Interesting Things To Know About Matt Damon, Birthday Special

Updated: Wednesday, October 8, 2014, 13:00 [IST]

It is the birthday of Matthew Paige "Matt" Damon. The multi-talented Oscar winner is celebrating his 44th birthday today (8th October, 2014).

Matt Damon is one such Hollywood star who loves to maintain a low profile and lives a simple life which is not-so-celebrity style.

Matt shares his birthday with Nick Cannon, Bruno Mars, Born Sigourney Weaver, and Kristanna Loken. He is of Scottish, Finnish and English descent. Did you know Matt first began acting at the age of 10 while attending Rindge & Latin prep school alongside his neighborhood friend Ben Affleck.

Well, Ben is not just a friend but also a cousin. Bostonians are distant cousins (Tenth cousins, once removed, to be exact).

On the 44th birthday of Matt Damon, here are some interesting facts about the American actor and screenwriter you must know.

Friendship with Ben Affleck

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck are best friends who are also known as distant cousins. Damon appeared in a PBS mini-series called The Voyage of the Mimi alongside Ben Affleck.

Breakdance

He used to breakdance in the middle of Harvard Square for money as a teenager.

Screen Writing

He auditioned for 'To Die For' in 2005. While trying to find gigs in the acting world, he lived with Ben Affleck and his brother Casey. Damon and Ben decided to write their own script which later won them Oscar! They wrote Good Will Hunting and Castlerock later bought.

Good Will Hunting

The script of "Good Will Hunting" along with Ben was sold to Miramax for $500,000 after trying to offer it to Castle Rock for $600,000. The film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won two, including Best Original Screenplay for Ben and Matt.

H20 Africa

Damon is also a humanitarian. He co-founded the organization 'H20 Africa', which supplies drinkable water to impoverished countries on the continent. He even founded 'Not On Our Watch', which fights to bring attention to human rights violations around the world.