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, December 7 , 2001 .]] Matthew Paige Damon (born October 8 , 1970 ) is an Academy Award -winning American Screenwriter and Film Actor . BIOGRAPHY Early life Damon was born in '' ( 1988 ). He went on to attend Harvard University , but dropped out a few credits shy of graduating to pursue his acting career, a move that brought him to Los Angeles . ACTING CAREER Damon appeared in small roles in a few movies before landing a big part in '''' with Gene Hackman and Jason Patric . He next appeared as a Heroin -addicted soldier in 1996 's '' Courage Under Fire ''. The war film was an opportunity for Damon to show his dedication by undergoing an extensive weight loss to help portray his character, which almost proved a dangerous move that put Damon on doctor's orders. Damon and actor Ben Affleck , close personal friends as well as co-stars in several films, developed a thriller about a young Math Genius , which they pitched around Hollywood. Receiving advice from writer/director/actor Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman , the two changed the script around to focus on a young math genius trying to make his way in the world. This eventually became '' Good Will Hunting '', which earned both Damon and Affleck Oscars for Best Original Screenplay . Damon was also nominated for an Academy Award For Best Actor for the same film (which netted an Oscar For Best Supporting Actor for co-star Robin Williams ). Much of the credit for getting the film made goes to both executive producer Kevin Smith and Harvey Weinstein , Miramax Films chairman, to whom Smith gave the Screenplay . Damon also founded Project Greenlight with Affleck and Chris Moore to find and fund worthwhile film projects from novice filmmakers. Damon has been known to stray from the mainstream in his choice of roles, such as his portrayal of the Bisexual murderer Tom Ripley in '' The Talented Mr. Ripley '', a fallen Angel who waxes Pop Culture as intellectual subject matter in '' Dogma '', in which he costarred with Affleck ( 1999 ), and the low budget and experimental film '' Gerry ''. Damon also played Amnesia c assassin Jason Bourne in the successful action movies '' The Bourne Identity '' and '' The Bourne Supremacy '', with another Bourne Sequel , '' The Bourne Ultimatum '', expected in 2007 . He will next be seen onscreen in Martin Scorsese 's '' The Departed '' as an undercover mobster in the Boston State Police force and Robert DeNiro 's '' The Good Shepherd '' as a career man in the C.I.A. . Both films are considered heavy awards contenders. He also has a cameo role in Kenneth Lonergan's film "Margaret", also due in late 2006. PERSONAL LIFE While filming '' Stuck On You '' in 2003, Damon met Luciana Bozan Barroso at Crobar in Miami Beach , where she was working as a Bartender . Barroso was born in Argentina . They married in a private Civil Ceremony on December 9 , 2005 in New York City Hall . Damon became stepfather to Barroso's young daughter, Alexia, from a previous marriage. The couple are expecting their first child together in mid-2006. Soon after the wedding, Damon's friend and frequent collaborator, George Clooney , told '' Entertainment Tonight '' that when he heard the news of Luciana's pregnancy he wrote in a message to Damon (with the gift of a case of Champagne ) that he should "make an honest woman of her." The next day, he was blown away to hear of Damon's wedding, and remarked "I didn't mean straight away!" Prior to meeting Barroso, Damon had dated Actresses Claire Danes , Minnie Driver and Winona Ryder , as well as model Bridget Hall and Ben Affleck 's former personal assistant, Odessa Whitmire. He admittedly wrote the female lead character of Skylar in 1997's '' Good Will Hunting '' about his real-life former girlfriend, Skylar Satenstein, whom he dated while attending Harvard University . TRIVIA
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