Biography of Matt Damon
Matthew Page Damon is a renowned Hollywood actor, best known for his roles in the action-packed Ocean's Trilogy and the series of films about special agent Jason Bourne. At the beginning of his career, he actively starred in Kevin Smith's films (Dogma, Chasing Amy). Together with his best friend Ben Affleck, the actor created the outstanding film Good Will Hunting, which won an Oscar in the 1998 category for Best Screenplay.
Matt Damon
Further career development
After being nominated for prestigious awards, many famous directors found out who Damon Matt was. The actor’s filmography began to quickly expand with works with real masters of cinematography. Thus, he played in the acclaimed war drama “Saving Private Ryan” (1998) by Steven Spielberg. Immediately after this work, Matt starred in such successful films as Rounders (1998) and Dogma (1999). In the last film, his friend, Ben Affleck, became his partner again. Another breakthrough to stardom was the film “The Talented Mr. Ripley” (1999). For his work in it, Damon was again nominated for a Golden Globe.
Matt Damon's childhood
Matt spent the first two years of his life in Cambridge, near Boston. His father, Kent Teflor Damon, worked at the stock exchange, his mother, Nancy Carlsson-Paige, taught at a local university, and his faithful playmate was his three-year older brother Kyle. As soon as the boy celebrated his second birthday, his parents separated, and from now on Nancy was forced to raise the children alone, although the sons maintained friendly relations with their father and his new family.
Matt Damon as a child
According to Matt, his mother turned out to be a real fortune teller. She always knew that Matt would become an actor, while the woman predicted a career for Kyle as an artist or sculptor, although she never told her sons about her guesses. But their fate turned out exactly as she expected.
Matt Damon's Parents: Nancy and Kent
Matt himself, who was a very persistent and stubborn kid, didn’t even think about acting as a child. At the age of 6, he suddenly wanted to become a basketball player and tormented those around him with requests to throw the ball into the hoop with him. Then the father came to the boy and told his son not to bother his head with nonsense, because in the Damon family few people grew to at least 160 centimeters, and with sports training things were even worse. After much persuasion, little Damon forgot about his dream.
REESE WITHERSPOON AND JIM THOTH
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Marriage with agent Jim Toth Reese Witherspoon's second . She was already married to actor Ryan Phillippe and gave birth to two children: daughter Ava Elizabeth and son Deacon Reese. Family life with a colleague lasted 9 years, in 2008 the couple divorced, and in 2010 the actress met an unknown agent, Jim. A year later, the lovers got married, and in 2012 they gave birth to a son, Tennessee James.
Meet Ben Affleck
At the age of 14, Matt began communicating with a neighbor boy, Ben, who lived a couple of blocks from the Damon family home. It was truly a fateful meeting. Although Affleck was two years younger than Matt, this did not stop the boys from building a sincere friendship, which later grew into a fruitful creative union.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck's friendship has stood the test of time
Ben Affleck made his film debut very early - at the age of 8. He also infected his bosom friend with the desire to get on the big screen. Together they began going to the school theater club, and two years after they met, the boys emptied their piggy banks and bought two tickets to New York, secretly going to the Mickey Mouse Show competition for young talents, secretly from their parents. But, alas, they did not make it past the first round and returned home in frustration, where Matt was already awaiting a beating from his parents.
Until the end of school, the teenagers spent time lounging around Ben's house, drinking beer, writing and performing short skits, and going on auditions - a couple of times they even got a role in the crowd.
Ben Affleck and Matt Damon in their youth
At this point, Matt slightly curbed his desire to become an actor. Ben went to look for happiness, great roles and huge fees in New York, and Matt got busy preparing for college and entered Harvard, the English department.
NICOLAS CAGE AND ALICE KIM
Nicolas Cage and Alice Kim
Before meeting waitress Alice Kim, Nicolas Cage dated actress Christina Fulton , who later gave birth to his son, Patricia Arquette and Lisa Marie Presley . Korean Alice became his third wife, they got engaged in 2004, and a year later the couple had a son, Kal-El.
MATT DAMON AND LUCIANA BARROSO
Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso
Matt Damon , like many of his colleagues, began dating celebrities - he had affairs with Minnie Driver , Winona Ryder and the lesser-known, but connected with the world of cinema, Odessa Whitmyer - the former personal assistant of Billy Bob Thornton and Ben Affleck . In 2003, the star of The Bourne Ultimatum met bartender Luciana Barroso , running into her cafe in an attempt to escape from annoying fans. Two years later they got married and now have three daughters: Isabella, Gia and Stella.
