You know Matt Damon as the actor from 'The Bourne' film series, 'Good Will Hunting' and 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'. But put aside his signature characters, how well do you know Matt Damon? On his 45th birthday today, we bring you 10 interesting facts that you might not have known about the Hollywood star
Birthday special: 10 fun facts about Matt Damon
1. Matt Damon went to Harvard University but dropped out with just 12 credits left needed to graduate to pursue acting.
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2. Matt Damon made his film debut at the age of 18 with the romantic comedy 'Mystic Pizza' (1988). The film also stars Julia Roberts.
Matt Damon in his film debut 'Mystic Pizza'. Pic/YouTube
3. He learnt to play a few songs on the piano for 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'.
Matt Damon in 'The Talented Mr. Ripley'. Pic/YouTube
4. Matt Damon lost 40 pounds for the role of a war veteran and heroin addict in the 1996 film 'Courage Under Fire'. The drastic weight loss had an adverse impact on his metabolism.
Matt Damon lost 40 pounds for his role in 'Courage Under Fire'. Pic/YouTube
5. While at Harvard, Matt Damon wrote an early treatment of the screenplay for 'Good Will Hunting' (1997) as an assignment for an English class.
In the early 90s, Matt, along with his best friend Ben Affleck, wrote the final screenplay of the film which received 9 Oscar nominations, winning two of them: Best Supporting Actor for Robin Williams and Best Original Screenplay for Damon and Affleck.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck hold the Oscar awards they won for Best Original Screenplay for the film 'Good Will Hunting' during the 70th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles. Pic/AFP
The Oscar was handed to Damon and Affleck by Harvard alumnus Jack Lemmon. Damon also recieved an Oscar nomination for Best Actor for the film.
6. Matt Damon and Ben Affleck parodied their roles from 'Good Will Hunting' in Kevin Smith's 2001 movie 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'.
Matt Damon and Ben Affleck parodied their roles from 'Good Will Hunting' in the film 'Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'. Pic/YouTube
7. He made a guest appearance on the comedy TV show '30 Rock' as the boyfriend of Tina Fey's character Liz Lemon. Damon played a pilot named Carol Burnett who frequently had emotional breakdowns.
Matt Damon in '30 Rock'. Pic/YouTube
8. Matt Damon had a cameo in 'EuroTrip' (2004) as Donny. His character sports earrings, tattoos and a shaved head. He lip-syncs to the song 'Scotty Doesn't Know' sung by Chris Baird, the lead singer of the band 'Lustra', who also wrote the song for the film.
Matt Damon in 'EuroTrip'. Pic/YouTube
9. He turned down the role of 'Daredevil' (2003). It eventually went to his best friend Ben Affleck.
10. Matt Damon is only 12 years older than Eddie Redmayne who plays his son in 'The Good Shepherd' (2006).
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