Matt Damon: From Obscure Actor To Hollywood Golden Boy
He is an actor who's popularity and career skyrocketed as a result of writing and starring in the Oscar Nominated film Good Will Hunting. Since then he has made a name for himself as a versatile performer who has has taken on various dynamic roles, such as that of a sociopath, siamese twin, robber, corrupt cop, action hero and late night comedic phenomenon. Join us at WatchMojo.com as we take a look at the career of obscure actor turned Oscar Nominated Hollywood golden boy Matt Damon.
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Matt Damon: From Obscure Actor To Hollywood Golden Boy
He has established himself as a versatile actor who will do whatever it takes to get the part. Welcome to Watchmojo.com and today we’re taking a look at the career of Matt Damon.
Born on October 8, 1970 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, he grew up with close friend and distant cousin Ben Affleck. There he attended Harvard University before dropping out to pursue an acting career in Los Angeles.
His first break came in form of a one-line part in the romantic comedy “Mystic Pizza”. Though the film failed to attract audiences, it helped motivate him to audition for a lead role in “School Ties” opposite Brendan Fraiser.
Following that film’s success, the young actor then took it upon himself to show Hollywood that he was serious about his craft. As a result, he quickly lost 40 pounds for the role of a drug-addicted soldier in 1996’s “Courage Under Fire”. Consequently, he narrowly avoided serious heart troubles, but would have to take medication for several years to correct the internal stress he inflicted on his glands.
Despite this, his big breakthrough came in 1997 as a result of co-writing and starring in the film “Good Will Hunting” with Ben Affleck. The film not only brought him an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor, but also helped him land a role in Spielberg’s 1998 World War II film “Saving Private Ryan”. That same year he starred as a reformed poker player in “Rounders,” a film credited by some for pushing the game further into the mainstream.
Next, he co-starred alongside Ben Affleck as the Angel of Death in the 1999 comedy “Dogma. At the same time, he took piano lessons in order to land the role of a sociopath in “The Talented Mr. Ripley”.
At the turn of the millennium Damon appeared alongside George Clooney and an all-star cast as a youthful and optimistic thief in “Ocean’s Eleven”, a remake of the rat pack’s 1960s caper classic. Despite appearing in its two sequels, Damon would again work hard to shed his youthful portrayal and re-establish himself. This time he trained to become Jason Bourne in the Bourne Identity and its two sequels that he would star in between 2002 and 2007.
Illustrating his diversity, Damon also took on the role of a conjoined twin in the 2003 comedy “Stuck on You”, a con artist in the fantasy film “The Brothers Grimm”, and as a dirty cop in “The Departed”.
While not well known for comedic roles, Matt Damon has gradually become a part of popular culture and the target of satire. This has resulted from his long running, albeit scripted, feud with Jimmy Kimmel, and for his part in the Sarah Silverman Song “I’m F-ing Matt Damon”. However, most people instantly recall his hilarious self-obsessed portrayal in Trey Parker and Matt Stone’s comedy Team America: World Police.
Coincidentally, in 2009 Damon made a mockery of his title of “Sexiest Man Alive” by gaining 35 pounds to star as a whistle blower in Steven Soderbergh’s dark comedy “The Informant!” Miraculously, he lost every pound and adopted an accent to take on the part of South African rugby Captain, François Pienaar in Clint Eastwood’s “Invictus”.
In 2010, the actor starred in the Iraq-based action war thriller “Green Zone”, as a warrant officer in search of weapons of Mass Destruction, and was announced to play Robert Kennedy in the upcoming biopic of the legendary politician.
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