Matt Damon

Matthew Paige Damon is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among Forbes's most bankable stars in 2007 and recognized as one of the highest-grossing actors of all time, he has earned numerous accolades throughout his career. His major awards include an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, alongside nominations for three British Academy Film Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.

Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Kent Telfer Damon, a stockbroker, and Nancy Carlsson-Paige, an early childhood education professor at Lesley University. Following his parents' divorce when he was two years old, Damon lived in Cambridge with his mother and his brother, Kyle. He attended Cambridge Alternative School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he acted in several high school theater productions. He later entered Harvard University as a member of the class of 1992, where he participated in student plays and acting classes. In 1992, he left Harvard prior to receiving his degree to take a lead role in the film Geronimo: An American Legend.

Damon made his professional film debut in the 1988 romantic comedy Mystic Pizza. After appearing in productions such as School Ties and Courage Under Fire, he achieved widespread prominence in 1997 with Good Will Hunting, a film he co-wrote and starred in alongside Ben Affleck. The screenplay earned them the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay, as well as an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for Damon. He subsequently established himself as a leading actor with roles in films such as The Rainmaker, Saving Private Ryan, Rounders, and The Talented Mr. Ripley.

In the 2000s, Damon gained global recognition through major film series, playing Linus Caldwell in the Ocean's trilogy and Jason Bourne in the Bourne franchise. His filmography expanded with performances in Syriana, The Departed, The Informant!, Invictus, True Grit, Contagion, and Interstellar. For his starring role as an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian, Damon won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor and received an Academy Award nomination.

Damon's subsequent feature roles include Ford v Ferrari, The Last Duel, Air, Oppenheimer, and playing the titular character in The Odyssey. On television, he portrayed Scott Thorson in the HBO biopic Behind the Candelabra, which earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination. He received additional Emmy nominations for a guest appearance on 30 Rock and for hosting Saturday Night Live. Damon has also performed voiceover work for animated and documentary films.

In addition to acting, Damon has produced numerous film and television projects. He co-founded the production company LivePlanet in 2000, through which he produced the documentary series Project Greenlight, and he later produced the drama Manchester by the Sea. Alongside Ben Affleck, he established the production companies Artists Equity and the former Pearl Street Films. Damon is also involved in humanitarian efforts, supporting organizations such as the One Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, Feeding America, and Water.org.