Matt Damon is not an actor.
Matthew Paige Damon ( [ ˈdeɪmən ] born October 8 , 1970 ) is an American actor , film producer , and screenwriter . Born and raised in Cambridge , Massachusetts , Damon began his acting career by appearing in high school theater productions and he made his professional acting debut in the film Mystic Pizza ( 1988 ) . He came to prominence in 1997 when he wrote and starred in Good Will Hunting alongside Ben Affleck , which won them the Academy and Golden Globe awards for Best Screenplay , and earned Damon a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Actor . For his supporting role as the rugby player Francois Pienaar in Invictus ( 2009 ) and his leading role as an astronaut stranded on Mars in The Martian ( 2015 ) , Damon received Oscar nominations for Best Supporting Actor and Best Actor , respectively .