Matt Damon

Date of Birth
8 October 1970, Boston, Massachusetts, USA

Birth Name
Matthew Paige Damon

Height
5' 10" (1.78 m)

Mini Biography

Matt Damon was born in 1970. His father, Kent Damon, a tax preparer, and his mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, a college professor, are now divorced. His older brother, Kyle (b. 1967), is a sculptor. Matt's first film role was a one-line part in Mystic Pizza (1988). Hollywood's power brokers realized his potential as a serious actor when they saw him play a Gulf War vet-turned-heroin addict in Courage Under Fire (1996). One of Matt's closest childhood friends was fellow young thespian Ben Affleck, who starred in Chasing Amy (1997). Damon and Affleck collaborated on the screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997), in which they co-star.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Dennis Lewis

Mini Biography

Matthew Paige Damon, or better known to fans as Matt Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Boston Massachusetts, USA to Kent Delfer Damon, a stockbroker, realtor and tax preparer, and Nancy Carlsso-Paige, an early childhood education professor at Lesley University. Matt has an older brother named Kyle who is now a sculptor. Unfortunately for Matt and his brother, their parents divorced in the year 1973.

The 5'10" star is of English, Finnish and Scottish ancestry. While his parents were still together, their family lived in Newton, before eventually settling for a divorce, where Damon and his brother moved with his mother to Cambridge. He grew up in a stable community back in Massachusetts. Matt also grew up near actor, Ben Affleck, when he was younger.

Matt attended Cambridge Ridge and Latin School which is located in Cambridge and he performed in a number of theater productions during his time there. Later on, he was accepted into Harvard University as an English major in the fall of 1988 and was supposed to graduate with the class of 1992. While in Harvard, kept on skipping classes to pursue acting projects, which included the TNT original film, Rising Son, and prep-school drama, School Ties. It was until his film, Geronimo: An American Legend, was expected to be a big success that he decided to drop out of university completely.

Arriving in Hollywood, Matt managed to get his first break with a part in the romantic comedy, Mystic Pizza. However, the film did not do too well and his film career failed to take off. Not letting failure discourage him from acting, he went for another audition, and managed to get a starring role in School Ties.

Up next for Matt was a role as a soldier who had problems with drug-addiction in the movie, Courage Under Fire. Matt had in fact lost forty pounds for his role which resulted in health problems. The following year, his garnered accolades for Good Will Hunting, a screenplay he had originally written for an English class at Harvard University. Good Will Hunting was nominated for 9 Academy Awards, one of which, Matt won for Best Original Screenplay along with Ben Affleck.

In the year 1998, Matt played the title role in Steven Spielberg's film, Saving Private Ryan, 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 year, he starred as an earnest law student and reformed poker player in Rounders, starring opposite Edward Norton and John Malkovich.

The next year, Matt rejoined his childhood friend, Ben Affleck and fellow comedian, Chris Rock, in the comedy Dogma. Towards the end of 1999, Matt 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 earned mixed reviews from critics, but even so, Matt earned praise for his performance.

Matt lent his voice to the animated movie, Titan A.E. in the year 2000, which also earned mixed reviews from the public. He also starred in two other movies, All the Pretty Horses and the golf comedy-drama, The Legennd of Bagger Vance, starring alongside Will Smith.

In the year 2003, he signed on to star in The Informant by Steven Soderbergh and the Farrelly Brothers' Stuck on You. He also starred in Gerry, a film he co-wrote with his friends, Gus 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, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum.

Another praised role is that as Linus Caldwell in the Ocean's movie franchise. He had the opportunity to star opposite George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Julia Roberts and Don Cheadle in Ocean's Eleven. The successful crime comedy-drama eventually had two other sequels, Ocean's Twelve and Ocean's Thirteen.

Among other highly acclaimed movies that Matt managed to be a part of was in Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm, George Clooney's Syriana, Martin Scorsese's The Departed and Robert De Niro's the Good Shepherd.

In his personal life, Matt is now happily married to Argentine-born Luciana Barroso, whom he met in Miami, where she was working as a bartender. They married in a private civil ceremony on December 9, 2005, at the Manhattan Marriage Bureau. The couple have three children Alexia, Luciana's daughter from a previous relationship as well as Isabella and Gia Zavala, both Matt's and Luciana's child together.

