Matthew Broderick
Born: 21st March 1962
Where: New York, USA
The boyish actor made his big screen breakthrough as a computer hacker in the thriller WarGames.
He went on to even greater success in the comedy Ferris Bueller's Day off and has subsequently landed roles in major movies such as Godzilla and Glory.
Broderick initially took up acting at New York's Walden School after being sidelined from his athletic pursuits (American football and football) by a knee injury.
He debuted on stage at age 17 in a production of On Valentine's Day with his father, the late actor James Broderick.
Broderick went on to win acclaim for his portrayal of David, the adopted gay son of drag queen Arnold Beckoff in the Off-Broadway production of Torch Song Trilogy.
In the early 80s, his career accelerated with parts in two Neil Simon projects: the play Brighton Beach Memoirs, and the feature film Max Dugan Returns.
It was his role in the popular 1983 high-tech thriller WarGames that bought him attention and Ferris Bueller's Day Off consolidated his reputation.
Subsequent roles included the medieval fantasy Ladyhawke and the underperforming sci-fi thriller Project X.
However, his career was marred by a road accident while on holiday in Ireland with then girlfriend Jennifer Grey in which two people were killed.
The following year he was back on screen in Neil Simon's Biloxi Blues and played Harvey Fierstein's murdered gay lover in Torch Song Trilogy.
Family Business cast him as a third generation burglar while Glory presented him with the challenge of a Union officer commanding an all-black regiment.
He returned to his theatrical roots for the acclaimed 1995 Broadway revival of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying, and walked off with a Tony Award for Best Leading Actor in a Musical.
He took leave from the show to film The Cable Guy, playing the hapless customer whose life becomes nightmarish after encountering Jim Carrey's title character in Ben Stiller's black comedy-thriller.
When he returned to the Broadway musical in early 1996, he was teamed with his future wife Sarah Jessica Parker in the female lead. The couple later married.
In 1997, he starred in the romantic comedy Addicted To Love opposite Meg Ryan and played a scientist in the action blockbuster Godzilla.
The exquisite black comedy Election - opposite Reese Witherspoon - was a critical success which he followed with a triple role in kids' comedy Inspector Gadget.
Switching styles her appeared in the drama You Can Count On Me and starred alongside Julianne Moore in the bleak comedy Marie and Bruce.
He played the role of Nicole Kidman's nerdy spouse in Frank Oz's enjoyable remake of The Stepford Wives but his most recent role is in The Producers. In it he plays another nerdy role, this time it is the CPA to a theatrical producer who innocently devises a plan to make them both rich.
