On "Friends", who plays Chandler's biological father?

On “Friends,” Kathleen Turner plays Chandler’s biological father.

Turner appears as Charles Bing, a Las Vegas-based performer who uses the stage name Helena Handbasket. Chandler has been estranged from his father for years, partly because of the family’s painful divorce and his discomfort discussing Charles’s life and career.

The storyline becomes central when Chandler and Monica travel to Las Vegas to invite Charles to their wedding. Their reunion supplies the sitcom’s comedy, but it also gives Chandler a chance to confront old resentment and make peace with his father.

The role is often remembered as a “drag-queen father” part because that is how the show initially frames the character. Modern descriptions more commonly identify Charles as a transgender woman, Helena Handbasket. Another common mix-up is confusing Kathleen Turner with Morgan Fairchild, who played Chandler’s mother, Nora Bing. Turner’s casting is the answer because the question asks who played the character, not the character’s stage name.