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Matt LeBlanc : Not So Happening Without Friends

LeBlanc had paid his dues before he came onboard the show acting in a episodes of the soft core series Red Shoe Diaries on Showtime. So when Friends became a huge success, LeBlanc was one of the first to cash in.

Unfortunately his first project with his newly found fame turned out to be Ed. Let’s put it this way, the titular character was a chimpanzee. And unless you are Clint Eastwood, you don’t act with monkeys and expect people to take you seriously.

Ed sank faster than spoon in my aunt’s raita, barely crossing $4 million at the box office. LeBlanc was roundly pilloried for both his role and his choice in movies.

Chastised, his next pick was a decidedly better one on paper: a big screen adaptation of the beloved sci-fi TV show Lost in Space. Things looked good for LeBlanc: Lost in Space had a respectable budget of $80 million, it had thespian cred in the form of William Hurt and Gary Oldman; hot and sweet glamour from Heather Graham and the screenplay had been written by the well-regarded Akiva Goldsmith.

But LeBlanc’s run of bad luck continued. Although he delivered a well received performance in the film as the authoritative Major Don West, Lost in Space limped its way to $66 million domestic and just about recovered its costs with a worldwide gross of $135 million. After the tepid performance of Lost in Space, LeBlanc went back to focusing on his TV career and made two small appearances in the extremely successful Charlie’s Angels franchise. Working your way into the good graces of Hollywood casting agents with high profile bit parts is a tested comeback technique. The stage was being set again for LeBlanc to deliver a hit and re-launch his career.

When Friendsended its run, NBC was so desperate for a replacement to shore up its comedy lineup that they gave LeBlanc a ton of cash and his own spinoff series called Joey. Delivered to audiences following a huge media push that included ubiquitous ads of LeBlanc shrugging and saying “How you doin” in a thick ethnic Italian accent, the shows initial numbers were off the charts. But shortly thereafter, the show’s ratings started a downward slide that nothing could arrest. The first year numbers were barely over 10 million on average – not exactly “Must See TV”. Joey was cancelled after three disappointing seasons.

Somewhere in all of this, LeBlanc’s three year marriage to Melissa McKnight ended when LeBlanc filed for divorce. LeBlanc had adopted both of McKnight’s children from her earlier marriage and the couple also had a daughter, Marina, 2 years at the time. Some gossip reportedly linked LeBlanc with his Joey costar Andrea Anders. McKnight, 41, in the meantime, shortly found solace in the arms of her spiritual shrink, 27 year old Panache Dsai.

Career Thermometer: Stone Cold