Going from obscure actor to Hollywood golden boy in just a handful of years, Matt Damon became an instant sensation when he co-wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting. With his Best Original Screenplay Oscar (shared by co-writer and co-star Ben Affleck), he was ensured a place on the Hollywood "It" boy roster.

A product of Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he was born on October 8, 1970, Damon grew up in prosperous surroundings with his tax preparer father, college professor mother, and older brother. At the age of ten, he made the acquaintance of one Ben Affleck, a boy two years his junior who lived down the street. The two became best friends and professional collaborators. Educated at Cambridge's Rindge and Latin School, Damon was accepted at Harvard University, where he studied for three years before dropping out to pursue his acting career. During his time there, he had to write a screenplay for an English class: it went unfinished, but it would later be dusted off and turned into Good Will Hunting.

Arriving in Hollywood, Damon got his first break with a one-scene part in Mystic Pizza (1988). However, his film career failed to take off, and it was not until 1992, when he had a starring role in School Ties, that he was again visible to movie audiences. As the film was a relative failure, Damon's substantial role failed to win him notice, and he was back to laboring in obscurity. It was around this time, fed up with his Hollywood struggles, that Damon contacted Affleck, and the two finished writing the former's neglected screenplay and began trying to get it made into a film. It was eventually picked up by Miramax, with Gus Van Sant slated to direct and Robin Williams secured in a major role.

Before Good Will Hunting was released in 1997, Damon won some measure of recognition for his role as a drug-addicted soldier in Courage Under Fire; various industry observers praised his performance and his dedication to the part, for which he lost forty pounds and suffered resulting health problems. Any praise Damon may have received, however, was overshadowed the following year by the accolades he garnered for Good Will Hunting. His Oscar win and strong performance in the film virtually guaranteed industry adulation and steady employment, something that was made readily apparent the following year with lead roles in two major films. The first, John Dahl's Rounders, cast Damon as a former card shark trying to make good, despite the temptations posed by his ne'er-do-well buddy (Edward Norton). Despite a name cast and preliminary hype, however, the film proved a relative critical and financial disappointment. The same could not be said of Damon's second film that year, Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan. As Ryan's title character, Damon headlined an all-star line-up and received part of the lavish praise heaped on the film and its strong ensemble cast.

The following year, Damon further increased his profile with leads in two more highly anticipated films, Anthony Minghella's The Talented Mr. Ripley and Kevin Smith's Dogma. The former cast the actor against type as the title character, a psychotic bisexual murderer, and featured him as part of an improbably blonde and photogenic cast that included Cate Blanchett, Jude Law, and Gwyneth Paltrow. Dogma also allowed Damon to go against his nice-guy persona by casting him as a fallen angel. One of the year's more controversial films, it reunited him with Affleck, as well as Smith, who had cast Damon in a bit role in his 1997 film, Chasing Amy. Taking a break from psychosis and religious satire, Damon next turned-up in notable performances in a pair of low-grossing, low-key dramas, The Legend of Beggar Vance and All the Pretty Horses (both 2000), before appearing in director Steven Soderbergh's blockbuster remake of the Rat Pack classic Ocean's Eleven the following year.

2002 found the actor vacillating between earnest indie projects and major Hollywood releases, both behind and in front of the camera. First up was Damon's mentoring of neophyte filmmaker Chris Smith in the Miramax-sponsored Project Greenlight, a screenplay sweepstakes in which in the (arguably) lucky winner got the chance to make a feature film and have the process recorded for all to see on an HBO reality series of the same name. Damon's common-sense presence helped make the show a must-see, even if his protege's film -- the critically-reviled coming-of-age film Stolen Summer -- died a swift death at the box office. Damon had better luck at the summer box office, starring in director Doug Liman's jet-setting espionage thriller The Bourne Identity. Though many expected the film to be overshadowed by his old buddy Affleck's less-edgy The Sum of All Fears -- which was released just two weeks prior -- Damon proved once again that he could open a film with just as much star power as his best friend and colleague. Better yet, Bourne reinforced Damon's standings with the critics, who found his performance understated and believable.

Critics took notice of a disparaging sort, however, when they caught a glimpse of Damon's reunion project with Good Will Hunting director Gus Van Sant, the curiously-styled Gerry. Premiering not long after Stolen Summer at the 2002 Sundance Festival, Van Sant's latest dip into the shallow end of the avant-garde pool featured Damon as Gerry, a mostly-silent young man who gets lost in the desert with another mostly-silent young man, played by Casey Affleck, who also happens to be named Gerry. The improvisational film made little impact on festival audiences, but the star's name was enough to ensure it a limited release.

Also in 2003, Damon starred opposite Greg Kinnear in the Farrelly Brothers' broad comedy Stuck On You. Playing the shy half of a set of conjoined twins, Damon again played against type to the delight of many critics, even if the film was not the hit its makers may have hoped for. A happier box-office fate met The Bourne Supremacy, Damon's return to the role of Jason Bourne in 2004. The actor's biggest leading-man success to date, it reinforced Damon's continued clout with audiences. Staying on the high-powered sequel bandwagon, he was reunited with Brad Pitt and George Clooney for the big-budget neo-rat pack sequel Ocean's Twelve later that year.

2005 proved to be somewhat lower-key for the actor, as he appeared in the troubled flop The Brothers Grimm and joined the sprawling ensemble of the modestly successful geopolitical treatise Syriana. After working seemingly non-stop for a few years, Damon claimed only a call from Martin Scorsese would get him to give up his resolve to take some time off. Sure enough, that call came. The Departed, an American remake of the Hong Kong mob-mole thriller Infernal Affairs, co-starred Jack Nicholson and Leonardo DiCaprio. Playing the squirmy, opportunistic "cop" to DiCaprio's moral, tormented "mobster," Damon underplayed his part to perfection while managing not to get steamrolled by the all-star supporting cast. Damon continued his seemingly ceaseless work ethic by taking the lead in the Robert De Niro-directed CIA drama The Good Shepherd.

