The Talented Mr Damon
Since his humble beginnings in the late 1980s, Matt Damon has established himself as one of the most well-known and acclaimed actors of the modern age. Additionally, this fame has allowed him to work with several organizations on many philanthropic ventures. In film, when not writing or producing, he has demonstrated an impressive range and ability to portray beloved action heroes—and some of the most relatable human characters.
1. He Was Born A Bay Stater
Long before he became the superstar he is today, Matt Damon created a career-making role that was not only emotional and relatable, but personal to his early life. Born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he grew up the younger of two sons of stockbroker Kent Telfer Damon and professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige. These early years would end up inspiring some of his most iconic stories.
Unfortunately, he was no stranger to family issues.
2. His Parents Had Troubles
Shortly after his birth, Damon’s family moved to Newton, Massachusetts, but their new home was far from happy. When he was two, his parents divorced, and Nancy took him and his brother back to Cambridge. Their situation continued to be a tough one, as they lived in a communal house with five other families.
Luckily, he soon met someone who would help change his life.
Martin Kraft, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
3. He Met A Friend
One friendship has followed Damon throughout his life, and it all started when he was 10. Damon’s mother was friends with another woman in education, Chris Affleck-Boldt, who invited Damon over for her a playdate with her son in 1980. The two boys hit it off, and following this, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck were inseparable.
Still, Damon had his own troubles.
4. He Had A Hard Time
As Damon grew older, he began to feel more and more out of place in his surroundings, which led to a strong feeling of isolation. As he would later state, his mother raised him and his brother with a by-the-book approach, which only made him feel as if he had no individuality.
Amid this loneliness, he still excelled in one area.
5. He Did His Best
Since he grew up with his mother working in education, Damon had the importance of schooling instilled in him from an early age. Throughout his time at Cambridge Alternative School, then Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, he displayed an aptitude for learning and did quite well.
Thankfully, he also had someone looking out for him.
6. He Stood Up For Him
While attending Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, the friendship of Damon and Affleck grew stronger, especially as they connected over extracurricular activities. In 1986, one moment cemented their bond when Affleck—although two years younger—put himself between Damon and an older student as they were about to fight.
Also, while at school, he got a taste of his calling.
7. He Started Early
From early on, Damon exhibited a love for performance and aspired to become a professional actor. As a part of his high school’s drama department, Damon would later say that his drama teacher at the time, Gerry Speca, greatly impacted his artistic ambitions. He wasn’t the only one with these dreams, though.
8. They Acted Together
Damon wasn’t alone in his theatrical ambitions, as he and Affleck performed in at least one production called The Visit in 1968. Although Damon would also star in the school’s 1987 production of Pippin while Affleck worked behind the scenes, Damon later claimed that their teacher always gave Affleck the “biggest roles”.
Of course, high school wouldn’t last forever.
9. He Moved On
Damon’s performances didn’t stop after he completed high school, and he branched out after graduating and enrolling at Harvard University in 1988. There, he took part in various student productions such as A... My Name is Alice and Burn This. He also started to focus on writing some of his own stories.
One project stood out from the rest.
Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
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10. He Wrote Something Special
While at Harvard, Damon penned a story that would forever change the trajectory of his and Affleck’s life. For an English class, Damon received the assignment to create a one-act play and decided to write a film treatment as a result. Although it was still in its early phases, this story would eventually become that of the film Good Will Hunting.
However, all this writing didn’t mean he was done with acting.
Miramax, Good Will Hunting (1997)
11. He Made His First Appearance
Aside from the various theatrical productions he was doing at Harvard, Damon booked his first film role with 1988’s Mystic Pizza. Affleck had also auditioned for the project, but Damon won out and booked the part which—although consisting of one line—became his official film debut.
Naturally, this wasn’t his last part.
Night Life Inc., Mystic Pizza (1988)
12. He Continued Working
As he entered the 1990s, Damon kept up his studies at Harvard while also trying to juggle his pursuit of an acting career. After working as an extra in a couple more films, he booked two parts where he played actual characters in the TV movie Rising Son and the drama School Ties.
Eventually, he had to make a brave choice.
Sarabande Productions, Rising Son (1990)
13. He Left School
Until 1992, Damon had been studying English and attempting to get his Bachelor of Arts, but he soon chose another option. Taking a massive leap of faith, he left Harvard and moved to Los Angeles to work on the film Geronimo: An American Legend. While this wasn’t the big break he hoped would come, his resolve didn’t falter.
Plus, one school project stayed with him.
