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Matt Damon - Biography

Matt made his name as the writer and star of Good Will Hunting

Nicky Morris
TV and film writer
Updated: November 16, 2023
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Matt Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in suburban Massachusetts to Nancy Paige, an author and educator, and Kent Damon, an investment banker. His parents split when he was two years old, and his mum raised him and his brother in Cambridge. 

Matt Damon's Hollywood career

After scoring a pivotal role in Geronimo: An American Legend and relocating to Los Angeles, Matt dropped out of Harvard University, which is where he wrote a draft screenplay of Good Will Hunting. After working on the script with his school friend Ben Affleck, the pair went on to star in the film, which was later nominated for a string of Academy Awards, including Best Picture, and the pair walked off with a pair of Best Screenplay Oscars. 

High-profile roles with acclaimed directors including Steven Spielberg, Anthony Minghella and , Anthony Minghella and Robert Redford followed, including Saving Private Ryan and The Talented Mr Ripley. 

Matt earned a reputation for his uncompromising work ethic. He cracked a rib learning to play golf for The Legend Of Bagger Vance, he dropped three stone for a supporting role in Courage Under Fire, and he learned to play cards with Las Vegas aficionados for Rounders. 

He is perhaps most famous for his role as Jason Bourne in the films The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy and The Bourne Ultimatum, all three of which enjoyed huge global success and established the actor as a fully-fledged action star.

Some of the actor's other notable roles include Avatar, The Departed, True Grit, The Monuments Men, and Oppenheimer. Matt has received accolades for his work, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.

Matt Damon's personal life

Matt met former bartender Luciana Bozán, while filming Stuck on You in Miami in April 2003. The couple tied the knot in New York City in December 2005, before going on to welcome three daughters together: Isabella, who was born in 2006, Gia, who they welcomed in 2008, and Stella, who arrived in 2010. Matt also has a stepdaughter Alexia Barroso (born 1998), from Luciana's previous marriage.

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