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Who Is Matt LeBlanc’s Daughter? All We Know About Marina Pearl LeBlanc
Matt LeBlanc may be famous for playing Joey Tribbiani on the sitcom FRIENDS but he considers being a father to his daughter, Marina Pearl LeBlanc, his greatest role.
Considered to be one of the most popular sitcoms of all time, Friends acquired a massive fanbase across the globe and continues to resonate with the audience long after its initial airing.
From its beloved star cast to witty punchlines, the show has set an inevitable mark in pop culture. It has made people feel genuine emotions, made them cry, appreciate the witty humor, and feel a roller coaster of emotions, leaving them wanting more chances to just see all of the stars together.
While out of all the stars, Matt LeBlanc may be famous for playing Joey Tribbiani on the sitcom he considers being a father to his daughter, Marina Pearl LeBlanc, his greatest role.
The TV star welcomed Marina in 2004 with his then-wife Melissa McKnight. “I remember when my daughter, Marina, was born. The second I laid eyes on her, I was in love, and I had never felt that way before,” he recalled to The Daily Mirror in 2016.
The actor further said that after the birth of his daughter, he took a break from acting and leaned into the day-to-day duties of parenthood and said being a father taught him a lot about the concept of patience. Let's take a minute and find out more about Marina Pearl LeBlanc below.
1. Marina Pearl LeBlanc was born in 2004
Matt and his wife McKnight welcomed Marina Pearl LeBlanc just a few months before the final episode of Friends aired. The couple split in 2006 but continued to co-parent their daughter, with Matt rearranging his filming schedules to optimize time with her. Marina grew up in Santa Barbara, California.
Matt married Melissa McKnight, a British-born American model and a divorced single mother of two children, in May 2003. In 1997, they had been introduced to each other by McKnight's friend, Kelly Phillips (wife of actor Lou Diamond Phillips). LeBlanc proposed to her a year later.
Furthermore, Matt also became a stepfather with his marriage to Melissa to her children fro her ex-marriage Tyler and Jacquelyn. He became close with them while they were together, and made sure to remain as such after the split. Tyler is a sound engineer while Jacquelyn is a graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology.
2. She was diagnosed with cortical dysplasia as an infant
When Marina was 11 months old, she was diagnosed with a form of dysplasia that affected her ability to walk and talk and could cause seizures. The actor called this period of his life as dark and LeBlanc took some much-needed time off from years of filming Friends and Joey to rest and care for his daughter.
“For years and years, I barely left the house. I was burnt out,” he told the publication. “Most actors call their agents and say, ‘What’s going on?’ I’d call mine and say, ‘Please lose my number for a few years. he added.
3. Marina Pearl LeBlanc loves horses and is a fan of singer Rihanna
Marina, now 20, is living a more private life, but her dad revealed in an earlier People interview that she was indeed a talented performer as well — but as a singer. "She has a beautiful voice. She has an audition for the talent show at her school today. I helped her to prepare some new pop song I don't know."
She also loves horses and pop icon Rihanna. The daughter of the Friends star naturally grew up around horses as Matt's family would spend time at their Santa Barbara ranch on the weekends, he told The Sunday Times.
In terms of her ambition and career plans, Marina could be following in her dad’s footsteps in the future, though she may go the musical route.
4. Marina Pearl LeBlanc once got a kiss from Prince Harry
While backstage at a Bruce Springsteen concert in London with her dad, Marina and her sister Jacquelyn were introduced to the world-famous Prince Harry, who was delighted to meet Pearl Le Blanc.
“At the end of the night, [Harry] gave my daughter and stepdaughter a kiss goodnight on the cheek,” Matt said during an appearance on The Ellen DeGeneres Show in 2016. “They were just floored.”
5. Marina Pearl LeBlanc loves watching his show Friends
Even Marina can’t get enough of her dad’s most famous role. In 2018, Matt told Express U.K. that he and his daughter bonded over reruns of Friends — and that Marina initially called it The Joey Tribbiani Show.
He said that she loves watching it all the time and is very inquisitive about it. She asks him a lot of questions about the show. While Marina was born when Friends was wrapping up, she did get the chance to visit the set of one of her dad's other shows.
“She came when we shot the pilot — that’s the first time she’s ever seen me work. She was born when I was doing Joey, and she’s not allowed to watch Episodes — not yet, anyway. It’s a little dirty.” he added.
ALSO READ: Which Of The Friends Cast Members Have Kids? Meet The Children Of The Sitcom Stars
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