Matt Damon

Matthew Paige Damon was born on October 81970in BostonMassachusettsto Kent Damona stockbrokerrealtor and tax preparerand Nancy Carlsson-Paigean early childhood education professor at Lesley University. Matt has an older brotherKylea sculptor. His father was of English and Scottish descentand his mother is of Finnish and Swedish ancestry. The family lived in Newton until his parents divorced in 1973when Damon and his brother moved with his mother to Cambridge. He grew up in a stable communityand was raised near actor Ben Affleck.

Damon attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and he performed in a number of theater productions during his time there. He attended Harvard University as an English major. While in Harvardhe kept on skipping classes to pursue acting projectswhich included the TNT original filmRising Son (1990)and prep-school dramaSchool Ties (1992). It was until his filmGeronimo: An American Legend (1993)was expected to be a big success that he decided to drop out of university completely. Arriving in HollywoodMatt managed to get his first break with a part in the romantic comedyMystic Pizza (1988). Howeverthe film did not do too well and his film career failed to take off. Not letting failure discourage him from actinghe went for another auditionand managed to get a starring role in School Ties (1992). Up next for Matt was a role as a soldier who had problems with drug-addiction in the movieCourage Under Fire (1996). Matt hadin factlost forty pounds for his role which resulted in health problems.

The following yearhe garnered accolades for Good Will Hunting (1997)a screenplay he had originally written for an English class at Harvard University. Good Will Hunting (1997) was nominated for 9 Academy Awardsone of whichMatt won for Best Original Screenplay along with Ben Affleck. In the year 1998Matt played the title role in Steven Spielberg's filmSaving Private Ryan (1998)which was one of the most acclaimed films in that year. Matt had the opportunity of working with Tom Hanks and Vin Diesel while filming that movie. That same yearhe starred as an earnest law student and reformed poker player in Rounders (1998)starring opposite Edward Norton and John Malkovich. The next yearMatt rejoined his childhood friendBen Affleck and fellow comedianChris Rockin the comedy Dogma (1999).

Towards the end of 1999Matt played "Tom Ripley"a working-class young man who tastes the good life and will do anything to live it. Both Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow also starred in the movie. The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) earned mixed reviews from criticsbut even soMatt earned praise for his performance. Matt lent his voice to the animated movieTitan A.E. (2000) in the year 2000which also earned mixed reviews from the public. He also starred in two other moviesAll the Pretty Horses (2000) and the golf comedy-dramaThe Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)starring alongside Will Smith. In the year 2003he signed on to star in The Informant! (2009) by Steven Soderbergh and the Farrelly Brothers' Stuck on You (2003). He also starred in Gerry (2002)a film he co-wrote with his friendsGus Van Sant and Casey Affleck. One of Matt's most recognizable work to date is his role in the "Bourne" movie franchise. He plays an amnesiac assassin"Jason Bourne"in The Bourne Identity (2002)The Bourne Supremacy (2004) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). Another praised role is that as "Linus Caldwell" in the "Ocean's" movie franchise. He had the opportunity to star opposite George ClooneyBrad PittJulia Roberts and Don Cheadle in Ocean's Eleven (2001). The successful crime comedy-drama eventually had two other sequelsOcean's Twelve (2004) and Ocean's Thirteen (2007). Among other highly acclaimed movies that Matt has been a part of are Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm (2005)George Clooney's Syriana (2005)Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006) and Robert De Niro's The Good Shepherd (2006).

In his personal lifeMatt is now happily married to Argentine-born Luciana Damonwhom he met in Miamiwhere she was working as a bartender. They married in a private civil ceremony on December 92005at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. The couple have four daughters AlexiaLuciana's daughter from a previous relationshipas well as IsabellaGia and Stella. Matt is a big fan of the Boston Red Sox and he tries to attend their games whenever possible. He has also formed great friendships with his Ocean's co-starsGeorge Clooney and Brad Pittwhom he works on charity projects with. He and actor Ben Affleck have remained lifelong friends and collaborators.