Acting career of Matt Damon. First roles
In his free time, Matt attended screenwriting courses, and in his first year he was lucky - he got a tiny role with one line in the romantic comedy Mystic Pizza. At the 87th minute, his hero said: “Mom, do you want my green thing?” Then there was a slightly larger role - a sports commentator in the drama “Field of Dreams” with Kevin Coster.
After this, Damon revived his forgotten dream of becoming an actor and confronted his parents with a fait accompli - he was going to New York to try his luck at auditions. His parents informed him that he could not count on their help, and Matt set off with meager savings of $200.
Having reunited in New York, the friends again began to look for an outlet for their irrepressible energy, but were only able to find work in advertising for TJ Maxx supermarkets. In 1989, the young actor starred in the film “The Son is a Rising Star” and firmly decided to leave Harvard.
Young Matt Damon
Who knows how much effort it took Matt not to ruin his relationship with his parents, who were, to put it mildly, not happy about his action. But just a year later, he and his friend landed leading roles in the film School Ties, along with other aspiring actors: Chris O'Donnell and Brendan Fraser. A few months later, Matt got the role of Lieutenant Davis in the box office failure of the western Geronimo: An American Legend.
Matt Damon's first serious role (School Ties)
In 1996, two diametrically opposed films starring Matt Damon were released: the student comedy “Splash of Glory,” which grossed a measly $15,000, and the war drama “Courage in Action,” for which Matt lost 40 pounds. However, the efforts were not in vain, because after the premiere, critics called Matt a real breakthrough of the year.
Matt Damon lost 20 kilograms for the filming of Courage in Fight
Very soon he had the honor of starring alongside Danny DeVito in the thriller “The Benefactor.” His character, a young lawyer Rudy Baylor, was disillusioned with the profession, but fate gave him an extremely dangerous chance to instantly achieve success. As filming progressed, he again had to gain back the kilograms he lost during the filming of Courage in Battle.
“The Benefactor”: Matt Damon played a gifted lawyer
The Birth of Good Will Hunting
The script for one of the most iconic films of the 90s was born in a couple of evenings. Matt Damon helped Ben Affleck with his homework - he was asked to write an essay on a free topic in college. After reading their joint twenty-page creation, the literature teacher laughingly told Affleck that no one would ever read such nonsense, and returned his job.
Matt Damon became a legend after Good Will Hunting
A couple of years later, the Miramax film studio released a film that, with a budget of $10 million, grossed $225 million worldwide, won two Oscars (one went to friends for best screenplay, and the second went to Robin Williams for best actor) with nine nominations. After the premiere, the press immediately dubbed Matt Damon “the ruler of women’s hearts.”
A year later, Matt Damon played Steven Spielberg in the drama Saving Private Ryan. Tom Hanks, Vin Diesel, Tom Sizemore and Jeremy Davis tried to bring Matt Damon home to ease his mother's pain from losing her three eldest sons at once. The film won 5 Oscars and was named the highest-grossing film of 1998.
Still from the film "Saving Private Ryan"
Almost simultaneously, the film “Rounders” starring Matt Damon and Edward Norton was released. The crime thriller was rated quite well, but in comparison with “Private Ryan” it went almost unnoticed.
In 1999, viewers saw the actor in the films “The Talented Mr. Ripley” and “Dogma” by Kevin Smith. The first film introduced Matt Damon as a true master of disguise - he had to play a man who plays another man.
Still from the film “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
The second film was his benefit performance with his best friend, Ben Affleck. They played the fallen angels Loki and Bartleby, who endangered all human existence.
“Dogma”: Matt Damon as the angel Loki
During this period, Matt admitted, his career developed so rapidly that sometimes he woke up in the middle of the night and wondered: why was he so lucky?
The next landmark work with Damon's participation was released in 2001. Matt was one of eleven specialists hired by George Clooney's character for the most daring casino robbery in human history. Damon's character is a young pickpocket Linus Caldwell. Subsequently (in 2004 and 2007) the film received a sequel, which won great love among viewers around the world.
Matt Damon wears glasses
At the same time, filming was underway for another major project, “The Bourne Identity.” This film about an amnesiac FBI agent literally revived interest in the spy thriller genre. Already on the third day after the premiere, Matt Damon received about 30 job offers.
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne
Two years later, the creators released the film “The Bourne Supremacy,” and a little later, “The Bourne Ultimatum.” The film also has a spin-off starring Jeremy Renner.