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-stars, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, whom he works on charity projects with. He and actor Ben Affleck, together with Ben's wife, Jennifer Garner are also good family friends and can be often seen going out together with Matt's wife, Luciana Barroso.
IMDb Mini Biography By: Anastasia Andrew Veno

Spouse
Luciana Barroso (9 December 2005 - present) 2 children

Trivia

Was Winona Ryder's boyfriend from New Year's Eve 1997 until they broke up in May 2000.

1998: Played in $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold 'Em tournament at the World Series of Poker (www.wsop.com) in Las Vegas. He was knocked out in the first day by poker legend Doyle Brunson. Damon had kings, Brunson aces.

Chosen as one of "the 50 Most beautiful people in the world" by People magazine (1998).

Dropped 40 pounds for his role as a Gulf War vet in Courage Under Fire (1996).

His parents divorced when he was two and he spent part of his childhood in a commune in Boston with his mother, a specialist in child education.

Dropped out of Harvard 12 credits short of graduating to pursue his acting career.

To perfect his Southern accent for his role as Rudy Baylor in The Rainmaker (1997), he tended bar in Knoxville, TN, for free. Later he hired one of the customers to serve as his dialect coach.

Auditioned for a role in To Die For (1995) which was eventually given to Joaquin Phoenix.

Audtioned for a part in Primal Fear (1996) that was eventually played by Edward Norton. He and Norton starred together two years later in Rounders (1998).

Both he and Ben Affleck worked as extras on the film Field of Dreams (1989). At one point during the shoot, Matt took some blades of grass from the field as mementos for his father.

Turned down the lead role in The Quick and the Dead (1995). Leonardo DiCaprio ended up with the role.

Turned down the lead role in The Majestic (2001).

When his baby nephew cries, he sings "Afternoon Delight" for him.

Was named as one of E!'s "25 Most Eligible Bachelors" in June, 2002.

His grandfather is Finnish.

Shaved his head for the movie The Brothers Grimm (2005) (to assist in the wearing of a wig for that role). The shaved head was shown in the movie EuroTrip (2004), which was filmed in Prague at the same time.

Started a bowling league in Berlin while making The Bourne Supremacy (2004).

Had a cameo as a waiter in the film The Sum of All Fears (2002), but it was cut from the final film.

Is the real-life best friend of Ben Affleck. Each has starred together or had cameos in some of the other's films.

Has starred in 8 movies where the title contains some part of his character's name in that movie: Good Will Hunting (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Gerry (2002), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), The Bourne Identity (2002), and The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Brothers Grimm (2005), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

While promoting The Bourne Supremacy (2004) on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992), he revealed that when he was a college freshman his agent from a "ma and pa agency" inadvertently sent him and Ben Affleck to an audition for "The New Mickey Mouse Club" (1977). They were under the impression that they were going to meet the head of Touchstone Pictures.

His uncle, George Brunstad, swam the English Channel at the age of 70. He completed the 21-mile swim in 15 hours and 59 minutes, making him the new world record holder as the oldest person to complete the swim. In the process, he raised $12,000 for a Haitian children's group (29 August 2004).

Quit smoking after visiting a hypnotist in L.A.

Grew up next door to radical historian Howard Zinn. Damon references Zinn's seminal work "A People's History of the United States" as Will in Good Will Hunting (1997).

1998: Formed Pearl Street Productions with Ben Affleck and Chris Moore.

Father Kent Damon was a realtor and former stockbroker. Mother Nancy Carlsson-Paige was a college professor. They divorced in 1973. His brother Kyle was born in 1967, and is a sculptor.

Lost 30 pounds for his role in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

Learned to play piano for the film The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

Was considered for the role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Daredevil (2003). The role eventually went to his best friend Ben Affleck.

Engaged to Luciana (Barroso) Bozan (5 September 2005).

One of his first movie roles was a one-line part in Mystic Pizza (1988) starring Julia Roberts. Later, he starred with Roberts in Ocean's Eleven (2001).

After a notable weight gain for Stuck on You (2003), he lost 22 pounds training for The Bourne Supremacy (2004), eventually having six-pack abs.

Born on the same day as Sigourney Weaver, Kristanna Loken and Nick Cannon.

