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Matt Damon

ACTOR · BORN 1970

Matt Damon

Born
8 October 1970, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Known for
Avatar (2009), Good Will Hunting (1997), Oppenheimer (2023), The Great Wall (2016)

61 archived facts 7 topics 2 sources Last reviewed Nov 2026

Matt Damon (born 8 October 1970) is an actor best known for Avatar, Good Will Hunting and Oppenheimer.

Matt Damon over the years

Matt Damon in 2013 (age 43)
2013 · age 43Georges Biard, CC BY-SA 3.0
Matt Damon in 2026 (age 56)
2026 · age 56Republic of Korea, CC BY-SA 4.0

61 Interesting Facts About Matt Damon

Interesting Facts (7)

  1. #001

    He has starred in three different films where rescuing his character is a major plot point: Saving Private Ryan (1998), Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015).

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  2. #002

    Although his characters have used them frequently in films, he has a strong dislike of guns in real life.

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  3. #003

    Became a father for the 1st time at age 35 when his wife Luciana Damon gave birth to their daughter Isabella Damon on June 11, 2006.

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  4. #004

    In each of the Bourne trilogy films, he confronts a knife-wielding adversary using an unconventional weapon: a pen in Bourne Identity (2002), a newspaper in the Bourne Supremacy (2004), and a towel in the Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

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  5. #005

    Has starred in six films with Casey Affleck: Good Will Hunting (1997), Gerry (2002), Oceans Eleven (2002), Oceans Twelve (2004), Oceans Thirteen (2007) and Interstellar (2014). Interstellar (2014) is the only one in which They do not have any scenes together.

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  6. #006

    Was at some point in talks to star in a remake of Blue Thunder (1983) with John Milius directing.

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  7. #007

    The first celebrity autograph he ever managed to get was from Marvelous Marvin Hagler.

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Production Story (10)

  1. #008

    The character Skylar in Good Will Hunting (1997), played by Minnie Driver, was inspired by Skylar Satenstein, whom Damon used to date in college.

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  2. #009

    Had a cameo as a waiter in the film The Sum of All Fears (2002), but it was cut from the final film.

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  3. #010

    Francis Ford Coppola cast him in The Rainmaker (1997) after seeing him in Courage Under Fire (1996).

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  4. #011

    He said that in 1995, he was paid $20,000 to be in Tommy Lee Jones film The Good Old Boys (1995). That money kept Damon and Ben Affleck free from having to take other jobs so that they could write Good Will Hunting (1997).

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  5. #012

    Was, along with Jake Gyllenhaal, the studio's first choice for the role of Jake Sully in Avatar (2009), but director James Cameron chose the (back then) more unknown Sam Worthington in the lead role instead.

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  6. #013

    Originally cast as Dan White in Milk (2008), but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Green Zone (2010).

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  7. #014

    Was once offered the chance at playing Daredevil when it was in production at Miramax in 1999. This version would have starred Damon and been written by Kevin Smith and directed by Robert Rodriguez. However, Marvel Comics wanted too large a budget for the filmmakers' tastes.

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  8. #015

    He was among the actors considered for the role of Batman's Sidekick Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing in 'Batman Forever (1995)'. His best friend Ben Affleck would go on to play Bruce Wayne/Batman over twenty years later.

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  9. #016

    Was considered for the role of Matt Murdock/Daredevil in Daredevil (2003). The role eventually went to his best friend Ben Affleck.

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  10. #017

    Turned down the part of Bobby Mercer in Four Brothers (2005), as he found the script to be "ultra-violent". The part eventually went to Mark Wahlberg.

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Behind the Scenes (11)

  1. #018

    After a notable weight gain for Stuck on You (2003), he lost 22 pounds training for The Bourne Supremacy (2004), eventually having six-pack abs.

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  2. #019

    He gained over 30 pounds to play Mark Whiteacre in The Informant! (2009), which he dieted off as soon as the shoot was complete.

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  3. #020

    Dropped 47 pounds for his role as a Gulf War vet in Courage Under Fire (1996).

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  4. #021

    Lost 30 pounds for his role in the film The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

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  5. #022

    Both he and Ben Affleck worked as extras on the film Field of Dreams (1989). At one point during the shoot, Matt took some blades of grass from the field as mementos for his father.

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  6. #023

    To perfect his Southern accent for his role as Rudy Baylor in The Rainmaker (1997), he tended bar in Knoxville, TN, for free. Later he hired one of the customers to serve as his dialect coach.

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  7. #024

    Has stated since The Bourne Identity, when rehearsing fight scenes with stunt men, he has bought each of them a bottle of champagne for every time he struck them by accident.

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  8. #025

    Started a bowling league in Berlin while making The Bourne Supremacy (2004).

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  9. #026

    Shaved his head for the movie The Brothers Grimm (2005) (to assist in the wearing of a wig for that role). The shaved head was shown in the movie EuroTrip (2004), which was filmed in Prague at the same time.

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  10. #027

    Shaved his head for the movie The Brothers Grimm (2005) (to assist in the wearing of a wig for that role). The shaved head was shown in the movie EuroTrip (2004), which was filmed in Prague at the same time.

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  11. #028

    He gained over 30 pounds to play Mark Whiteacre in The Informant! (2009), which he dieted off as soon as the shoot was complete.

