Matt-Damon

Name: Matt Damon

Birth Name: Matthew Paige Damon

Birthdate: Oct. 8, 1970

Birthplace: Cambridge, Mass.

In 1996, Damon was just another struggling beefcake actor with a few good supporting roles to his credit. But his unknown status changed overnight when director Francis Ford Coppola handpicked Damon to headline his adaptation of John Grisham's best-selling legal potboiler The Rainmaker. The unprepossessing Damon soon found himself engulfed by a flood of A-list scripts, directors and stars. Steven Spielberg snapped him up to star alongside Tom Hanks in World War II actioner Saving Private Ryan, and Miramax pounced on a script for a film titled Good Will Hunting that Damon and his actor pal Ben Affleck had been shopping around; Damon was cast in the lead role, and the project was propelled onto the fast track when Miramax put critical darling Gus Van Sant in the director's chair and signed box-office heavyweight Robin Williams as Damon's co-star. Damon later parlayed his indie cred into several franchises, starring in both The Bourne Identity and its sequel, The Bourne Supremacy, as well as Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve. And his 2007 The Bourne Ultimatum was not just the biggest in the franchiese but had the biggest August opening weekend of all time.


1. Damon dropped out of Harvard to pursue acting.
2. He founded Project Greenlight to help budding filmmakers produce movies.
3. He's a politically active supporter of the Democratic party.
4. His weight has been known to fluctuate by up to 30 pounds for roles.
5. He remains close friends with Ben Affleck.


On taking career risks: "Scared money never wins."
— Film Force, Aug. 22, 2005


Wife: Luciana Bozan, married Dec. 9, 2005
Daughter: Isabella, born June 11, 2006

2000: Golden Globe nomination: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), The Talented Mr. Ripley

1998: Academy Award: Best Original Screenplay, Good Will Hunting (shared with Ben Affleck); Academy Award nomination: Best Actor, Good Will Hunting; Golden Globe: Best Screenplay (Motion Picture), Good Will Hunting; Golden Globe nomination: Best Actor in a Motion Picture (Drama), Good Will Hunting

 

FILMS

Ocean's Thirteen - (2007) - Actor
The Bourne Ultimatum - (2007) - Actor
Feast - (2006) - Executive Producer
The Good Shepherd - (2006) - Actor
The Departed - (2006) - Actor
The Brothers Grimm - (2005) - Actor
Syriana - (2005) - Actor
Eurotrip - (2004) - Cameo
The Bourne Supremacy - (2004) - Actor
Ocean's Twelve - (2004) - Actor
Gerry - (2003) - Actor
DreamWorks Family Animated Movie Collection - (2003) - Voice
Stuck on You - (2003) - Actor
Monster - (2003) - Producer
Stolen Summer - (2002) - Producer
Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron - (2002) - Voice
The Bourne Identity - (2002) - Actor
Confessions of a Dangerous Mind - (2002) - Cameo
The Bourne Identity/Spy Game - (2002) - Actor
The Third Wheel - (2002) - Actor
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back - (2001) - Actor
Ocean's Eleven - (2001) - Actor
All the Pretty Horses - (2000) - Actor
Titan A.E. - (2000) - Voice
The Talented Mr. Ripley - (1999) - Actor
The Legend of Bagger Vance - (1999) - Actor
Dogma - (1999) - Actor
Rounders - (1998) - Actor
Saving Private Ryan - (1998) - Actor
Chasing Amy - (1997) - Actor
The Rainmaker - (1997) - Actor
Good Will Hunting - (1997) - Actor, Screenwriter
Courage Under Fire - (1996) - Actor
The Good Old Boys - (1995) - Actor
Geronimo: An American Legend - (1993) - Actor
School Ties - (1992) - Actor
Rising Son - (1990) - Actor
Mystic Pizza - (1988) - Actor