Matt Damon on the set of Bourne
A year later, several successful films starring Damon appeared on the screens. These are the detective drama “The Departed” by Martin Scorsese and “The False Temptation” by Robert De Niro. Filming took place in parallel, so the actor needed a lot of strength to quickly change from one image to another.
In 2014, he appeared in the cast of the science fiction film Interstellar, starring Matthew McConaughey. Damon's character turned out to be very insidious.
Still from the movie "Interstellar"
It is not known whether this came out on purpose or not, but a year later Matt appeared as the complete opposite of his hero from “Interstellar” in another “space” film – “The Martian”. As a result of an accident at the station, Mark Watney was forgotten on Mars. While waiting for a rescue expedition, he began to settle on a deserted and deadly planet for humans. Matt Damon was even nominated for an Oscar in the Best Actor category, but the statuette went to Leonardo DiCaprio for his role in The Revenant.
“Russians are amazing people!” - Matt Damon
Matt Damon is most recently known as Jason Bourne, although that is not his real name. Before the appearance of the handsome super-assassin on the silver screen, we knew Will Hunting, who was the “smart guy,” the “talented Mr. Ripley,” and Private Ryan, who needed to be saved from death. From 1997 to 2007, we saw a whole gallery of characters created by one of the most talented actors of the new generation. And this year Damon was recognized by the authoritative People magazine as “the sexiest man alive.” But what do we know about Matt? The actor does not like to talk about himself. You won’t find an interview with him where he talks about his childhood, parents, girlfriends, school hobbies, favorite dishes, and if you do, don’t believe it. Most likely this is not true. Matt even starts our conversation with a short introduction: I have to define the boundaries right away - nothing personal. I don’t want to regret what I said later. No matter what I tell you, I will still regret it later. Personal is personal. If you didn’t have a voice recorder in your hands, I could talk for hours about everything that is dear and interesting to me, but I don’t want it to appear on the pages of the magazine, because then I’ll hear from someone: “Do you remember did he say that? I was talking about something that was important to me only at that moment, but it became known to the public and time, and there is no way to get rid of it. I understand him and even try to explain that I will not talk about him in English. Matt, with a shy smile, just shakes his head: “Anyway, you’ll find out something like that, I know your brother...” The actor sits, slightly leaning forward and resting his chin on his clasped palms, all attention and goodwill. And I start from afar:
The last two years have been extremely successful for you - so many interesting works... And all thanks to Born. (Leans back in his chair, crossing his legs.) After “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Ocean’s Eleven,” which were huge box office successes, I could afford to be distracted by interesting projects that I knew wouldn’t bring in a lot of money. After finishing “Syriana” and “The Brothers Grimm,” I starred in “The Departed” with Martin Scorsese, and then with Robert De Niro in “The False Temptation.” These films are not box office hits, but not a single actor will refuse to star in Scorsese, as this is a chance to work with a great artist. I cut my fees because at that moment I needed creativity, not money. By the way, these films collected more at the box office than expected. It's flattering. This means that, after all, our public demands not only popcorn and spectacles, but also thinking people. Which of these films was the most popular in Russia? (Looks at me, squinting slyly, as if he knows the answer.) Scorsese's The Departed...
I knew it! (He slams his palm triumphantly on the table.) Russians appreciate good cinema. At one time we were filming “The Bourne Supremacy” in Moscow. Russians are amazing people! So many talented people! I worked with Russian actors on “The False Temptation”: Oleg Stefanko, Mark Ivanir. By the way, Mark helped me with Russian pronunciation...
- You did a pretty good job, I was even able to understand what you were saying without subtitles...**
Honestly? Great! I didn’t even understand what I was saying, just in general terms. I didn’t have the task of learning the language; I memorized the phrase phonetically. Russian is an incredibly difficult language to pronounce. I suffered for a long time trying to learn your “s” and “zh”.
In addition to the fact that you yourself spoke Russian, you performed many of the stunts in the film yourself...
I try to do everything myself... Oh, damn! I hate it when someone says: “I do all my own stunts, no stuntmen or stunt doubles!” I will say: lies! It's impossible to do all the complex stunts in a film like Bourne. There are times when only specially trained people are able to cope with the task. However, in my case this is what happened. When we started making the first Bourne film, director Doug Liman said that we needed to convince audiences that Bourne was a killing machine, a man with incredible reflexes who could find a way out of the most difficult situations. The only way to make them believe is that I have to participate in every imaginable stunt (in the unimaginable, I was still replaced by stuntmen). We decided that Doug would follow me with a camera, which would clearly show at the moment of a jump, fall or race in a car: this is really me jumping, falling, etc., this is not an edited stunt trick, and then there is a close-up of me. Thus, the audience began to believe that with my appearance one can be cool. It worked on the second film too. So by the third part the question was no longer raised. Stunt director Dan Bradley just treated me like one of his team. If I had to take part in a fight, I simply sacrificed my day off and spent it in the gym, learning the moves together with the “enemy,” repeating the blows hundreds of times and precisely according to the stopwatch. A movie fight is, in fact, a clearly organized dance with its own choreography, full of emotions and even passion. Such “dance numbers” are received by the public with great enthusiasm. (Laughs, rubbing his hands.) Although with age it becomes more and more difficult to stay in shape. Unless, of course, you are a professional stuntman. I noticed that I became a little stiff - it takes longer to warm up.
