Ah, the trials and tribulations of being Chandler Bing. Could he be anymore lucky? Ever ready with a sarcastic remark, Chandler has some of the funniest lines and has become one of the favourite friends.

Family

Of Scottish and Swedish descent, Chandler has always hated his surname. Bing! not only does it sound like a telephone ring, it also means 'My turkey's done.'

Not only is he saddled with a non-name, he also is the reluctant scion of an utterly dysfunctional household. His mother is the infamous Nora Tyler Bing, author of countless bodice-ripping, male nipple-showing romances ( one of them being Mistress Bitch ) who is described as a total Freudian nightmare. Not only does she still look fabulous, she is working her way through several men all at once too. And his happily gay father is the proud owner of an all-male burlesque suitably titled Viva las Gaygas. I for one have to admit that I am curious to see Chandler's father, who seems to me to be one interesting character!

Phoebe : All right, y'know forget hypnosis. The way to quit smoking is to dance naked in a field of heather, and then bathe in the sweat of six healthy young men.
Chandler : Or what my father called Thursday night.

His young life has been permanently scarred leading to a boycott of Thanksgiving and similar Pilgrim holidays ever since his father came out of the closet and divorced his mother on the very same day. The fact that he even once caught his parents making love to the same man couldn't have been a good experience!

Ever since his parents disastrous marriage and subsequent divorce, Chandler obviously started using humor as a defence mechanism. Not to mention the begining of his smoking habits which returns whenever he has difficulties in his life.

Friends

School life wasn't very interesting for Chandler as he admits that he didn't have sex there since doing that would be a major lifestyle choice - especially since he went to an all boys school.

College life was much easier going with his sweet, goofy roommate, Ross Geller ( though he just couldn't get over some of Ross' quirks ). Chandler spent the usual festivals in the Geller home obviously avoiding his adoring, unconventional mother. His first visit resulted in Ross' well-padded sister, Monica going on a massive diet plan after being called fat by Chandler. The maligned Monica got her revenge a year later when she accidentally dropped a knife and severed Chandler's toe ( while she was incidentally trying to seduce him ).

Chandler finally found a job in a large multinational and moved into apartment 19 opposite Monica Geller and her first roommate, the flighty, new-age princess Phoebe Buffay. After a rather painful split with his old roommate, Kip who ran off to get married, Chandler thought that most certainly he would end up all alone. Until a certain husky, out-of-luck Italian actor came knocking on his door.

Although physically blessed with good looks and loads of masculine sex appeal, Joey Tribbiani definitely was mentally challenged. From then on, the two unlikely characters emerged as one of Friends' most successful odd couples. Occasionally, Joey's naivete and 'density' drives Chandler up the wall but they do share lots of interests in common ( such as busty, leggy women running slow-mo on the beach in Baywatch ) and remain best friends above it all. The two friends have even taken to adopting a chick and a duck, apart from their pet ceramic dog.

From his apartment, it is less than 100 steps to the Central Perk, a cosy, comfortable coffeehouse where Chandler hangs out with his friends for his regular coffee and cream. This group of six friends comprises Monica, Ross, Chandler, Phoebe, Joey and Monica's new roommate, Rachel Green. The Central Perk has become their hanging out place and meeting area ( apart from Monica's apartment ) of sorts for the gang.

Career

For sometime now, the workplace has been the source of considerable frustration for Chandler who found himself stuck for more than five years at what was supposed to be a temporary job in data processing. The unusual part is that the threat of him quitting managed to earn him a big promotion, an office upgrade ( from a cubicle to a cube! ) and also a secretary.

Learn more about Chandler's wacky workplace.

Women

When it comes to women, Chandler doesn't seem to have much luck especially since he has a fear of commitment ( probably due to his nightmarish family background ) and several serious intimacy issues. He has problems asking women out and breaking up with them. For a great part of the series, Chandler was in and out of a relationship with the irritating, nasal Janice.

Chandler also had a promising relationship with Kathy, an actress, who was originally Joey's girlfriend. They were great together but even that relationship ultimately fizzled out. Currently though, Chandler has finally gotten together with Monica Geller.

For more on Chandler's loves, check out Bing's Babes.