Matthew "Matt" Paige Damon (/ˈdeɪmən/ DAY-mən; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among Forbes most bankable stars in 2007, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North American box office, making him one of the highest-grossing actors of all time. He has received various awards and nominations, including an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards, in addition to nominations for three British Academy Film Awards and seven Primetime Emmy Awards.
Damon began his acting career in the film Mystic Pizza (1988). He gained prominence in 1997 when he and Ben Affleck wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting, which won them the Academy Award and Golden Globe for Best Screenplay. He established himself as a leading man by starring as Tom Ripley in The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Jason Bourne in the Bourne franchise (2002–2007; 2016), and con man Linus Caldwell in the Ocean's trilogy (2001–2007). Damon's other notable roles were in Saving Private Ryan (1998), Syriana (2005), The Departed (2006), The Informant! , Invictus (both 2009), True Grit (2010), Contagion (2011), Ford v Ferrari (2019), Stillwater, The Last Duel (both 2021), Air, and Oppenheimer (both 2023), the last of which is his highest-grossing feature. He won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for playing an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian (2015).
On television, Damon portrayed Scott Thorson in the HBO biopic Behind the Candelabra (2013), for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award. He appeared on 30 Rock in 2011 and Saturday Night Live in 2019. He also produced the reality series Project Greenlight (2001–2015) as well as the film Manchester by the Sea (2016). Damon has performed voice-over work in both animated and documentary films as well as established two production companies with Affleck. He has been involved in charitable work with organizations including the One Campaign, H2O Africa Foundation, Feeding America, and Water.org.
Before his Saturday Night Live hosting debut, he made cameo on November 10, 2001, the fifth episode of Season 27, hosted by actress Gwyneth Paltrow, with musical guest Ryan Adams, where he appeared in the "Mango" sketch.
He hosted Saturday Night Live for the first time and made his 2nd appearance on October 5, 2002, the Season 28 premiere, with musical guest Bruce Springsteen and The E-Street Band.
He also made a cameo on December 10, 2011, the ninth episode and Holidays episode of Season 37, hosted by pop singer Katy Perry, where he appeared as the handsome drug addict in the SNL Digital Short.
He returned to Saturday Night Live to hosting for the 2nd time on December 15, 2018, the ninth episode and Christmas show of Season 44, making his first appearance in 16 years, 2 months, and 10 days, with musical guests Mark Ronson and Miley Cyrus.
He was also impersonated by former cast member Jim Breuer on the March 14, 1998 episode during the "Barbara Walters Oscar Special" sketch.
Impressions[]
- Axl Rose
- Justin Timberlake
- Brett Kavanaugh
- Chris Hemsworth
- Matthew McConaughey