Actor Matthew Perry arrives at the 9th Annual Dinner Benefiting the Lili Claire Foundation at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on October 14, 2006 in Beverly Hills, California. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)
ATLANTA – Matthew Perry is best known for his role in the TV series “Friends,” but one of his roles will forever be linked to namesake of an Atlanta educational institution.
Perry received nods from the Screen Actors Guild Awards, the Gold Globe Awards, and Primetime Emmy Awards for “best actor” in the role of Ron Clark. That name is now pretty well known now, but in 2006, Clark’s story was just emerging.
Perry portrayed Clark in the direct-to-TV movie “The Ron Clark Story” which premiered in August 2006 on TNT. It is an inspiration based-on-real-life tale of how a North Carolina teacher, known for his ability to raise test scores, left his hometown to pursue teaching in the tough New York inner city. After a battle of wills, Clark was able to connect to his students by being able to speak to them on their level.
It was just a year later, Clark, in real life, would officially open the Ron Clark Academy in Atlanta. The nonprofit middle school opened in a red brick warehouse in southeast Atlanta. Along with co-founder Kim Bearden, Clark accepted students from a wide range of economic backgrounds. It is known for taking a holistic and modern approach to schooling.
The students went viral several times, the first during the 2008 presidential election parodying a T.I. song they called “Vote However You Like,” playing off the “Whatever You Like” song title released that same year. FOX 5 Atlanta has reported on many of those moments.
However, it was that movie, starring Perry, which launched Clark’s name nationwide as a man synonymous with finding the fun in education.
Perry was found dead Saturday in what appeared to be a drowning at a home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. He was 54.