Don't you go to the gym to keep fit?
I walk, of course, but with the birth of my daughter Isabella, I noticed that I began to skip my daily workouts. I noticed that towards the end of filming “Ultimatum...” I started buttoning my jacket higher, losing the look of a lean and always running Bourne. My daughter, like a magnet, pulls me home. I want to quickly finish all my work and go home to take her in my arms, play with her, talk, listen to the stories of her older sister (Matt’s adopted daughter Allesandra. - Author) about what they did all day... Matt is ready and talk further on this topic, but I stop him, remembering the promise given before the interview not to meddle in his personal life.
- Therefore, training is on the side... But what about chases, jumping from the roof, if you are not in shape?**
Stuntmen also did some things, of course. You can't leave guys without a salary. (Laughs and shakes his head, clearly approving of my desire to stay on topic.) I have already said that it is impossible for an actor to perform all the tricks, and it is not necessary. This is why stuntmen exist to help in situations involving risk. In addition, there are certain conditions in the contract that prohibit the actor from taking unnecessary risks; there are subtleties there. In general, to each his own: for the actor - creative, and for the stuntman - physical stress.
- You used to smoke a lot. This had to take a toll on your fitness, right?**
He smoked a lot - two packs a day. But the moment came when I realized that I had to stop. Not for myself, but for the sake of those around me. I turned to Carrie Gainer for help, who treats this habit with hypnosis. However, I don’t know what they call hypnosis, because it didn’t put me to sleep. Each meeting lasted an hour. We talked about smoking, so to speak, sober - about cancer patients who are forced to quit smoking in order to prolong their lives, and are amazed at how easy it is. Maybe he hypnotized me in the process, I don’t know (laughs), but after those classes I never had the desire to pick up a cigarette, even in the company of smoking friends. I’m very glad that I quit, because otherwise I would have had a really bad time on the set of “Bourne.” You saw how much he runs...
Matt begins to develop the topic of smoking in Europe and Russia in particular.
I don’t interrupt him because I feel it’s important for him to voice this. For some reason, everything that concerns the well-being of people, no matter where they live, turns out to be important to him. Listening to Damon is easy and pleasant - you can feel the trained mind of a man who studied at Harvard. He even manages to say a kind word about President Bush, who is unloved by Americans (and especially in Hollywood), although Matt is among the supporters of his opponent Al Gore. The actor can talk about politics a lot and in an interesting way. He doesn't mind talking about any topic at all.
Matt also doesn't mind if Barack Obama, a black senator from Illinois, becomes president of the United States. * If he is the face of America, it will alleviate a huge number of problems around the world.
MATT DAMON'S PLANS He wants to try his hand at directing and start writing scripts again: “I haven’t written for a long time, I’ve been too busy, but it will certainly come back...”. His plans include working on joint projects with his closest friend Ben Affleck, and maybe with George Clooney, whose career he is a little envious: “George makes films, writes scripts, acts in them, and all this on his terms!” Besides work, he is planning to set up a house in Miami: “We still don’t know what it’s like to live in a house? What will our daily life be like? We’re still on the road... We’ll probably settle down closer to autumn.” Matt closes his eyes at this phrase. Maybe dreamy, or maybe tired. I wish all his plans come true. And he wished me to enjoy the adventures of the elusive Bourne on the silver screen. N.H.
(15.01.2008)
Personal life of Matt Damon
Matt watched his best friend suffer from love for Jennifer Lopez for a very long time, and swore that such hassle would never happen in his life. He even broke up with his school friend Soren, because as his popularity grew, she demanded more and more attention to her person. The actor chose to choose a job.
Eccentric Matt Damon
His next passion, model Kara Sands, also couldn’t stand the competition with cinema. After the breakup, Matt fell in love with almost every colleague on the set: Minnie Driver, Gwyneth Paltrow, Penelope Cruz, Claire Danes, Frank Potente. But after his affair with Winona Ryder, Matt swore off having affairs with actresses: their demands were too high and their psyche was too unstable.