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Characters & Cast (7)

  1. #029

    Although his characters have used them frequently in films, he has a strong dislike of guns in real life.

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  2. #030

    Has the distinction of playing two stranded astronauts in need of a rescue; the villainous Dr. Mann in Interstellar (2014) and the heroic Mark Watney in The Martian (2015).

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  3. #031

    Is only 11 years older than Eddie Redmayne who plays his son in The Good Shepherd (2006).

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  4. #032

    Learned to play piano for the film The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999).

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  5. #033

    According to articles posted in Dec. 2015 on Quora and other sources, the total cost of all the rescue missions that were mounted to save characters he played in various films (including Saving Private Ryan, Interstellar and The Martian) would exceed 900 billion in adjusted dollars.

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  6. #034

    He starred in two science fiction films with Jessica Chastain where his character needs to be rescued: Interstellar (2014) and The Martian (2015).

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  7. #035

    He was among the actors considered for the role of Batman's Sidekick Dick Grayson/Robin/Nightwing in 'Batman Forever (1995)'. His best friend Ben Affleck would go on to play Bruce Wayne/Batman over twenty years later.

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Easter Eggs & References (4)

  1. #036

    In each of the Bourne trilogy films, he confronts a knife-wielding adversary using an unconventional weapon: a pen in Bourne Identity (2002), a newspaper in the Bourne Supremacy (2004), and a towel in the Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

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  2. #037

    Jimmy Kimmel had a long running gag of ending his late night show with an apology to Matt Damon for not being able to interview him.

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  3. #038

    Grew up next door to radical historian Howard Zinn. Damon references Zinn's seminal work "A People's History of the United States" as Will in Good Will Hunting (1997).

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  4. #039

    Had a cameo as a waiter in the film The Sum of All Fears (2002), but it was cut from the final film.

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Career & Awards (7)

  1. #040

    1998: Formed Pearl Street Productions with Ben Affleck and Chris Moore.

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  2. #041

    While promoting The Bourne Supremacy (2004) on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992), he revealed that when he was a college freshman his agent from a "ma and pa agency" inadvertently sent him and Ben Affleck to an audition for The New Mickey Mouse Club (1977). They were under the impression that they were going to meet the head of Touchstone Pictures.

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  3. #042

    He has appeared in four films directed by Kevin Smith: Chasing Amy (1997), Dogma (1999), Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) and Jersey Girl (2004).

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  4. #043

    Appeared twice on the cover of GQ magazine: December '99 and August '07.

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  5. #044

    Co-founded H20 Africa,an organization that brings clean drinking water to three million people in developing countries.

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  6. #045

    Dropped out of Harvard 12 credits short of graduating to pursue his acting career.

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  7. #046

    Originally cast as Dan White in Milk (2008), but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Green Zone (2010).

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Life & Family (15)

  1. #047

    Matt's patrilineal line dates back to John Damon born c. 1590 in Faversham, Kent, England.

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  2. #048

    While he was still a student at Harvard University, he once shared a drama class with Ketanji Brown Jackson where they were paired as partners for a scene in Irish playwright Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." Although they did not perform in front of a live audience, they memorized a part of the play together. Many years later Damon was astonished to learn that Jackson had been appointed to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by President Joe Biden in 2022.

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  3. #049

    When his baby nephew cries, he sings "Afternoon Delight" for him.

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  4. #050

    Became a father for the 3rd time at age 40 when his wife Luciana Damon gave birth to their daughter Stella Damon on October 20, 2010.

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  5. #051

    When he and best friend Ben Affleck were struggling actors, they both shared a Boston bank account.

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  6. #052

    1998: Played in $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold 'Em tournament at the World Series of Poker (www.wsop.com) in Las Vegas. He was knocked out in the first day by poker legend Doyle Brunson. Damon had kings, Brunson aces.

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  7. #053

    Quit smoking after visiting a hypnotist in L.A.

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  8. #054

    His uncle, George Brunstad, swam the English Channel at the age of 70. He completed the 21-mile swim in 15 hours and 59 minutes, making him the new world record holder as the oldest person to complete the swim. In the process, he raised $12,000 for a Haitian children's group (29 August 2004).

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  9. #055

    Suffers severely from a fear of snakes (Ophidiophobia).

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  10. #056

    Visited Haiti with Wyclef Jean to deliver food to hurricane victims.

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  11. #057

    His parents divorced when he was two and he spent part of his childhood in a commune in Boston with his mother.

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  12. #058

    The character Skylar in Good Will Hunting (1997), played by Minnie Driver, was inspired by Skylar Satenstein, who he used to date in College.

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  13. #059

    Tenth cousin once removed of Ben Affleck. They are both descendants of William Knowlton Jr., a bricklayer who came to the United States from England in the 1630s.

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  14. #060

    Became a father for the 2nd time at age 37 when his wife Luciana Damon gave birth to their daughter Gia Damon on August 20, 2008.

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  15. #061

    While he was still a student at Harvard University, he once shared a drama class with Ketanji Brown Jackson where they were paired as partners for a scene in Irish playwright Samuel Beckett's "Waiting for Godot." Although they did not perform in front of a live audience, they memorized a part of the play together. Many years later Damon was astonished to learn that Jackson had been appointed to Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by President Joe Biden in 2022.

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Sources & editorial notes

Reference databases

  • Wikipedia English Wikipedia article
  • IMDb IMDb name page (biography and trivia)

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