Had never made a sequel until he made Ocean's Twelve (2004) and The Bourne Supremacy (2004), both in the same year. In 2007, the third parts of those series, Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), opened, making the first trilogies he's starred in.

Became stepfather to girlfriend Luciana Barroso's daughter, Alexia (born in 1998), when he married Luciana at City Hall in New York City (9 December 2005)-.

His wife, Luciana Barroso, was born in Argentina.

Met his wife, Luciana Barroso, while he was filming Stuck on You (2003) in Florida.

Has two daughters, Isabella Damon, born June 11, 2006 and Gia Zavala, born August 20, 2008 in Miami, Florida.

Was once offered the chance at playing Daredevil when it was in production at Miramax in 1999. This version would have starred Damon and been written by Kevin Smith and directed by Robert Rodriguez. However, Marvel Comics wanted too large a budget for the filmmakers' tastes.

He is of Scottish, Finnish and English descent.

He married Luciana Barroso in the New York City Hall.

Turned down the part of Bobby Mercer in Four Brothers (2005), as he found the script to be "ultra-violent". The part eventually went to Mark Wahlberg.

Francis Ford Coppola cast him in The Rainmaker (1997) after seeing him in Courage Under Fire (1996).

Turned down the role of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight (2008).

Appears in two of the six summer 2007 "threequels": Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). He also appeared in the second; movies of the "Bourne" and "Ocean" franchises in the same year (2004).

Both he and best friend Ben Affleck spent Father's Day 2007 with their wives and children together on vacation in Hawaii.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (26 July 2007).

Is only 11 years older than Eddie Redmayne who plays his son in The Good Shepherd (2006).

Lives with his family in Florida (2007).

Named Hollywood's "best value" by Forbes Magazine, with his films making $29 (US) for each dollar he is paid (2007).

Named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine in 2007.

He and his wife Luciana Barroso welcomed another daughter, Gia Zavala, on Wednesday, August 20th, 2008, in Miami, Florida.

He gained over 30 pounds to play Mark Whiteacre in The Informant! (2009), which he dieted off as soon as the shoot was complete.

He and Ben Affleck lived two blocks away from each other in Cambridge when they were children.

Son of Kent Damon and Nancy Carlsson-Paige.

Has an older brother named Kyle.

Visited Haiti with Wyclef Jean to deliver food to hurricane victims. [September 2008]

Originally cast as Dan White in Milk (2008/I), but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Green Zone (2010).

Participated in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town, South Africa. [March 2009]

Personal Quotes

Some people get into this business and they're so afraid to lose anything. They try to protect their position like clinging to a beachhead. These actors end up making really safe choices. I never wanted to go that route. If I go down, I'm going down swinging. I know that's the way Heath Ledger feels and Ben Affleck feels the same way, too. We want to take the big swings.

If your movies don't perform, they just stop calling you.

I found myself getting more publicly shy when the gala events and big crowds started. Some people embrace it. To me, it's not worth enough to risk my private life being public.

I'm not being a monk. I live my life in New York. I have a girlfriend [Luciana Barroso]. But it's not cost-effective for paparazzi to follow us. They can get one picture of us walking down the street.

Now I feel I have an unspoken deal with the paparazzi: "I won't do anything publicly interesting if you agree not to follow me."

I'd love to be a dad. I hope I'd be great at it. That's every man's fear, yet his most important job.

[on The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)] We're all signed on in principle, in the sense that we've all agreed that we want to do it, but we're not going to do it unless we have a great script. It's ours to lose at the minute and, if we do make a third one, we want to make it as good as the first two. And if we can't do that, then we're going to have to let it drop.

[on The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)] If you have any ideas for a script, please, call Universal! We've gone so far from the book. [Robert Ludlum] wrote it as a trilogy and we've really kind of ignored that plot because it's very Cold War. And so, in the updating process, we kind of threw out most of what he had so we're kind of on our own to find a third one. "Bourne Ultimatum" is the third one and I feel like I've given ultimatums in both the first two!

If anybody wanted to photograph my life, they'd get bored in a day. "Here's Matt at home learning his lines. Here's Matt researching in aisle six of his local library". A few hours of that and they'd go home.

What I want to do is a character-driven porn movie. It's all going to be about characters, and the porn's gonna grow all out of the character's and it's going to serve as character development.

