Matthew Paige Damon (/ˈdeɪmən/; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among Forbes' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.12 billion at the North American box office, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received various awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
Damon began his acting career by appearing in high school theater productions. He made his professional acting debut in the film Mystic Pizza (1988). He came to prominence in 1997 when he and Ben Affleck wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, which won them the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Screenplay. He continued to garner praise from critics for his roles as the title character in Saving Private Ryan (1998), the antihero in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), a fallen angel in Dogma (1999), an energy analyst in Syriana (2005), a corrupt Irish-American policeman in The Departed (2006), and race car driver Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari (2019).
Damon is also known for his starring roles as Jason Bourne in the Bourne franchise (2002–2016), as a con man in the Ocean's trilogy (2001–2007). He had a supporting role as rugby player Francois Pienaar in Invictus (2009) and won a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his leading role as an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian (2015). Damon portrayed Scott Thorson in the biopic Behind the Candelabra (2013) and produced the reality series Project Greenlight (2001–2015) as well as the film Manchester by the Sea (2016).
Damon has also performed voice-over work in both animated and documentary films, and has established two production companies with Affleck. He has been involved in charitable work with organizations including the One Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, Feeding America, and Water.org.
Last Updated: June 9, 2021
