Matt Damon Biography
Matthew Paige Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. A childhood neighbor of Ben Affleck, Damon dropped out of Harvard to pursue acting and co-wrote Good Will Hunting with Affleck as a writing sample to get industry attention. The script sold for $675,000, and the film earned them the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1998. His subsequent career as Jason Bourne cemented his status as an A-list action star.
Personal Life
Who are Matt Damon's parents?
Kent Damon, Nancy Carlsson-Paige
Did Matt Damon have siblings?
Yes — Kyle Damon.
Was Matt Damon married?
Matt Damon was married once, to Luciana Barroso.
Did Matt Damon have children?
Matt Damon had 4 children: Alexia Barroso (stepdaughter, born 1999), Isabella Damon (born 2006), Gia Zavala Damon (born 2008), Stella Damon (born 2010).
What religion was Matt Damon?
Matt Damon was N/A.
What was Matt Damon's ethnicity?
Matt Damon was of English, Swedish, Irish heritage.
Career Highlights
Movies
- School Ties (1992) — Watch on Amazon
- Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) — Watch on Amazon
- The Rainmaker (1997) — Watch on Amazon
- Good Will Hunting (1997) — Watch on Amazon
- Saving Private Ryan (1998) — Watch on Amazon
- Dogma (1999) — Watch on Amazon
- The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999) — Watch on Amazon
- Ocean's Eleven (2001) — Watch on Amazon
- Stuck on You (2003) — Watch on Amazon
- The Bourne Identity (2002) — Watch on Amazon
- The Bourne Supremacy (2004) — Watch on Amazon
- The Bourne Ultimatum (2007) — Watch on Amazon
- The Departed (2006) — Watch on Amazon
- Syriana (2005) — Watch on Amazon
- The Martian (2015) — Watch on Amazon
- Interstellar (2014) — Watch on Amazon
- Ford v Ferrari (2019) — Watch on Amazon
- Stillwater (2021) — Watch on Amazon
- Oppenheimer (2023) — Watch on Amazon
- Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) — Watch on Amazon
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Awards
- Academy Award — Best Original Screenplay, Good Will Hunting (1998, with Ben Affleck)
- Academy Award nomination — Best Actor, The Martian (2016)
- Golden Globe — Best Actor, The Martian (2016)
- Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance, Ocean's Eleven cast (2002)
Facts About Matt Damon
- Wrote Good Will Hunting with childhood friend Ben Affleck — they sold the spec script and both appeared in the film
- Left Harvard just 12 credits short of his degree to pursue acting full-time
- Turned down the role of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight to make The Bourne Ultimatum
- His cameo in Eurotrip (2004) as a punk rock singer is one of the most famous uncredited cameos in Hollywood
- Ben Affleck is his childhood best friend from Cambridge, MA — they grew up two blocks apart
Matt Damon Quotes
"I think it's important to have good hard failure when you're young."
"I never had a plan. I made it up as I went along."
Legacy
Matt Damon is one of the most versatile actors in Hollywood — equally credible as a conflicted action hero, an everyman stranded on Mars, or a morally complex character actor in ensemble dramas. His Good Will Hunting script remains one of the most celebrated spec sales in Hollywood history.
Sources
Last verified: 2026-06-15