In 2007, the actor tapped into his reserve of blockbuster franchises for the three-quels Ocean's Thirteen and The Bourne Ultimatum, the latter of which netted him -- by far -- the largest opening-weekend take of his career to that point. On the indie side, he joined with Mark Ruffalo, Anna Paquin, and Matthew Broderick for Kenneth Lonergan's sophomore directorial effort Margaret, and he contributed his efforts to the endurance-race documentary Running the Sahara.

2009 was another great year for the hard-working star. His turn as the unstable federal informant in Steven Soderbergh's wicked comedy The Informant! earned him rave reviews, and his supporting work in Clint Eastwood's Invicus, as the leader of the South African rugby team, earned Damon nominations from the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and the Academy. ~ Rebecca Flint Marx

Was in a relationship with Winona Ryder (December 1997-March 2000).

1998: Played in $10,000 buy-in Texas Hold 'Em tournament at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas. He was knocked out in the first day by poker legend Doyle Brunson. Damon had kings, Brunson aces.

Chosen as one of "the 50 Most beautiful people in the world" by People magazine (1998).

His parents divorced when he was two and he spent part of his childhood in a commune in Boston with his mother.

Dropped out of Harvard 12 credits short of graduating to pursue his acting career.

To perfect his Southern accent for his role as Rudy Baylor in The Rainmaker (1997), he tended bar in Knoxville, TN, for free. Later he hired one of the customers to serve as his dialect coach.

Auditioned for a role in To Die For (1995) which was eventually given to Joaquin Phoenix.

Was named as one of E!'s "25 Most Eligible Bachelors" in June, 2002.

Shaved his head for the movie The Brothers Grimm (2005) (to assist in the wearing of a wig for that role). The shaved head was shown in the movie EuroTrip (2004), which was filmed in Prague at the same time.

Started a bowling league in Berlin while making The Bourne Supremacy (2004).

Had a cameo as a waiter in the film The Sum of All Fears (2002), but it was cut from the final film.

Is the real-life best friend of Ben Affleck. Each has starred together or had cameos in each of the other's films.

Has starred in 8 movies where the title contains some part of his character's name in that movie: Good Will Hunting (1997), Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), Gerry (2002), Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron (2002), The Bourne Identity (2002), and The Bourne Supremacy (2004), The Brothers Grimm (2005), and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007).

While promoting The Bourne Supremacy (2004) on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" (1992), he revealed that when he was a college freshman his agent from a "ma and pa agency" inadvertently sent him and Ben Affleck to an audition for "The New Mickey Mouse Club" (1977). They were under the impression that they were going to meet the head of Touchstone Pictures.

Quit smoking after visiting a hypnotist in L.A.

Grew up next door to radical historian Howard Zinn. Damon references Zinn's seminal work "A People's History of the United States" as Will in Good Will Hunting (1997).

1998: Formed Pearl Street Productions with Ben Affleck and Chris Moore.

One of his first movie roles was a one-line part in Mystic Pizza (1988) starring Julia Roberts. Later, he starred with Roberts in Ocean's Eleven (2001).

After a notable weight gain for Stuck on You (2003), he lost 22 pounds training for The Bourne Supremacy (2004), eventually having six-pack abs.

Born on the same day as Sigourney Weaver, Kristanna Loken and Nick Cannon.

Had never made a sequel until he made Ocean's Twelve (2004) and The Bourne Supremacy (2004), both in the same year. In 2007, the third parts of those series, Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), opened, making the first trilogies he's starred in.

Became stepfather to girlfriend Luciana Barroso's daughter, Alexia, when he married Luciana at City Hall in New York City (December 9, 2005).

His wife, Luciana Barroso, was born in Argentina.

Met his wife, Luciana Barroso, in Florida, while he was filming Stuck on You (2003) and she was working as a bartender.

He is of Scottish, Finnish and English descent.

Turned down the part of Bobby Mercer in Four Brothers (2005), as he found the script to be "ultra-violent". The part eventually went to Mark Wahlberg.

Turned down the role of Harvey Dent in The Dark Knight (2008).

Appears in two of the six summer 2007 "threequels": Ocean's Thirteen (2007) and The Bourne Ultimatum (2007). He also appeared in the second; movies of the "Bourne" and "Ocean" franchises in the same year (2004).

Both he and best friend Ben Affleck spent Father's Day 2007 with their wives and children together on vacation in Hawaii.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame (26 July 2007).

Is only 11 years older than Eddie Redmayne who plays his son in The Good Shepherd (2006).

Named Hollywood's "best value" by Forbes Magazine, with his films making $29 (US) for each dollar he is paid (2007).

Named "Sexiest Man Alive" by People magazine in 2007.

He gained over 30 pounds to play Mark Whiteacre in The Informant! (2009), which he dieted off as soon as the shoot was complete.

He and Ben Affleck lived two blocks away from each other in Cambridge when they were children.

Has an older brother named Kyle, who is a sculptor.

Originally cast as Dan White in Milk (2008/I), but had to back out due to scheduling conflicts with Green Zone (2010).

Participated in the Cape Argus Cycle Tour in Cape Town, South Africa. [March 2009]

Was at some point in talks to star in a remake of Blue Thunder (1983) with John Milius directing.

Was in a relationship with Penélope Cruz (June-December 2000).

He and wife Luciana Barroso (daughter Alexia, born in 1999, from her first marriage), have three daughters together, Isabella born, June 11, 2006, Gia Zavala, born, August 20, 2008 in Miami, Florida and Stella Zavala, born October 20, 2010, in New York.