Columbia, Geronimo: An American Legend (1993)
14. They Refined It
After Damon had relocated to Los Angeles, he moved into an apartment with Affleck, who shared his desire to act professionally. While they continued going on auditions, they also decided to make something they could star in themselves, and started writing Good Will Hunting based on Damon’s Harvard screenplay.
Fortunately, they had no trouble making the story feel real.
Miramax, Good Will Hunting (1997)
15. They Drew From Experience
As they wrote Good Will Hunting, Damon and Affleck’s style was less structured than some may have expected. Using their improvisational skills, they spent sessions going back and forth with off-the-cuff dialogue to flesh out the picture. They also decided to set the story partly in Cambridge and used their early years there to inform the world-building.
Luckily, Damon was also starting to prove himself in Hollywood.
Miramax, Good Will Hunting (1997)
16. He Got Noticed
Damon and Affleck pursued any part they could get as they wrote their screenplay, and 1996 saw Damon featured in the film Courage Under Fire. Playing an addict, his performance was enough to garner significant attention in Hollywood, especially since he had lost 40 pounds in 100 days for the role.
However, some of his other work was about to pay off.
Fox 2000, Courage Under Fire (1996)
17. They Loved It
Finally, after completing their screenplay and selling it to Miramax, Damon and Affleck starred in 1997’s Good Will Hunting alongside Robin Williams. The story follows Damon’s character, Will, a school janitor who’s secretly a math genius. Audiences and critics alike found the film sincerely impactful and praised each performance.
This translated to some high honors.
Fox 2000, Courage Under Fire (1996)
18. They Received Acclaim
Good Will Hunting took the film world by storm, and the love for it became evident once the awards season came around. At the Academy Awards, the film received nine nominations, with Damon and Affleck winning Best Screenplay. Damon also received the nomination for Best Actor for his groundbreaking performance.
As a result, he booked an iconic role.
Ron Galella, Ltd, Getty Images
19. He Got An Opportunity
While filming Good Will Hunting, Damon met with one of the cinematic giants to discuss a potential next role. After seeing his work and potential on set, Steven Spielberg offered the titular role of his next project to the young star. Although it was a comparatively smaller part, Damon appeared in Saving Private Ryan in 1998 to more critical acclaim.
Following this, an even more memorable role came up.
DreamWorks, Saving Private Ryan (1998)
20. He Had Another Defining Role
The following year, Damon appeared in another titular role, aiming to depict a truthful character of complex motives and morality. In 1999’s The Talented Mr Ripley, his character appears as a dangerously clever con man, and critics raved about Damon’s ability to portray this with an impressive range and depth.
However, a different part would prove more complicated.
Miramax, The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)
21. He Was Controversial
Although the public had loved Damon’s roles so far, one 1999 film became a bit more polarizing with some audiences. In Dogma, he played a fallen angel opposite Affleck, and the subject matter was enough to spark controversy among certain religious groups who found it offensive. Despite this, the film was mostly well-received.
Of course, not all his projects were hits.
View Askew Productions, Dogma (1999)
22. He Saw Some Failure
As the 2000s began, Damon began branching out more into roles outside his wheelhouse, and it didn’t turn out well initially. His performances in romantic dramas like The Legend of Bagger Vance and All the Pretty Horses were widely disliked, with the most common sentiment being that he simply didn’t seem believable.
Even so, he soon became a part of something bigger.
Twentieth Century, The Legend of Bagger Vance (2000)
23. He Joined An Ensemble
Fortunately, even with a few failed projects, Damon joined the cast of what would become one of Hollywood’s most memorable franchises. In 2001, he became just one of the star-studded ensemble cast of Ocean’s Eleven, following a group of thieves as they enact a heist against three Las Vegas casinos.
As it happened, all this work paid off.
Warner Bros., Ocean's Eleven (2001)
24. They Made A Hit
With Ocean’s Eleven, its filmmakers took a slight gamble in hiring a cast of such magnitude for a remake of 1960’s Ocean 11. It was worth it, though, as the film was met with both critical and commercial success. Everyone loved how witty and fun it was, and having been made on an $83 million budget, it earned $450 million.
As a more personal milestone, Matt Damon was about to take his most recognizable part yet.
Warner Bros., Ocean's Eleven (2001)
25. He Became An Icon
A year after Ocean’s Eleven released, Damon appeared in arguably his most synonymous role. The Bourne Identity saw him become an amnesiac spy, trying to regain his memory and escape those chasing him. With a budget of $60 million, the film was so widely beloved that it earned a worldwide $214 million at the box office.
