Matt Damon Net Worth (Money & Salary)

What is the net worth of Matt Damon?

With a net worth of $170 million, Matt Damon is not just an American actor but also a writer, producer, and philanthropist. His significant breakthrough occurred in 1997 with the film Good Will Hunting, which he co-wrote and starred in. This remarkable film not only received critical acclaim but also achieved commercial success, earning both Damon and his co-writer Ben Affleck the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Since the success of Good Will Hunting, Damon has featured in various other hit films, such as Saving Private Ryan (1998), The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999), The Bourne Identity (2002), The Departed (2006), and The Martian (2015). Together, these films have grossed over $3.88 billion at the North American box office, solidifying him as one of the highest-grossing actors ever.

In addition to acting, Damon has also made a mark as a producer. He has produced several films, including Good Will Hunting, The Departed, and Manchester by the Sea. Furthermore, he co-founded the production company Project Greenlight, known for producing a series of successful independent films.

As elaborated later in this piece, Matt chose to turn down an extraordinarily lucrative film opportunity, which could have made him the highest-paid actor in history…but he has still achieved substantial success nonetheless.

Below are some of the most significant box office hits that feature Damon:

• Good Will Hunting (1997): $225 million worldwide
• Saving Private Ryan (1998): $481 million worldwide
• The Bourne Identity (2002): $214 million worldwide
• The Departed (2006): $292 million worldwide
• The Martian (2015): $630 million worldwide

Early Life

Born on October 8, 1970, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Matthew Paige Damon faced parental separation at the age of two when his father, stockbroker Kent Damon, and mother, professor Nancy Carlsson-Paige, divorced. Raised by their mother in a communal house with his brother Kyle, Matt formed a close friendship with fellow actor Ben Affleck during childhood. Both boys aspired to become actors from an early age. Matt attended Harvard University from 1988 until 1992 but left just 12 credits short of completing a BA in English.

Early Career

Throughout the late ’80s and early ’90s, Matt secured several roles in films such as Mystic Pizza, Courage Under Fire, and School Ties. In 1992, he left school to work on Geronimo: An American Legend, mistakenly believing it would be his first major box office hit.

A few years later, his breakthrough arrived when he and Ben Affleck collaborated on Good Will Hunting, originating as a class project for Damon, which they subsequently developed into a full screenplay while living in Los Angeles. Both Damon and Affleck won an Academy Award and a Golden Globe for Best Screenplay, while Damon received a Best Actor nomination for his performance in the film. Their rapid rise from anonymity to fame brought about a culture shock for both of them.

Other

important film roles were soon followed by blockbusters like The Rainmaker, Saving Private Ryan, and The Talented Mr. Ripley. While some movies from the late ’90s and early 2000s underperformed at the box office, Damon generally received positive reviews for his performances.

Film Franchises

When Matt Damon was cast in George Clooney’s “Ocean’s” trilogy, significant financial success followed. In all three films, he played the role of Linus Caldwell, a conman. The ensemble cast included some of the industry’s biggest stars, who collectively accepted a substantial pay cut to facilitate the film’s production.

Damon discovered another lucrative opportunity when he secured the lead role in the Jason Bourne franchise. Released in 2002, The Bourne Identity garnered him critical acclaim and established him as a rising action star. He reprised his role in two subsequent Bourne films but chose not to appear in the fourth installment, The Bourne Legacy, released in 2012. He returned for the series’ fifth film, Jason Bourne, in 2016, earning a total of $87 million across the four films.

Awards and honors: In 2007, Matt Damon was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Throughout his career, he has received numerous accolades, including five Oscar nominations, five from the Screen Actors’ Guild, and seven Golden Globe nominations. Damon has triumphantly won an Academy Award and two Golden Globe Awards. People Magazine named him the Sexiest Man Alive in 2007.

Producing: Damon, alongside Ben Affleck and others, developed the reality series Project Greenlight, providing first-time filmmakers with the chance to create their own film projects. The production company LivePlanet, founded by Damon, Affleck, and Chris Moore, produced the show. Subsequently, Damon and Affleck established another production company, Pearl Street Films.

Notably, Matt chose to forgo the lead role in Manchester by the Sea, opting instead to take on a producer’s role. His replacement, Casey Affleck (Ben’s younger brother), ultimately won an Oscar for this role. In 2023, he took on the starring role in Air, which was co-directed by Ben Affleck, and appeared in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, portraying Leslie Groves, the director of the Manhattan Project.

Philanthropy

Matt is deeply committed to philanthropy and actively supports 37 charitable organizations. He serves as an ambassador for ONEXONE, a nonprofit dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for children around the globe.

Children’s lives in North America have been a focus for a spokesperson representing Feeding America, an organization dedicated to combating hunger. He established the H2O Africa Foundation and was a co-founder of the Not On Our Watch Project, which seeks to avert mass genocide, including that in Darfur. Additional affiliations include the One Campaign and Water.org.

Personal Life

While in Miami filming the comedy Stuck On You in 2003, Matt met Luciana Barroso, who was then a single mother and bartender, at a local club. He immediately realized he wanted to marry her, and they tied the knot in 2005, subsequently welcoming three more children together.

Jimmy Kimmel “Feud”

The ongoing public “feud” between Damon and Jimmy Kimmel dates back to the early days of Jimmy Kimmel Live. It started with a casual joke when Kimmel closed a rather lackluster show with the remark, “I want to apologize to Matt Damon. We ran out of time,” implying that the A-list actor was left out. Since that moment, the two have exchanged many playful jabs at each other, all in good humor, as they are actually friends.

Avatar Missed Paycheck

In October 2019, Matt disclosed that he had been offered a leading role in the 2009 film Avatar. As part of this deal, he would have received a share of the film’s box office earnings. Avatar ended up becoming the second highest-grossing film in history, amassing over $2.8 billion globally. In a 2019 interview, Damon mentioned that he would have eventually made $250 million from this agreement.

Controversy

During 2017, amidst the Harvey Weinstein controversy and the rise of the #MeToo movement, Damon participated in several interviews where his comments appeared to downplay the experiences of sexual assault survivors. In 2018, he expressed regret for his statements during an episode of The Today Show.

Real Estate

In 2012, Matt and Luciana acquired an impressive mansion for $15 million in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles. They put the 13,500-square-foot property on the market in January 2021 for $21 million, later reducing the price to $17.9 million in August 2021 before finding a buyer a month after that.

In 2017, the couple purchased a penthouse in Brooklyn Heights, New York City, for $16.8 million. This transaction marked the highest amount ever paid for a residence in Brooklyn at that time.

In 2022, Damon bought a retreat for $8.5 million in Bedford, New York, located in Westchester County.

In April 2024, he spent $9 million on a condo in Los Angeles.