It's just better to be yourself than to try to be some version of what you think the other person wants.

There are people who appear in the magazines and I don't know who they are. I've never seen anything they've done and their careers are over already. They're famous for maybe 10 minutes. Real careers, I think, take a long time to unfold.

I'd had people say, "You'll enjoy being famous for a week, and you'll never enjoy it again". But I don't think I had that week. I may have been working and missed that moment.

Bond is part of the system. He's an imperialist and a misogynist, and he laughs at killing people, and he sits there slugging martinis. It'll never be the same thing as this, because Bourne is a guy who is against the establishment, who is paranoid and on the run. I just think fundamentally they're just very different things.

The Bond character will always be anchored in the 1960s and in the values of the 1960s. It's so anachronistic when you put it in the world we live in today that Mike Myers made a fortune with his own spy franchise [Austin Powers] - it makes for great comedy. Bond is an imperialist and a misogynist who kills people and laughs about it, and drinks martinis and cracks jokes. Bourne is a serial monogamist whose girlfriend is dead and he does nothing but think about her. He doesn't have the support of gadgets, and he feels guilty for what he's done.

(On being seen as a 'nice' celebrity) I don't hold myself to some higher standard of behavior. You don't have to do a lot to be seen as nice. I guess some of these people must be such rampant pricks that people are amazed when you say hello. I don't know why people like me, and I don't know if I want to know. That might be the kiss of death. I'd rather people not know a lot about me and go see the movies.

You've given an aging suburban dad the ego-boost of a lifetime. (On being named People magazine's Sexiest Man Alive 2007)

(On celebrity campaigns against such things as childhood poverty and disease) Look, I would much rather people were listening to politicians about this than actors. But the politicians aren't talking about this, you know.

(Talking about working with Robert De Niro in The Good Shepherd (2006)): I think I can say I'm a better actor after having worked with Robert De Niro.

(On his favorite roles) Good Will Hunting (1997) is so close to my heart because my best friend [Ben Affleck] and I invented him, he's from Boston, and it was what we knew. The stakes were pretty high with "Good Will Hunting" and it worked out as best as it can in this business - people saw the movie, it got good reviews, I was happy with the finished product, and they gave us an Oscar. I am also pretty fond of "Tom Ripley" - playing smart and sinister is just so much fun. I wasn't that fond of his choice of swim trunks, though, so a few points away for that. And "John Grady Cole" in All the Pretty Horses (2000) was good, too. The integrity of that character is admirable. Unfortunately, I am the only one who saw that movie, so no one will get that reference.

You do the actuary tables, there's a one out of three chance, if not more, that McCain doesn't survive his first term, and it'll be President Palin. It's like a really bad Disney movie, 'The Hockey Mom.' Oh, I'm just a hockey mom from Alaska, and she's president. She's facing down Vladimir Putin and using the folksy stuff she learned at the hockey rink. It's absurd.

(On James Bond) He's repulsive. Bond is an imperialist, misogynist, sociopath who goes around bedding women and swilling martinis and killing people. The movies have a formula, they stick to it, and it makes them a lot of money. They know what they are doing and they're going to keep doing it.

[On the difference between Jason Bourne and James Bond] He's not like Bond, who goes on individual missions. I mean, you could make Bond movies forever, because you'd start each film at the beginning of a new mission. But Bourne isn't built that way, unfortunately.

[On 9/11] That day is seared into who I am more than I'd even like. It was weird because I stepped outside my apartment, looked up and saw it happening and then went back in and just watched CNN because I just wanted information. I remember everything about that day.

Salary
The Brothers Grimm (2005) $10,000,000
The Bourne Identity (2002) $10,000,000
Ocean's Eleven (2001) $5,000,000
All the Pretty Horses (2000) $5,500,000
The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) $7,000,000
The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) $5,000,000
Rounders (1998) $600,000

Where Are They Now

(August 2005) Currently shooting director Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006) with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jack Nicholson in New York City and Boston.

(2005) The Good Shepherd (2006) is in pre-production.

(May 2008) Filming The Informant! (2009) in Decatur, Illinois (Home to ADM). Various locations.

(March 2009) Currently in Cape Town, South Africa filming The Human Factor (2009).

(August 2007) Attended The Bourne Ultimatum premiere in Amsterdam, Netherlands on Aug. 23rd.