For Damon, this came at the perfect time.
Universal Pictures, The Bourne Identity (2002)
26. It Was A Godsend
For Damon, The Bourne Identity was a much-needed boost to his career, which hadn’t been doing as well as he wanted. Following an unsuccessful slate of previous films, he had spent six months without a job. Even when he booked the project, he didn’t have high hopes for its reception, but thankfully, he found himself surprised.
Fortunately, these hit movies hadn’t finished helping Damon.
Universal Pictures, The Bourne Identity (2002)
27. He Continued His Sequels
Thankfully, The Bourne Identity and Ocean’s Eleven were so popular that they spawned their own franchises. 2004 saw him appear in a sequel to each film, with The Bourne Supremacy and Ocean's Twelve. The reception of the two films hadn’t diminished, with over $280 million in box-office earnings.
As he worked more, he also became more educated on important issues.
Warner Bros., Ocean's Twelve (2004)
28. He Learned Something
The year after, Damon appeared in another film with George Clooney, his co-star from the Ocean’s franchise. Syriana featured Damon as an energy analyst, covering the global oil industry and its surrounding politics, which he later referred to as an educational experience that he hoped would get people talking.
Of course, not everything was all work, work, work.
29. He Met Someone Special
Although several of his romantic dramas had failed, Damon had his own romance, which luckily turned out much better. A couple of years prior, while working on 2003’s Stuck on You, Damon met Luciana Bozán, and the two of them dated for two years. Finally, they became engaged in 2005 and married privately in a civil ceremony three months later.
It wasn’t long before their household grew.
30. They Made A Family
When Damon married Luciana, he became a step-father as she already had a daughter named Alexia from a previous marriage. Then, a year into their marriage, Damon and Luciana welcomed their first daughter and would go on to have two more in 2008 and 2010. While they started a family, he continued to star in blockbusters.
31. He Played More Spies
In 2006, Damon returned to his work in thrillers with two different films, one of which would be a standout moment of his career. In The Good Shepherd, he played a CIA agent during the Bay of Pigs Invasion, while in The Departed, his character worked for the authorities to go undercover with the mob.
One of these launched his reputation even higher.
Universal Pictures, The Good Shepherd (2006)
32. He Was Praised
Following the releases of The Good Shepherd and The Departed, critics once again raved about Damon’s performances. His talent of virtually disappearing into a role while making it memorable was especially noted in one film. The Departed won the Oscar for Best Picture and remains the only film of his to do so.
With all of this success, he wanted to do something good.
Warner Bros., The Departed (2006)
33. He Founded A Charity
Wanting to use his influence for good, Damon established the H2O Africa Foundation in 2006 in correlation with the Running the Sahara documentary. While the film focused on three individuals trying to run across the Sahara Desert, the foundation aimed to help clean water projects in Africa.
Of course, being a high-status celebrity, Damon was bound to rub some people the wrong way.
Pascal Le Segretain, Getty Images
34. They Had A Feud
Damon’s friendship with Affleck may be iconic, but he also has an equally famous feud with another celebrity. Ever since Jimmy Kimmel started jokingly apologizing for running out of time to interview Damon on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, the two have played up their dispute in good fun, with Damon even storming off the show in 2006.
Also around this time, he rounded out some of his films into trilogies.
Jackhole Industries, Jimmy Kimmel Live! 2003-
35. He Continued His Sequels
The success of Damon’s most famous roles returned in 2007, when he worked on the third sequels of his most famous franchises. In that year, The Bourne Ultimatum and Ocean's Thirteen released to their familiarly positive receptions, and both gained over $300 million in the box office.
At the same time, he had a chance to get even bigger.
Universal Pictures, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
36. He Said No
Just as Spielberg had approached him for Saving Private Ryan, director James Cameron came to Damon while he was filming the Bourne series with an interesting role to offer. Since Damon didn’t want to break his current contract, he declined the offer and, therefore, did not star in Cameron’s upcoming hit—Avatar.
He would soon realize how wrong this was.
Twentieth Century, Avatar (2009)
37. He Regretted It
In Cameron’s offer, he not only outlined the film’s story, but how much he was willing to pay Damon for the part as well. Amounting to 10% of Avatar’s profits, Damon still declined and would later see what he had given up. After it became one of the biggest movies in history, he admitted, “You will never meet an actor who turned down more money".
Still, he wasn’t exactly losing his fame.
