# Matthew Broderick
**Matthew Broderick** (born 1962) is an American actor of stage and screen, best known for his title role as the charismatic high schooler in the classic comedy *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986) and for his two Tony Award-winning performances on Broadway[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matthew_broderick). Born in New York City to playwright [Patricia Broderick](https://www.edgepedia.org/patricia-broderick) and actor [James Broderick](https://www.edgepedia.org/james-broderick), he began studying acting at [HB Studio](https://www.edgepedia.org/hb-studio) and made his professional stage debut at age 17 opposite his father in a workshop production of Horton Foote's *On Valentine's Day*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 1962, New York City, to playwright Patricia Broderick and actor James Broderick[3](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000111/) |
| Signature film role | Ferris Bueller in *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986), which grossed more than $70 million, the 10th highest of that year[4](https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/06/01/ferris-buellers-day-off-40th-anniversary-chicago-scenes-bracket) |
| Tony Awards | First for Best Featured Actor in a Play for *Brighton Beach Memoirs* (1983); second for Best Actor in a Musical for *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying* (1995)[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matthew_broderick) • [5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/matthew-broderick) |
| Voice work | Adult Simba in Disney's *The Lion King* (1994)[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick) |
| Marriage | Married actress Sarah Jessica Parker in May 1997[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/matthew-broderick) |
| Emmy nomination | Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or Special, 1994, for *A Life in the Theater*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick) |
## Early career and stage breakthrough
Broderick's early stage career began in an HB Studio workshop production of *On Valentine's Day*, and he followed this with an [Off-Broadway](https://www.edgepedia.org/off-broadway) appearance in [Harvey Fierstein](https://www.edgepedia.org/harvey-fierstein)'s *Torch Song Trilogy* in 1982, for which he won the Outer Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick) • [6](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Matthew-Broderick/). He made his Broadway debut the following year in [Neil Simon](https://www.edgepedia.org/neil-simon)'s *Brighton Beach Memoirs*, creating the part of Eugene Jerome, a character based on Simon as a youth, and won the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for the role[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matthew_broderick) • [7](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/matthew-broderick/).
The same year, he made his film debut in *Max Dugan Returns* and starred in *WarGames*, playing a computer hacker who almost starts a nuclear war; the latter was the biggest moneymaking movie of the summer of 1983[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matthew_broderick) • [8](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matthew-broderick/).
## Ferris Bueller and film career
Broderick landed the title role in John Hughes's *Ferris Bueller's Day Off* (1986), which instantly took him from moderate fame to movie-star status[1](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matthew_broderick). The film premiered on June 11, 1986, and grossed more than $70 million at the box office, the 10th highest of that year[4](https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/06/01/ferris-buellers-day-off-40th-anniversary-chicago-scenes-bracket). His performance earned him a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture Comedy or Musical[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/matthew-broderick).
He continued to alternate between Hollywood and the New York stage, appearing in films including *[Glory](https://www.edgepedia.org/glory-1989-film)* (1989), *[The Freshman](https://www.edgepedia.org/the-freshman-1990-film)* (1990), *The Cable Guy* (1996), *[Election](https://www.edgepedia.org/election-1999-film)* (1999), *You Can Count on Me* (2000), *The Producers* (2005), *Tower Heist* (2011), and *Manchester by the Sea* (2016)[9](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/matthew-broderick). He also voiced adult Simba in Disney's animated classic *The Lion King* (1994)[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick).
## Later stage and television work
Broderick won his second Tony Award for his role as J. Pierrepont Finch in the 1995 Broadway revival of *How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick). In 2001, he originated the role of Leo Bloom in [Mel Brooks](https://www.edgepedia.org/mel-brooks)'s musical *The Producers* opposite [Nathan Lane](https://www.edgepedia.org/nathan-lane), earning a third Tony Award nomination[9](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/matthew-broderick). He was inducted into the Theater Hall of Fame in 2017[9](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/matthew-broderick).
On television, he received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a [Miniseries](https://www.edgepedia.org/miniseries) or Special in 1994 for the TNT production of [David Mamet](https://www.edgepedia.org/david-mamet)'s *A Life in the Theater*, and a second nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series in 2024 for *Only Murders in the Building*[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick).
## Personal life
Broderick married actress [Sarah Jessica Parker](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-jessica-parker) in May 1997[5](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/matthew-broderick). The couple has three children[2](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick).
## References
1. [Matthew Broderick Movies & TV Shows List, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/matthew_broderick)
2. [Matthew Broderick, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/matthew-broderick)
3. [Matthew Broderick, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0000111/)
4. [Ferris Bueller turns 40, Axios](https://www.axios.com/local/chicago/2026/06/01/ferris-buellers-day-off-40th-anniversary-chicago-scenes-bracket)
5. [Matthew Broderick, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/people/literature-and-arts/film-and-television-biographies/matthew-broderick)
6. [Matthew Broderick, BroadwayWorld](https://www.broadwayworld.com/people/Matthew-Broderick/)
7. [Matthew Broderick, PBS Broadway: The American Musical](https://www.pbs.org/wnet/broadway/stars/matthew-broderick/)
8. [Matthew Broderick, CBS News](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/matthew-broderick/)
9. [Matthew Broderick On Stage, New York Theatre Guide](https://www.newyorktheatreguide.com/stars-on-stage/matthew-broderick)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Br to B*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license