Matthew Paige Damon is an American actor, producer, philanthropist, and screenwriter. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, from five nominations, two Golden Globe Awards, and has been nominated for three British Academy Film Awards and six Emmy Awards. He made his breakthrough by starring in the film Good Will Hunting (1997) alongside Ben Affleck, which won them the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and earned Damon a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor.
Damon was born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to Kent, a stockbroker, and Nancy, an early childhood education professor at Lesley University. He has an older brother, Kyle, and an older sister, Krista. He attended Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, where he was a good student and a successful athlete, playing on the varsity soccer team and participating in the theater productions. He graduated from Harvard University in 1992, with a degree in English.
Damon's first film appearance was in the 1988 film Mystic Pizza, and he went on to appear in many other films, including Courage Under Fire (1996), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), and The Departed (2006). He has also starred in the Ocean’s trilogy of heist films, as well as the Bourne series of action films.
In addition to his acting career, Damon is also a philanthropist and activist. He co-founded the charity H2O Africa Foundation in 2006, which works to provide clean water and sanitation to people in sub-Saharan Africa. In 2009, he co-founded the not-for-profit production company Water.org, which works to provide access to safe water and sanitation in developing countries.
Damon has been married to Luciana Bozán Barroso since 2005, and the couple have four daughters. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California, and continues to appear in films and television shows. His latest project was the science fiction film The Martian (2015), for which he received a Golden Globe Award and his fourth Academy Award nomination.
Damon is widely regarded as one of Hollywood's most talented actors and is highly respected in the industry for his commitment to his craft and for his philanthropic work. He is an inspiration to many and continues to be a force in the entertainment industry.