Universal Pictures, The Bourne Ultimatum (2007)
38. He Was Honored
In mid-2007, Damon accepted an honor that left even him awestruck and reeling. On July 25th, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, becoming the 2,343rd person to have that achievement. He described the experience as “too big to process”. Once again, he wanted to use his platform to benefit the world.
39. They Created A Project
Just as Damon had been a part of an ensemble cast for one of his most iconic films, he joined a group of influential people to create another non-profit organization. With big names like his co-stars Don Cheadle, Brad Pitt, and George Clooney, he co-founded the Not On Our Watch Project in 2008 to raise awareness of global human rights violations.
In line with his interest in global issues, he then appeared in a significant historical film.
40. He Was Nominated
2009 saw Damon taking on the role of real-life South Africa rugby captain François Pienaar in the movie Invictus, opposite Morgan Freeman as Nelson Mandela. The film was widely praised, and at the following Academy Awards, Damon earned himself a nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
Following this, he and Affleck worked together again.
41. They Made A Company
After years of friendship and the long road from creating Good Will Hunting, Damon and Affleck again came together. In 2010, they formed Pearl Street Films, a production company under Warner Bros. They produced several notable films, such as Manchester by the Sea and The Last Duel, before the company dissolved in 2022.
All along, he continued to rise in fame.
Pearl Street Films, Manchester by the Sea (2016)
42. He Was At The Top
In 2010, he continued to work with more prominent directors, such as the Coen Brothers in True Grit and Clint Eastwood in Hereafter. By this time, he had garnered such success and acclaim that he ranked 37th on the list of the highest-grossing actors in history. Also around then, he participated in more than just films and TV series.
43. He Became A Spokesman
Venturing outside his film and TV experience, Matt Damon signed up to be the new spokesman of TD Ameritrade and appeared in its commercials, replacing actor Sam Waterston in early 2012. However, this wasn’t a capitalist venture, since he donated all the advertisement fees to various causes.
Meanwhile, his age-old feud reared its ugly head.
44. He Took Over
At the beginning of 2013, Damon seized his chance to get one over on Jimmy Kimmel by taking over his show. Bringing along several celebrity guests like Affleck and Robin Williams, Damon talked about his feud with Kimmel, resenting him for years of being forgotten on the series—still all in good fun.
Finally, he achieved something that many actors dream of.
William S. Parker, Wikimedia Commons
45. He Won Best Actor
In 2015, Damon starred in one of his more recent claims to fame, Ridley Scott’s The Martian. Following Damon as astronaut Mark Watney, who becomes stranded on Mars and must survive until he is hopefully rescued, the film earned him the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture - Comedy or Musical.
Having taken some time away, he was eager to return to a specific character.
Twentieth Century, The Martian (2015)
46. He Came Back
When it came to the fourth Bourne film in 2012, The Bourne Legacy, Damon chose not to reprise his role as Paul Greengrass wasn’t returning to direct. However, this changed for the fifth film Jason Bourne, when both returned to the franchise in 2016. Outside of his filming, even without forming charities himself, he still tried to do what he could.
Universal Pictures, The Bourne Legacy (2012)
47. He Continued His Philanthropy
Having formed several charitable foundations, Damon wasn’t against helping those already established. Over the years, he has been involved with many non-profit groups, such as being a spokesperson for the hunger-relief organization Feeding America and supporting One Campaign in their fight against AIDS and poverty.
This kind of charity led him to another collaboration.
48. He Made A Partnership
In recent years, Damon has partnered with several other companies to benefit his clean water non-profit organization. Starting in October 2021, he appeared in the commercials of a cryptocurrency platform, which agreed to donate $1 million to Damon’s organization. Not everyone was happy about this, however.
49. He Received Scrutiny
When Damon started collaborating with this cryptocurrency platform and starring in their advertisements, it sparked some controversy. His commercials promoted the idea that cryptocurrency should be counted among humanity’s achievements with feats like the Moon landing—a concept that people found cringeworthy and distasteful.
Worse yet, some people who had invested in the company blamed their misfortune on Damon's endorsement when the crypto company turned out to be shady and thousands of people lost their life savings.
Still, this didn’t stop Damon from staying at the top.
50. He Stayed Successful
To this day, Matt Damon remains one of Hollywood’s most beloved and successful actors, despite any box-office failures or controversies. In North America alone, the sum of his collective films had made $3.88 billion as of 2021. In more recent years, he has worked more with Christopher Nolan on blockbusters like Oppenheimer and the upcoming The Odyssey.
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