There’s something quietly sad about a dad who can’t speak up for his kid. When the first episode of Netflix’s three-part documentary The One About Matthew Perry aired on October 27, most people looked through the credits to see familiar faces, like Friends cast members, old co-stars, and childhood friends. A name that wasn’t there was what many people saw instead: Matthew’s father, John Bennett Perry, is an actor who is 85 years old and whose health has apparently gotten so bad that he couldn’t even take part in a tribute to his late son.
Matthew’s paternal half-sister Mia Perry Bowick talked about it in the last episode of the documentary. She said that their dad had been “sick for a long time” and that he would have “loved to be able to help share the story of his son.” “Loved to be able” is a phrase that means more than it seems at first. It’s not a vague reason or a nice way to avoid responsibility. It sounds like it was written by someone who has seen a parent slowly die and had to help a family deal with their grief almost overnight.
Mia is the only Perry family member who shows up in the documentary. Matthew’s mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, and stepfather, Keith Morrison, who is a veteran TV reporter, did not take part. These other half-siblings of Matthew also didn’t do it. Having Mia there made me feel both alone and needed, like someone had to be there because no one else could.
John Bennett Perry has a history that should be known. He was in the U.S. Marines before he became an actor, and he embodied an old-school American toughness that doesn’t show up on screen very often these days. He was in movies and TV shows for many years.
One of his most famous roles was in the 1997 romantic comedy Fools Rush In with his son. That movie was a strange and touching real-life side note: a father and son were on camera together, playing characters who were dealing with love and uncertainty. It makes you wonder if Matthew looked across the set at his dad while they were filming and felt some of that complicated pride that kids have for their parents. It’s possible. We can’t know.
In the documentary, Mia talked about what she thought her dad would have said about Matthew if he had been able to. “My dad would say, ‘He fought.'” He didn’t give up. He was really strong. He would only hit the good ones. That phrase, “he would hit the positives,” says something specific about John Bennett Perry’s personality, or at least how his daughter sees it. Not someone who brushes off problems, but someone whose natural tendency is to be strong instead of sad.
Matthew Perry died in October 2023 at the age of 54 from the strong effects of ketamine. His death shook the entertainment world in ways that are still being thought through. The documentary goes back over his decades-long battle with addiction. It shows a time when he was reportedly taking up to 55 Vicodin pills a day and had lost weight to 128 pounds.
It was said that his father always supported him without any conditions. Mia said that John was “proud of how hard Matthew worked to get better” and that he would support him in anything he did to get better. That’s not a little thing. Addiction breaks up families in a very cruel way, and parents who are there for their kids no matter what is rarer and more valuable than it sounds.
It’s hard not to think about what this time must have been like for John Bennett Perry, who is 85 years old and in whatever health condition he is in. He knows that his son is dead and that a major documentary about his life has just come out, but he couldn’t be a part of it. Anyone outside of his close friends and family can’t say for sure if he has seen it or been told about it, or if his condition lets him handle such strong emotions.
It seems like his absence from the documentary slowly takes on a life of its own. His effect on Matthew—on who he was and how he saw himself as a fighter—runs through the whole thing, but the camera never finds him. Mia said her dad would be proud. I think that’s all any of us can say from the outside.
John Bennett Perry was an actor for many years, served his country, and raised children in a variety of places and with different people. He also saw his most famous child struggle and succeed for many years before he died too soon. He is sick now, and most people who used to know his name can’t find him. This is also part of the story; it’s quiet, no one can see it, and very human.
FAQs
Q1: Why wasn’t John Bennett Perry in the Netflix documentary about Matthew Perry?
He has been ill for a long time and wasn’t well enough to participate.
Q2: Who represented the Perry family in the Netflix documentary?
Matthew’s paternal half-sister, Mia Perry Bowick, was the sole Perry family representative.
Q3: How old is John Bennett Perry?
He is 85 years old, born on January 4, 1941.
Q4: Did John Bennett Perry and Matthew Perry ever work together on screen?
Yes, they appeared together in Fools Rush In and an episode of Scrubs.
Q5: What was John Bennett Perry’s attitude toward Matthew’s addiction struggles?
He backed Matthew 100 percent and was extremely proud of his recovery efforts.