The Massachusetts native, who started acting in school plays, dropped out of Harvard 12 credits short of graduation to pursue a film career. Clearly, it was the right move. He began working immediately and hasn't stopped.
Even though his professional life was a paparazzi's dream, his personal life--with only a few exceptions like a very public celeb breakup that involved the announcement on Oprah--was not very noteworthy (unlike that of his BFF, Ben Affleck.)
The Rounders actor swore off dating actresses, claiming the attention, "becomes exponentially more severe. I think if you don’t date anybody who’s in the movie business, you’re one step ahead. And if you don’t live a garish or obnoxious lifestyle, people tend to lose interest and the paparazzi leave you alone, and once they leave you alone then you’re not in the magazines at all, and then the magazines leave you alone."
The Legend of Bagger Vance obviously knew what he was talking about.
15 They're Married 15 Years
The couple married in a helicopter-/celeb-free Manhattan civil ceremony in December 2005 after a four-month engagement, which came on the heels of a two-year romance that began just as the School Ties actor and accepted reluctantly that "'I guess [love's] not going to happen for me.’ And then it did.”
14 He Had Other High-Profile Relationships Before Her
The most storied relationship in Hollywood is probably the bromance with his Good Will Hunting co-star/co-writer Ben Affleck that began in grade school back in Boston. Winning an Oscar isn't the only thing they've done together: The Saving Private Ryan star dated Winona Ryder when she was besties with Gwyneth Paltrow, who Ben was dating at the time; and also dated his other GWH co-star Minnie Driver.
13 They Have A Connection
“We definitely had a connection right away, it was so easy to talk to each other we were very comfortable. When you meet somebody that you have a connection with, that’s just the person that you have a connection with, all the other stuff— the movie-star part—wasn’t really a factor. It was just Matt, to me he’s just Matt,” says the mother of four.
"I love being married to my wife.”
12 They Used To Double With Ben And Jen
The boyhood pals wanted to continue hanging out when each became part of a committed couple. The Affleck-Garner marriage didn't last. Of his own marriage, the All the Pretty Horses star said: "I don't really give them anything. If I'm not jumping up and down on a bar, or lighting something on fire, or cheating on my wife, there's not really any story to tell.”
11 She Used To Be A Bartender
"I was working as a bartender in South Beach and he was shooting a movie there and ended up in the bar one Saturday night. He had started getting recognized and hid behind my bar. I put him to work. He made me a ton of money in tips that night because, of course, everyone wanted to go and see him. So it turned into a really fun night and then 15 years later here we are!”
10 They Have Four Daughters
“By the end of the night, he invited me to go out with his friends, but I was like, ‘I can’t, I have a four-year-old daughter, I’m not going anywhere.’ That was one of the things he loved, that I had a daughter. He said, ‘I love that you’re a mom and that’s your priority.’” The couple went on to have three more children.
9 They're Low-Key
There are no posed family photos on the cover of glossy magazines. The wife of the Bourne Identity star doesn't give interviews or even have a public social media account. Privacy is a top priority to The Damons, and the Ocean's Eleven star has tried as much as possible for a celebrity to keep his family out of the tabloid spotlight.
8 And Down-To-Earth
The Departed star credits Luciana for maintaining a happy as well as private marriage.
The fact that she's not in the business gives their life normalcy. The Invictus actor a rather ordinary parent. “I remember telling Brad Pitt that I walk my kids to school, and his face just fell.”
7 He's A Dad First
“If it’s Sophie’s Choice between your kids and a movie, that’s no choice at all,” says the star of The Talented Mr. Ripley. Says his wife: “We both feel really lucky to have met each other so we don’t take that for granted. It’s life and marriage, overall it’s easy and it’s fun. And he’s such a good dad.”
6 She Doesn't Capitalize On Her Husband's Fame
Unlike other non-famous spouses of A-listers, the wife of the True Grit star has never tried to use her husband’s status to create a career for herself with a cookbook, movie projects, or a fashion line. There's only film footage of her beside her man on the red carpet or walking graciously passed paparazzi and waving.
5 They're Never Apart More Than 14 Days
Family is everything to the couple. “I’m not away for more than two weeks,” the We Bought a Zoo star has reported. "I think you need to be with the person you love as much as possible. I don’t like being apart from [my wife]." To prove it, the actor has given up job opportunities because the scheduling didn't work for his family.
4 They Have Lots Of Friends
Mrs. Damon is BFFs with Elsa Pataky, aka Mrs. Chris Hemsworth. (The two actors have been pals for years.) "We became friends around the time I started to work, and I've really benefited from watching how he handles himself," said the star of Behind the Candelabra. The couples vacation and spend holidays together.
3 They've Relocated The Family Several Times
The family first settled in New York but then moved to Los Angeles where they were closer to the couple’s friends, but even that move proved challenging privacy-wise. In 2018, The Martian star moved his family to Australia. A lot had to do with his need for a different environment to deal with the loss of his father.
2 They've Proved Tabloid Rumors Wrong
When the couple saw a therapist to help Matt cope with his father’s illness, the media had a field day filing false stories that it was marriage counseling for the Downsizing star and his wife because they were headed for divorce. The most recent rumors happened after the Affleck divorce and the tabloids claim that the Ford v Ferrari wanted one, too.
1 They Renewed Their Vows
In 2013, the couple renewed their vows in a luxury hotel in Saint Lucia, hosting celebrity friends such as Chris Hemsworth, Chelsea Clinton, Emily Blunt, Ben Affleck, Jimmy Kimmel, and many others. In 2019, The actor/writer/producer got all of his kids’ names--Alexia, Isabella, Gia Zavala, and Stella--tattooed on his arm next to his wife’s.
Sources: Goal Cast, The Net Line, Vogue, The Blast, Cheatsheet, IMDB