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More Matt Damon Bios & Profiles

 

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Biography #2 (for Ocean's Thirteen)

Matt Damon is an Academy Award-winning screenwriter, in addition to being honored for his work as an actor. He most recently starred in Martin Scorsese's Oscar-winning Best Picture The Departed, with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg, and in Robert De Niro's dramatic thriller The Good Shepherd, with De Niro and Angelina Jolie.

Damon next stars in The Bourne Ultimatum, in which he reprises the title role of Jason Bourne from the hit action thrillers The Bourne Identity and The Bourne Supremacy. Directed by Paul Greengrass, The Bourne Ultimatum is due out in August 2007.

Hailing from Boston, Damon attended Harvard University and gained his initial acting experience at the American Repertory Theatre. He made his feature film debut in Mystic Pizza, followed by the TNT telefilm Rising Son. His early credits also include roles in School Ties, Walter Hill's Geronimo: An American Legend and Tommy Lee Jones' The Good Old Boys, for TNT. Damon first caught the attention of critics and audiences with his portrayal of a guilt-ridden Gulf War veteran tormented by memories of a battlefield incident in 1996's Courage Under Fire.

However, 1997 would prove to be Damon's breakout year. Together with his friend Ben Affleck, he co-wrote the acclaimed drama Good Will Hunting, in which Damon also starred in the title role of a troubled math genius. The film brought him an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award (shared with Ben Affleck) for Best Original Screenplay. Damon also garnered Oscar and Golden Globe nominations for his performance in the film, as well as two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations: one for his individual performance and a second for Outstanding Cast Performance. Also in 1997, Damon starred as an idealistic young attorney in Francis Ford Coppola's The Rainmaker and made a cameo appearance in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy.

In 1998, Damon played the title role in Steven Spielberg's award-winning World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, for which he shared in another SAG Award nomination for Outstanding Cast Performance. That same year, he also starred in John Dahl's drama Rounders, with Edward Norton.

Damon earned his third Golden Globe nomination for his performance in 1999's The Talented Mr. Ripley, under the direction of Anthony Minghella. He also reunited with Ben Affleck and director Kevin Smith to star in the controversial comedy Dogma.

In 2000, Damon starred in Robert Redford's The Legend of Bagger Vance and Billy Bob Thornton's All the Pretty Horses. The next year, he joined an all-star cast, including George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts, in Steven Soderbergh's hit remake of the Rat Pack comedy Ocean's Eleven. Damon followed with his first action role when he starred as Jason Bourne in 2002's mega-hit action thriller The Bourne Identity. In 2004, he starred in the sequels Ocean's Twelve and The Bourne Supremacy.

Damon's recent film work also includes Stephen Gaghan's geopolitical thriller Syriana, with George Clooney; the Farrelly brothers' comedy Stuck On You, opposite Greg Kinnear; Terry Gilliam's The Brothers Grimm, with Heath Ledger; and a cameo appearance in George Clooney's Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.

Lifelong friends Damon and Affleck formed the production company LivePlanet to produce film, television and new media projects. LivePlanet produced three Emmy-nominated seasons of Project Greenlight, chronicling the making of independent films by first-time writers and directors. The resulting Project Greenlight films to date are Stolen Summer, The Battle of Shaker Heights and Feast. The newest LivePlanet project is the documentary Running the Sahara, directed by Academy Award winner James Moll.

Bio courtesy Warner Bros. for "Ocean's Thirteen" (27-Jun-2007)


Biography #3 (for The Bourne Supremacy)

Matt Damon is one of Hollywood's most sought-after talents. Audiences will soon see Damon starring again as Jason Bourne in The Bourne Supremacy, the second installment in the series from Universal Pictures, following The Bourne Identity. The film opens nationwide July 23, 2004.

Later this year Damon will re-team with George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts for director Steven Soderbergh in Ocean's Twelve, the follow-up to the highly successful Ocean's Eleven. The film is scheduled for release from Warner Bros. in December 2004. Next year Damon will star with Heath Ledger in The Brothers Grimm for director Terry Gilliam and Dimension Films.

The talented and versatile actor will also star in the geopolitical thriller Syriana for director Stephen Gaghan. The film, which will be produced by Section Eight Films for Warner Bros., will start filming this fall.

Last year Damon starred in Gerry, with Casey Affleck for director Gus Van Sant; and opposite Greg Kinnear in the Farrelly brothers' comedy Stuck On You.

In 2000, audiences saw Damon star in The Legend of Bagger Vance, for director Robert Redford, and in the film version of the Cormac McCarthy book All the Pretty Horses, for director Billy Bob Thornton.

In 1999, Damon starred in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor. That same year he rejoined Chasing Amy director Kevin Smith and pal Ben Affleck in Dogma, a film about a pair of outcast angels.

In 1998, he won an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay with longtime friend Ben Affleck for the critically-acclaimed drama Good Will Hunting, a coming-of-age story about a young mathematical genius who, due to his upbringing in inner-city Boston, can't live up to his potential. Damon also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in the title role. In addition, both he and Affleck received a Golden Globe for their screenplay, and Damon also garnered a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The film, directed by Gus Van Sant, received seven additional Oscar nominations, including one for Best Picture and a win for Robin Williams for Best Supporting Actor.

In the same year, Damon starred in the title role of the World War II drama Saving Private Ryan, for Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg, and in John Dahl's Rounders, about a reformed gambler who is drawn back into New York's underground poker world to help a recently paroled friend pay off loan sharks.

