Name: Matt Damon
Birth Name: Matthew Paige Damon
Birthdate: Oct. 10, 1970
Birthplace: Cambridge, Mass.
1-MINUTE RESUME FOR MATT DAMON
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.
5 Things:
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.
Quote:
On taking career risks: "Scared money never wins."
—
Film Force, Aug. 22, 2005
Family:
Wife: Luciana Bozan, married Dec. 9, 2005
Daughter: Isabella, born June 11, 2006
Awards:
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
