Born: October
8 1970
Birthplace: Cambridge, Massachusetts
Occupation: actor, screenwriter
Facts about Matt Damon:
While
promoting "The
Bourne Identity" on Jay Leno, he mentioned that he was an extra (along
with Ben Affleck) in the
film "Field of Dreams".
Matt dropped out of Harvard just a few classes
short of graduation to follow his acting career. Harvard shouldn't have been
surprised -- the first line in the essay Matt wrote to get into the school was,
"For as long as I can remember, I've wanted to be an actor."
How
far are you willing to go for a movie role? Matt's breakthrough part was in
Courage
Under Fire, for which he lost forty pounds by running twelve miles a
day and eating nothing but steamed broccoli, chicken, egg whites and plain baked
potatoes. And in
The
Rainmaker, he had a scene where his character was supposed to look tense
and uncomfortable ... so Matt put rocks in his pants so he could be uncomfortable
for real.
Matt shares a Golden Globe and an Oscar for Best
Original Screenplay (Good Will
Hunting) with his high school buddy Ben Affleck.
Matt and Ben both took their mothers to the 1998 Oscars as their dates.
Hollywood hunk Matt Damon has become engaged
to his girlfriend of recent months Odessa Whitmire, Ben Affleck's personal assistant.
Has finally found a way to impress his dad -
introduce him to Robert Redford.
All
the principal actors underwent several days of grueling army training - except
for Matt Damon, who was spared so that the other actors would resent him, and
would convey that resentment in their performances (SAVING
PRIVATE RYAN).
Director Steven Spielberg considered casting
Damon for
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN after viewing his performance in
COURAGE UNDER FIRE (1996), but thought he was too skinny. Robin Williams
introduced Damon to Spielberg on the set of
GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997), and Spielberg changed his mind.
Minnie
Driver's character is named Skyler, the name of Damon's girlfriend of the time.
Skyler left Damon before
GOOD WILL HUNTING filming began, during which Damon and Driver became
romantically involved.
He doesn't like driving, so Ben Affleck did all
the driving for the pair in GOOD WILL HUNTING.
His
part as the pick pocket in
OCEAN'S ELEVEN (2001) was meant for Mark
Walhberg.
Originally up for the Colin Farrell role in
MINORITY REPORT (2002).
Played in a $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold 'Em tournament
at the 1998 World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He busted out during the first
of four days (ROUNDERS
(1998)).
ROUNDERS’
two main stars, Damon and Edward
Norton were the two finalists for the role of Pvt. Ryan in the film
SAVING PRIVATE RYAN (1998). In the end, the role did go to Damon.
Supplying the voice of Luke Trimble in
THE MAJESTIC (2001). He turned down the lead role.
The phone number printed on the sign for the
construction company that they are working for is the actual phone number of
a Woburn, MA construction company that Matt Damon worked for while going to
high school in Cambridge (GOOD
WILL HUNTING (1997)).
The scene in
THE RAINMAKER (1997) where Danny DeVito wakes him from his sleep on
the bench was filmed hurriedly to the surprise of Damon who had actually fallen
asleep after a scene.
Was
nominated Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Actor - Suspense for
THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY (2000, also starring Jude
Law and Gwyneth Paltrow).
He played in the World Series of Poker (1998).
He supported the workers at Harvard who asked
for a $10.25 per hour wage.
GOOD
WILL HUNTING screenplay, which he wrote with Ben Affleck, was bid for $50,000,
though finally sold to Castle Rock for $500,000. But Castle Rock never made
the movie and eventually sold it to Miramax Films for $1 million.
He is ranked in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful
People in the World (1998).
Damon has worked with some of Hollywood's best
directors -- Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola among them -- but he
has set his sights on starring in a movie by top Taiwanese filmmaker, Ang Lee.
(August 2002)
Some American women are so crazy about him, they
are demanding look-alike sperm donors to father their children.
Matt Damon has been romantically linked in the
past to costars Claire Danes and Minnie Driver.
His two-year romance with the actress
Winona Ryder ended in the spring of 2000.
Salary:
Personal quotes:
"If the worst thing that happens to me is that I'm
considered unhip, I can live with that."
- Matt Damon
"This whole 'I'm too cool to care' thing you get among
young actors in this country is so weak and stupid and played out, and it just
brings everybody down. You shouldn't be too cool to care, for Christ's sake.
You should be full of vim and vigor, and trying to do everything you can to
make a change."
- Matt Damon
"Knowing that I am the greatest guy in the world really
makes it simple [for fame not to go to my head]. No, seriously, it's family.
I've got a great family who keeps me in line. And I'm the youngest of two, so
being a little brother, I've gotten my ass kicked my entire life. And it doesn't
stop, even now. I'm 27, and my brother Kyle is 30. I don't think I could ever
get away with misbehaving."
- Matt Damon
"I think I could take comfort in the fact that I have
an awesome family, and really cool friends, and I love what I do. I truly love
what I do. and i'm gonna keep doing it. If I'm not a movie star, then well,
that doesn't mean I can't be an actor."
- Matt Damon
"I'm not as good-looking as
[Matthew McConaughey].
I'm certainly never going to be anyone's sex symbol."
- Matt Damon
"I'm constantly pinching myself. Sometimes I just
can't believe this is my life, you know. I've worked really hard to get here,
but I know a lot of actors who are terrific and worked really hard for it and
it hasn't worked out for them. So I can't really say that I deserve it. It's
like a crapshoot."
- Matt Damon
"I left our home to work on
a movie, and while I was away, my friend got married, and I've never heard from
him again." (on Billy Bob Thorton's marriage to Angelina Jolie)
- Matt Damon. US Weekly. Issue 295.
"Success is not something I've wrapped my brain around.
If people go to these movies, then yes, that's big-time success. If not, it's
much ado about nothing"
-Matt Damon