In 1997, Damon made a cameo appearance in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy. In the same year, he starred as an idealistic young attorney in Francis Ford Coppola's The Rainmaker, based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham.

But Matt Damon is no overnight sensation. He first gained the public's eye in 1996, when he gave a vivid performance in Fox's Courage Under Fire, in which he portrayed a guilt-ridden Persian Gulf War soldier tormented by an incident that occurred in the heat of battle.

The versatile young actor made his feature film debut in 1988 in a small role in the critically well-received Mystic Pizza. He went on to play Brian Dennehy's medical school dropout in the TV movie Rising Son (TNT, 1990) and gained further attention when he returned to the big screen as a fascist preppy in School Ties (1992).

For director Walter Hill, Damon enjoyed a sizeable supporting role as the green second lieutenant new to the West who narrates Geronimo: An American Legend (1993). In 1995, he appeared in The Good Old Boys, directed by Tommy Lee Jones for TNT. Set in turn of the century Texas, Damon portrayed a forward thinking and mechanically inclined young man who leaves his family behind to follow his heart and pursue his passion for automobiles.

In 1998, Damon and Affleck partnered with Good Will Hunting associate producer and longtime friend Chris Moore to form Pearl Street Productions, now known as LivePlanet. This unique company created integrated media, a new kind of entertainment experience that combines traditional media, new media and the physical world. LivePlanet created and oversees Project Greenlight, where filmmaking hopefuls submitted their original scripts to Affleck, Damon and Moore via an Internet competition. A 13-episode documentary series chronicling the making of the Project Greenlight independent feature film debuted on HBO in December 2001 and the film, Stolen Summer, was released in March 2002.

The second Project Greenlight film, The Battle of Shaker Heights, opened in select theaters in August 2003 and was featured on HBO in a 13-episode documentary series chronicling the making of the film.

The third Project Greenlight is currently underway with the film due for release from Dimension Films in 2005 and Bravo set to chronicle the making of the film in a nine-episode series due to begin airing in January 2005.

Damon, who attended Harvard University, first gained acting experience at the American Repertory Theatre, as well as other Boston-based theater venues.

Bio courtesy Universal Pictures for "The Bourne Supremacy" (27-Jul-2004)


Biography #4 (for The Bourne Identity)

Matt Damon won an Academy Award in 1998 for Best Original Screenplay with longtime friend Ben Affleck for the critically-acclaimed drama Good Will Hunting, a coming-of-age story about a young mathematical genius from a tough background who can't live up to his potential. Damon also earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor for his work in the title role. In addition, he and Affleck received a Golden Globe Award for their screenplay, and Damon earned a Golden Globe nomination for his performance. The film, directed by Gus Van Sant, received seven additional Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and a win for Robin Williams for Best Supporting Actor.

One of Hollywood's most sought-after talents, Damon received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actor for his portrayal of an opportunistic young man hired to coax a rich young American playboy back home from Italy in Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley. The film also starred Gwyneth Paltrow and Jude Law.

Damon starred with Will Smith in The Legend of Bagger Dance, directed by Robert Redford; and in All the Pretty Horses for producer Mike Nichols and director Billy Bob Thornton. The film, which also starred Henry Thomas and Penelope Cruz, is based on the Cormac McCarthy novel.

Damon and Affleck starred as a pair of outcast angels in director Kevin Smith's Dogma. In 1998, Damon starred in the title role of the World War II drama Saving Private Ryan for Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg, and in John Dahl's Rounders. In 1997, Damon made a cameo appearance in Kevin Smith's Chasing Amy and also starred as an idealistic young attorney in Francis Ford Coppola's The Rainmaker, based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham.

Damon first gained the public's attention in 1996 with a vivid performance in Edward Zwick's Courage Under Fire, playing a guilt-ridden Persian Gulf War soldier tormented by an incident that occurred in the heat of battle. The versatile young actor made his feature film debut in 1988 with a small role in Mystic Pizza, then starred opposite Brian Dennehy in the 1990 TNT movie Rising Son, and gained further notice on the big screen in 1992 as a fascist preppy in School Ties.

For director Walter Hill, Damon handled a sizeable supporting role as the green second lieutenant new to the West who narrates Geronimo: An American Legend (1993). In 1995, he appeared in The Good Old Boys, directed by Tommy Lee Jones for TNT.

In 1998, Damon and Affleck partnered with Good Will Hunting associate producer and longtime friend Chris Moore to form Pearl Street Productions.

Damon, Affleck and Moore recently executive produced Stolen Summer, a feature film spawned by their effort to support new talent through the Project Greenlight competition. The first Greenlight contest began in September 2000 with American citizens 18 years or older invited to submit original screenplays electronically to www.projectgreenlight.com. The winner, former insurance salesman Pete Jones, got to direct his film, Stolen Summer, and received a million dollar production budget. The 13-week Project Greenlight series on HBO documented the making of that film.

Damon attended Harvard University, and gained his earliest acting experience at the American Repertory Theatre as well as other Boston-based theatre venues. He is currently starring in the London production of Kenneth Lonergan's play, This Is Our Youth, along with Casey Affleck, his co-star in the feature film Gerry. Gerry, which re-teams Damon with Gus Van Sant, will be released in the fall.

Bio courtesy Universal Pictures for "The Bourne Identity" (01-Jan-2000)