 |
 |
|
 |
|
| Matt Damon at the premiere of The Martian at the Odeon Leicester Square, London, England, September 24, 2015. Photo by Karwai Tang. |
| |
|
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
| |
|
|
| Matt Damon with Jerry Weintraub, George Clooney and Brad Pitt |
|
| Forecourt Ceremony held on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 |
| |
Born: October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts
Age at the time of the ceremony: 36 |
| |
Matt Damon is the likeable actor who broke through spectacularly in Good Will Hunting, and has appeared in a array of projects, both big and small, since then. Oscar loves him. Audiences love him. You probably love him.
Damon's English/Scottish father and his Finno/Swedish mother divorced when he was two-years-old. Growning up with his mother and older brother in Cambridge, young Matt was a loner. Attending alternative private schools, Damon knuckled down and found escape in his studies and acting in school productions. Damon now claims that his schoolmate Ben Affleck got the biggest parts.
Damon attended Harvard University as an English major; he and Affleck managed to do extra work in films shot nearby. Damon got the part of "Steamer" in Mystic Pizza (released in October 1988) with Julia Roberts. They both played Fenway Park spectators in Field of Dreams (released in May 1989) with Kevin Costner, and they both played supporting roles in School Ties (released in September 1992) with Brendan Fraiser.
Just prior to receiving his diploma, Damon left to appear as 2nd Leiutenant Britton Davis for director Walter Hill in Geronimo: An American Legend (released in December 1993) with Wes Studi. Ben Affleck got a lead role in the small comedy Glory Daze (released in September 1996), so Affleck got his bud Damon a supporting role.
Damon got a role in the drama
Courage Under Fire (released in July 1996) with Denzel Washington; he also undertook a small role in Ben's first big hit film for director Kevin Smith Chasing Amy (released in April 1997).
While at Harvard, Damon had written a short story for his English class. Working with Affleck and director Gus Van Sant, Damon and Affleck turned it into a script. The resulting film,
Good Will Hunting (released in December 1997) with Robin Williams, not only was a big hit making Damon (who has the larger role than Affleck) into a household name, but the pair of schoolchums won the Oscar for best original screenplay (!).
The Big Time beckond; working for director Steven Speilberg, Damon played the titular figure in Saving Private Ryan (which played the Chinese in July 1998) with Tom Hanks. After that, Damon headlined for the first time in The Talented Mr. Ripley (released in December 1999) with Gwyneth Paltrow, and undertook a romantic lead in The Legend of Bagger Vance (released in November 2000) with Will Smith.
Appearing in director Steven Soderbergh's remake of
Ocean's Eleven (released in December 2001) with George Clooney, put Damon into overdrive; he and Affleck became
executive producers on 34 episodes of Project Greenlight (aired over HBO and Bravo from December 2001 to September 2015). Greenlight, of course, was a relaity show competition for feature filmmakers. Damon and Affleck both produced the first season's winner, director Pete Jones' Stolen Summer (released in March 2002) with Amara Balthrop-Lewis. Damon and Affleck also produced eight episodes of Push, Nevada (aired over ABC in September 2002) with Derek Cecil. Damon became executive producer on Project Greenlight's runnerup winner Brendan Murphy's Speakeasy (which was released somehow in 2002) with David Strathaim.
With Casey Affleck, Damon co-starred and co-wrote director Gus Van Sant's Gerry (released in February 2003). After this micro-film, Damon became an action star in The Bourne Identity (released in June 2002) with Chris Cooper. The film was a great success, and so, was followed by The Bourne Supremacy (released in July 2004) with Joan Allen, which was followed by the sequel to Damon's other franchise, Ocean's Twelve (which played the Chinese in December 2004) with George Clooney.
Damon drifted into director Terry Gilliam territory, playing Wilhelm in
The Brothers Grimm (released in August 2005) with Heath Ledger as Jakob, then played opposite George Clooney in the thriller Syriana (released in December 2005).
Working with his Ocean's co-star Brad Pitt, who was a producer on The Departed (which played the Chinese in October 2006) with Leonardo DiCaprio, must have been fun. He was directed by Robert De Niro in the CIA thriller The Good Shepard (released in December 2006) with Angelina Jolie.
For the opening of Ocean's Thirteen (which played the Chinese in June 2007), Damon was imprinted in the Chinese Forecourt, along with producer Jerry Weintraub and co-stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt. This was followed up by The Bourne Ultimatun (released in August 2007) with Joan Allen.
Working with Steven Soderbergh, he starred in
The Informant! (released in September 2009). He played the South African ruby team captain François Pienaar for director Clint Eastwood in Invictus (released in December 2009) with Morgan Freeman. He was executive producer on The People Speak (aired over The History Channel in December 2009) with an all-star cast of narrators, and he took the Glen Campbell role in the remake of True Grit (released in December 2010) with Jeff Bridges.
Steven Soderbergh directed Damon once more in
Contagion (released in September 2011) with Kate Winslet; for director Cameron Crowe he starred in We Bought a Zoo (released in December 2011) with Scarlett Johansson. Damon starred and co-wrote Promised Land (released in December 2012) with Francis McDormand.
Damon, Michael Douglas and director Steve Soderbergh went way out on a limb with their biopic of entertainer Liberace and his lover Scott Thorson in Behind the Candelabra aired over HBO in June 2013.
He starred in the science-fiction film Elysium (released in August 2013) with Jodie Foster, starred with George Clooney (who also directed) in The Monuments Men (released in February 2014). He played a small role in Interstellar (which played the Chinese in November 2014) with Matthew McConaughey, then starred in what amounts to a one-man show for director Ridley Scott, The Martain (released in October 2015) with Jessica Chastain.
Exiting sci-fi land, Damon was executive producer on 75 episodes of The Runner (streamming over go90 beginning in July 2016). He produced and starred in Jason Bourne (released in July 2016) with Tommy Lee Jones. He was a producer on Manchester by the Sea (released in December 2016) with Casey Affleck, which got nominated for Best Picture — not bad!
He headlined the Chinese production
The Great Wall (which played the Chinese (get it??) in February 2017) with Tian Jing, and starred in Downsizing (released in December 2017) with Christopher Waltz. He starred once more for director George Clooney in Suburbicon (released in October 2017) with Julianne Moore.
Damon scored yet another hit playing Carroll Shelby in Ford v Ferrari (which played the Chinese in November 2019) with Christain Bale. Damon starred in Stillwater (released in July 2021) and, for director Ridley Scott, he plays Sir Jean de Carrouges in The Last Duel (released in September 2021). He played Loki in Thor: Love and Thunder (which played the Chinese in July 2022). |
|
|
|
|
| |
 |
|
| Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California. Matt Damon Forecourt block. Executed by Unknown, Tuesday, June 5, 2007. 36 x 36 inches. |
|
 |
|
| Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood, California. Jerry Weintraub, George Clooney, Brad Pitt and Matt Damon Forecourt ceremony, Tuesday, June 5, 2007. Matt Damon looks up after finishing his inscribing of his block. |
|
|
