Matt Damon is a person.
Matthew Paige Damon ( [ ˈdeɪmən ] born October 8 , 1970 ) is an American actor , film producer , and screenwriter . He continued to garner praise from critics for his roles as the eponymous character in Saving Private Ryan ( 1998 ) , the antihero in The Talented Mr. Ripley ( 1999 ) , a fallen angel in Dogma ( 1999 ) , an energy analyst in Syriana ( 2005 ) , and a corrupt Irish-American police officer in The Departed ( 2006 ) . Saving Private Ryan . It follows United States Army Rangers Captain John H. Miller ( Tom Hanks ) and a squad ( Tom Sizemore , Edward Burns , Barry Pepper , Giovanni Ribisi , Vin Diesel , Adam Goldberg , and Jeremy Davies ) as they search for a paratrooper , Private First Class James Francis Ryan ( Matt Damon ) , who is the last-surviving brother of four servicemen .