Claim: Matt Damon is a person.

Matthew Paige Damon -LRB- -LSB- ˈdeɪmən -RSB- born October 8 , 1970 -RRB- is an American actor , film producer , and screenwriter . He is ranked among Forbes magazine 's most bankable stars and is one of the highest-grossing actors of all time . Damon has received various accolades , including an Academy Award from five nominations , two Golden Globe Awards from eight nominations , and has been nominated for two British Academy Film Awards and six Emmy Awards .   Born and raised in Cambridge , Massachusetts , Damon began his acting career by appearing in high school theater productions and he made his professional acting debut in the film Mystic Pizza -LRB- 1988 -RRB- . He came to prominence in 1997 when he wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting alongside Ben Affleck , which won them the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Screenplay , and earned Damon a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor . He continued to garner praise from critics for his roles as the eponymous character in Saving Private Ryan -LRB- 1998 -RRB- , the antihero in The Talented Mr. Ripley -LRB- 1999 -RRB- , a fallen angel in Dogma -LRB- 1999 -RRB- , an energy analyst in Syriana -LRB- 2005 -RRB- , and a corrupt Irish-American police officer in The Departed -LRB- 2006 -RRB- .   Damon is also known for his starring roles as Jason Bourne in the Bourne franchise -LRB- 2002 -- 16 -RRB- and as a con man in the Ocean 's Trilogy -LRB- 2001 -- 07 -RRB- . For his supporting role as the rugby player Francois Pienaar in Invictus -LRB- 2009 -RRB- and his leading role as an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian -LRB- 2015 -RRB- , Damon received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor , respectively . The latter also won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor . Damon has received Emmy Award nominations for his portrayal of Scott Thorson in the biopic Behind the Candelabra -LRB- 2013 -RRB- and for producing the reality series Project Greenlight . He also received an Oscar nomination for producing Manchester by the Sea -LRB- 2016 -RRB- .   In addition to acting in films , Damon has performed voice-over work in both animated and documentary films and has established two production companies with Affleck . He has been involved in charitable work , including the ONE Campaign , H2O Africa Foundation , Feeding America , and Water.org . Damon is married to Luciana Bozán Barroso , and they have three daughters together .