BRODERICK, MATTHEW

BRODERICK, MATTHEW (1962– ), U.S. actor. The son of an actor and a playwright, Broderick was raised in New York City's Greenwich Village and began appearing in theater workshops at the age of 17. Broderick's first success came quickly, with critical acclaim for his role in Harvey Fierstein's off-Broadway production Torch Song Trilogy. Following a Tony Award-winning performance in the role of Eugene Jerome in neil simon 's Broadway play Brighton Beach Memoirs in 1983, Broderick launched his film career later that year with his turn as a teenaged computer hacker in the film War Games. In 1986, Broderick achieved a new level of stardom with his breakthrough performance as celebrity high-school delinquent Ferris Bueller, in John Hughes' iconic comedy Ferris Bueller's Day Off. In 1989, he received acclaim for his dramatic role opposite Morgan Freeman and Denzel Washington in the Civil War film Glory. Broderick's range was displayed during the early 1990s with roles in films as disparate as the gangster farce The Freshman (1990) and Disney's animated blockbuster The Lion King (1994). During this period, Broderick continued to move effortlessly between the stage and the screen, winning his second Tony Award in the Broadway musical How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying (1994). Broderick made his directorial debut in 1996 with the romantic comedy Infinity. His subsequent notable performances included roles in the satire Election (1999) and Kenneth Lonnergran's family drama You Can Count on Me (2000). In 2001, Broderick returned to Broadway in mel brooks ' highly popular musical The Producers. In 1997, Broderick married his longtime girlfriend, actress sarah jessica parker . (Walter Driver (2nd ed.)