Matt Damon

Date of Birth	8 October 1970 , Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Birth Name	Matthew Paige Damon
Height	5' 10" (1.78 m)

Biography

Matthew Paige Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Boston Massachusetts to Kent Damon, a stockbroker, Realtor and tax preparer, and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an early childhood education professor at Lesley University. Matt has an older brother named Kyle who is now a sculptor. The family lived in Newton until his parents divorced, when Damon and his brother moved with his mother to Cambridge. It was here that Damon met his close friend and collaborator Ben Affleck, who lived in the neighborhood.

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, but dropped out to pursue acting. He made small roles in Mystic Pizza (1988), School Ties (1992), and Geronimo: An American Legend (1993), before landing his breakthrough role as a drug-addicted soldier in Courage Under Fire (1996). The role required him to lose 40 pounds in a short period of time, which resulted in health problems. Fortunately, critics took note of his performance and he felt it was a worthwhile risk to show his level of dedication to his craft.

The following year, he garnered accolades for Good Will Hunting (1997), based on a screenplay he had originally written while at Harvard. Directed by Gus Van Sant, the film was nominated for nine Academy Awards, and he and Affleck won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

In the following years, Damon went on to star in many high profile films, including Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), as well as the successful crime drama Ocean's Eleven (2001) and its two sequels. Perhaps Damon's most recognizable work to date is his role as an amnesiac assassin in The Bourne Trilogy. Other highly acclaimed movies include The Departed (2006), The Good Shepherd (2006), and Invictus (2009), which earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

Damon also made a number of memorable TV appearances on Will & Grace (1998), Entourage (2004), and 30 Rock (2006), which earned him an Emmy nomination for Best Guest Actor.

Damon has been outspoken with his political views and humanitarian work. He co-founded the H20 Africa Foundation, the Not On Our Watch Project, and supports the ONE Campaign, which helps to fight AIDS and poverty in Third World countries.

Matt is married to Luciana Barroso. They have four daughters: Alexia, Isabella, Gia, and Stella.