Matt Damon and Winona Ryder
In 2005, the actor married Spaniard Luciana Burrows, a decorator. They met two years earlier. In 2006, their first child, daughter Isabella, was born.
Matt Damon's family nest
Baby Gia Zavala was born in 2008, and Stella Zavala in 2010. Matt is also raising his wife’s daughter from his first marriage, Alexia (born 1999).
Matt Damon with his wife and children (2014)
Incredible alliances between celebrities and their fans
Does such love have a chance? Yes, but only in one case - if a loving fan manages to fall in love not with the star, but with the person who is hiding behind it. And, of course, if he himself is an interesting and multifaceted personality, and not just a collector of newspaper articles and clippings about his idol.
Among dozens of celebrity couples in Hollywood, there are those whose romances began on the basis of worship. Many famous actors and actresses could not resist the ton of compliments and looks of adoration addressed to them, and casual dates for many grew into long happy relationships .
We present to you Hollywood stars who got married to their fans.
John Travolta and Kelly Preston
Years together: 24
Kelly Preston has more than once confessed in interviews that she fell in love with John Travolta at first sight after watching the movie “Grease” for the first time. She was 16 years old, and she loved to tell her friends that one day she would marry a sexy brunette. In turn, John Travolta first noticed the actress during a joint filming, but then Kelly was married and John had to patiently wait his turn. 24 years later, their marriage is still strong, despite the constant attempts of the tabloids to bring confusion into their relationship.
Elvis Presley and Priscilla Wagner Presley
Years together: 6
Everyone knows that the great Elvis waited seven years until the object of his desire, his future wife Priscilla, came of age, since he was ten years older than her. This circumstance makes their marriage a typical love story of a suitor and his muse. Unfortunately, in practice, the relationship cracked quite quickly - Elvis and Priscilla divorced after six years of marriage.
Anne Hathaway and Adam Shulman
Years together: 7
The radiant actress Anne Hathaway managed, by her own example, to debunk the myth that only male actors marry their fans. Hathaway began dating her ardent admirer, then young actor Adam Shulman, in 2008, and after four years of a whirlwind romance, the couple got married. Close friends of the couple say that it was only with Adam that Ann finally gained self-confidence.
Matt Damon and Luciana Barroso
Years together: 12
A chance meeting in a restaurant where Argentinean Luciana Barroso was working part-time behind the bar led to one of Hollywood's most enviable marriages. Matt Damon was fascinated at first sight by the brunette, who immediately confessed her long-time crush on him, and now, 12 years later, the couple is raising four daughters - three common and one from Luciana’s first marriage.
Julia Roberts and Danny Moder
Years together: 13
Cinematographer Danny Moder had the opportunity to enjoy the beauty of his beloved woman Julia Roberts from a variety of angles thanks to the fact that he repeatedly held a movie camera on the set with her participation. The actress, who was dating actor Benjamin Bratt at the time, was indifferent to the attention of a fan for quite a long time, but after a year of active courtship, she finally gave in. Their marriage, despite the diligent insinuations of the yellow press, is still strong, and the result is three charming children, whom Julia and Danny are raising.
Jessica Alba and Cash Warren
Years together:11
Jessica Alba broke the hearts of many teenagers when she decided to marry her biggest fan, Cash Warren. And all Cash needed to successfully get a job as an assistant on the set of “Fantastic Four” with the participation of his beloved woman. Jessica could not resist the pressure of a handsome boyfriend and has since lived with him in perfect harmony, raising two pretty daughters.
Fergie and Josh Duhamel
Years together: 11
Actor Josh Duhamel admitted in an interview that he secretly dreamed of getting sexy Fergie as his wife long before it actually happened. One of the main fans of the singer’s work, Josh still tries not to miss a single one of her performances. Their romance began in 2004, after which it developed into a serious relationship and culminated in a wedding and the birth of a son. Now the actor is almost more popular than his wife, however, at the beginning of their relationship, few people knew his name, ELLE reports.
Reese Witherspoon and Jim Toth
Years together: 5
Who would have thought that an aspiring actor and part-time Hollywood agent, who had long been in love with actress Reese Witherspoon, would one day not only meet her by chance, but also become her husband and the father of her children. This is exactly what happened to Jim Toth, who was lucky enough to charm his idol five years after her high-profile separation from her husband Ryan Phillippe. Reese and Jim married in 2011, had a son, Tennessee, go to church together on Sundays, and look like the happiest couple in the world.
