womanizing but ultimately lovable actor Joey Tribbiani on the popular NBC sitcom *Friends*, which ran from 1994 to 2004 and short-lived sitcom *Joey* from 2004 to 2006.

## Early life

LeBlanc was born in Newton, Massachusetts. His mother, Patricia (Di Cillo), was an office manager, and his father, Paul LeBlanc, was a mechanic. His father is French-Canadian and his mother is an American of Italian ancestry.

He attended Newton North High School and graduated in 1985 with comedian Louis CK.

At the age of 17 LeBlanc moved to New York to pursue a career in modeling.

## Career

### Early career

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, the son of one of the friends of the protagonist, Al Bundy and the boyfriend of Al's daughter, Kelly. He went on to star in two short-lived spin-offs of *Married... with Children*, Top of the Heap in 1991 and *Vinnie and Bobby* in 1992.

He appeared in two of Jon Bon Jovi's music videos: "Miracle", from the Young Guns II soundtrack in 1990, and "Say It Isn't So" in 2000. He also appeared in Alanis Morissette's single "Walk Away" in 1991, the last seconds of Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers "Into the Great Wide Open" in which he is seen getting a tattoo, and in Bob Seger's "Night Moves" in 1994.

### Became as Joey in *Friends*

LeBlanc found success in the role of Joey Tribbiani on *Friends*, and went on to play this character for 12 years — 10 seasons of Friends and two seasons of *Joey*. Friends was successful and LeBlanc, along with his co-stars, gained wide recognition among viewers. For his performance, LeBlanc received three Primetime Emmy Award nominations, three Golden Globe award nominations, and one Screen Actors Guild Award. 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).

His production company, Fort Hill Productions, co-produced the made-for-TV movie, *The Prince*, in 2006.

### Hiatus

Following the cancellation of *Joey*, LeBlanc announced that he would be taking a one-year hiatus from acting on TV, which later turned into five years. His next role would be as a fictionalized version of himself on *Episodes*.

### *Episodes*, *Top Gear* and *Man with a Plan*

In 2011, LeBlanc began appearing as a fictional version of himself in *Episodes*, a BBC/Showtime television series about a British television series that is remade for an American audience. The series is written by *Friends* co-creator David Crane and his partner Jeffrey Klarik. LeBlanc won the 2012 Golden Globe for Best Actor in a TV Series Comedy for his performance, and was nominated for an additional four Primetime Emmy Awards. The latest season of *Episodes*, its fifth, began filming in 2016. In 2014, LeBlanc also appeared in *Lovesick* with Ali Larter.

In February 2012, LeBlanc appeared in the second episode of the eighteenth series of *Top Gear*, where he set the fastest time of 1:42.1 in the Kia Cee'd, narrowly beating previous holder Rowan Atkinson by 0.1 seconds. He also appeared in Series 19 Episode 4 to race the New Kia Cee'd, and beat the old car time. In February 2016, the BBC announced LeBlanc was to be one of the new presenters of *Top Gear*. In September 2016, LeBlanc signed a new two-year deal to continue hosting *Top Gear*. On May 31, 2018, LeBlanc left the series of *Top Gear* after three years until his final appearance which will be in series twenty-six.

He is also starring in CBS' new sitcom *Man with a Plan*, which premiered on October 24, 2016.

## Personal life

On May 3, 2003, LeBlanc married his girlfriend of six years, Melissa McKnight, and the couple had one daughter, Marina Pearl LeBlanc, who was born February 8, 2004. Marina Pearl was diagnosed as having a rare brain disorder. This disorder affects the motor abilities, causing seizures. He also has a stepdaughter, Jacquelyn, 13, and a stepson, Tyler, 17, from Melissa's previous marriage

In August 2005, LeBlanc publicly apologized to his wife and the public for having inappropriate contact with a stripper during a vacation in British Columbia. The couple separated on January 1, 2006, and in March of that year, LeBlanc filed for divorce, citing irreconcilable differences. Their divorce became final on October 6, 2006. According to Entertainment Tonight, LeBlanc has been dating *Joey* co-star Andrea Anders until they separated on January 2015.

LeBlanc is currently dating with *Top Gear* producer Aurora Mulligan since 2016.

## Selected Credited

### Film

* *Ed*
* *Lost in Space*
* *Charlie's Angels*
* *Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle*
* *Jonah Hex* (executive producer)
* *Lovesick*

### TV

* *TV 101*
* *Top of the Heap*
* *Married...with Children*
* *Vinnie & Bobby*
* *Friends*
* *Joey*
* *Episodes*
* *Web Therapy*
* *Man with a Plan* (Adam Burns, also executive producer)

## Trivia

* He was graduated from Newton North High School in 1985 alongside with Louis C.K.
* His father is French-Canadian and his mother is American of Italian ancestry.
* He recently portrayed as Vinnie Verducci appeared in *Married with Children*, *Top of the Heap* and *Vinnie & Bobby*.
* He is a popular character playing Joey Tribbiani in NBC sitcom *Friends* and spin-off series *Joey*.
* Both LeBlanc and Jessica Chaffin were appeared in BBC/Showtime comedy series *Episodes*.

## External links

* Matt LeBlanc on Twitter
* Matt LeBlanc on Instagram
* Matt LeBlanc on Facebook
* Matt LeBlanc on IMDB
* Matt LeBlanc on Friends Central (Friends Wiki)
* Matt LeBlanc on Top Gear Fandom
* Matt LeBlanc on Rotten Tomatoes