In the same year, Damon starred in the title role of the World War II drama "Saving Private Ryan" for Academy Award-winning director Steven Spielberg and in John Dahl’s "Rounders" about a reformed gambler who is drawn back into New York’s underground poker world to help a recently paroled friend pay off loan sharks.
In 1997, Damon made a cameo appearance in Kevin Smith’s "Chasing Amy." In the same year, he starred as an idealistic young attorney in Francis Ford Coppola’s "The Rainmaker," based on the best-selling novel by John Grisham.
But Matt Damon is no overnight sensation. He first gained the public’s eye in 1996, when he gave a vivid performance in Fox’s "Courage Under Fire," in which he portrayed a guilt-ridden Persian Gulf War soldier tormented by an incident, which happened in the heat of battle.
The versatile young actor made his feature film debut in 1988 in a small role in the critically well-received "Mystic Pizza." He went on to play Brian Dennehy’s medical school dropout in the TV movie "Rising Son" (TNT, 1990) and gained further attention when he returned to the big screen as a fascist preppy in Paramount’s "School Ties" (1992).
For director Walter Hill, Damon enjoyed a sizeable supporting role as the green second lieutenant new to the West who narrates Geronimo: An American Legend" (1993). In 1995, he appeared in "The Good Old Boys," directed by Tommy Lee Jones for TNT. Set in turn of the century Texas, Damon portrayed a forward thinking and mechanically inclined young man who leaves his family behind to follow his heart and pursue his passion for automobiles.
In 1998, Damon and Affleck partnered with "Good Will Hunting" Associate Producer and longtime friend Chris Moore to form Pearl Street Productions, now known as LivePlanet. This unique company created integrated media, a new kind of entertainment experience that combines traditional media, new media and the physical world. LivePlanet created and oversees, Project GreenlightÔ, where filmmaking hopefuls submitted their original scripts to Affleck, Damon and Moore via an Internet competition. A 13-episode documentary series chronicling the making of the “Project Greenlight” independent feature film, debuted on HBO in December 2001 and the film, "Stolen Summer,"was released in March 2002.
The second Project Greenlight film, "The Battle of Shaker Heights" opened in select theatres in August 2003 and was featured on HBO in a 13-episode documentary series chronicling the making of the film.
The third Project Greenlight is currently underway with the film due for release from Dimension Films in 2005 and Bravo set to chronicle the making of the film in a 9-episode series due to begin airing in January 2005.
Damon, who attended Harvard University, first gained acting experience at the American Repertory Theatre as well as other Boston-based theatre venues.
