Damon, Matt (1970-…), is a popular American motion-picture actor and screenwriter. He is best known for his roles in action films and dramas. Damon shared an Academy Award for best original screenplay with Ben Affleck for the movie Good Will Hunting (1997). Both Damon and Affleck also acted in the film. Damon later gained fame for his role in the action film The Bourne Identity (2002) and several sequels. In the films, he played an assassin for the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) with amnesia.
Matthew Paige Damon was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on Oct. 8, 1970. While in high school, he acted in theater productions. He later attended Harvard University. Damon made his motion-picture debut in the romantic comedy Mystic Pizza (1988). He received praise for his performance in the film Courage Under Fire (1996), in which he played a war veteran addicted to heroin. Over the next few years, Damon appeared in the films Saving Private Ryan and Rounders (both 1998); Dogma and The Talented Mr. Ripley (both 1999); and All the Pretty Horses and The Legend of Bagger Vance (both 2000).
Damon played part of a team of thieves in the movies Ocean’s Eleven (2001), Ocean’s Twelve (2004), and Ocean’s Thirteen (2007). He also appeared in the films The Brothers Grimm and Syriana (both 2005); The Departed and The Good Shepherd (both 2006); The Informant! and Invictus (both 2009); and Hereafter and True Grit (both 2010). Damon’s later acting credits include the films The Adjustment Bureau and We Bought a Zoo (both 2011); Promised Land (2012), which he co-wrote; Elysium and Behind the Candelabra (both 2013); Interstellar and The Monuments Men (both 2014); The Martian (2015); Ford v Ferrari (2019); and Air and Oppenheimer (both 2023).
