Matt Damon’s work as an actor, writer and producer has cemented him as one of the entertainment industry’s biggest stars.
Damon was born in October 1970 to parents Nancy Carlsson-Paige and Kent Damon. During his childhood in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with older brother Kyle Damon, Matt met his best friend and future costar, Ben Affleck, when they were 10 and 8 years old, respectively.
After Matt booked his first-ever film role in 1988’s Mystic Pizza, he and Affleck went on to appear in several projects together — including Field of Dreams and School Ties — before cowriting the film that would launch them into stardom: 1997’s Good Will Hunting.
The famous duo took home the 1998 Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for their work on the film, which also starred Robin Williams and Minnie Driver, the latter of whom Matt began dating in 1997. Their 1998 split sparked a media frenzy.
Matt later dated Winona Ryder for two years before their 2000 split. Soon after, Matt met his future wife, Luciana Barroso, at a Miami bar in 2003.
The couple tied the knot two years later and became the parents of three girls, welcoming daughters Isabella, Gia and Stella in 2006, 2008 and 2012, respectively. Upon their marriage, Matt also became stepfather to Barroso’s daughter Alexia, whom she welcomed with ex-husband Arbello Barroso in 1999.
Scroll below for a look back at Matt’s life and career:
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1988-1992
Matt got his start in the entertainment industry with a small role in 1988’s Mystic Pizza. He and Affleck later appeared as extras in 1989’s Field of Dreams and starred alongside Brendan Fraser in the 1992 movie School Ties.
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1997-1998
One year after the release of Good Will Hunting, the Great Wall star took home an Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 1998. The same year, Matt and costar Driver called it quits.
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1999-2000
Matt and Affleck reunited on screen in the 1999 film Dogma. Following his split from Driver, Matt dated Ryder for two years. They broke up in 2000.
Credit: Bob Marshak/Warner Bros/Kobal/Shutterstock
2001-2002
The Worth of Water author made his debut in two of his most iconic roles — Ocean’s Eleven‘s Linus Caldwell and The Bourne Identity’s Jason Bourne — in 2001 and 2002, respectively. He would go on to star in several sequels for both franchises.
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2003
He met Barroso while she was working as a bartender at a Miami hotspot. “He was shooting a movie there and the crew ended up in the bar one Saturday night,” Barroso told Vogue Australia in May 2018. “Matt’s story is that he saw me across the room and there was a light on me. And I’m like, ‘Yeah, it was a nightclub — there were lights everywhere!’”
After Matt hid behind the bar to avoid aggressive fans, Barroso put him to work. “I said: ‘You know, if you’re going to be back here, you can’t just be standing there!’” she added. “He had trained as a bartender for a film years before, so he started making drinks. And he made me a ton of money in tips that night, because of course everyone wanted to go and see him. So it turned into a really fun night and then 15 years later here we are!”
Credit: Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock
2006
Matt and Barroso welcomed their first child together, daughter Isabella, in June.
Credit: Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock
2007
The Talented Mr. Ripley star cemented his place in Hollywood history by earning a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
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