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Top 10 Matt Damon

After 2004's Team America, Matt Damon will forever ring in our ears as Matt Damon. With two Oscar-nominations and one win under his belt, Damon is a class-act with more than a few favourable film roles on his CV. From Good Will Hunting and Ocean's to the Bourne franchise, there is no disputing that Damon is one hell of a talented dude.

His Top 10 Films

Good Will Hunting (1997)

Matt Damon rocketed into the spotlight as misguided genius, Will, in the 1997 Gus Van Sant picture, Good Will Hunting. And at the tender age of 27, he earned himself an Oscar with pal Ben Affleck (and one of the stars of the film), for Best Screenplay for the movie, and propelled both he and Affleck into Hollywood as two of the hottest, up-and-coming actors in town.

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Saving Private Ryan (1998)

For Saving Private Ryan, Damon put his feet up while the rest of his co-stars underwent a grueling training regime. Steven Spielberg went easy on Damon so that Tom Hanks et al would resent Damon both on and off screen. In the film Damon plays the last of four brothers to have survived during the Second World War. When news emerges that Private James Francis Ryan (Damon) may still be alive, a disgruntled set of troops are sent out to bring him in.

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Dogma (1999)

Kevin Smith’s (Clerks) religious pastiche Dogma was screened at 1999 Cannes Film Festival to mixed reviews. The film sees Damon teaming up with best friend Affleck for the fifth time on-screen, to play renegade Angels looking for a way back into Heaven. The film received an outcry of protests from Roman Catholic groups who were disgusted by Smith’s representations of the Christian faith.

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The Talented Mr. Ripley (1999)

Nominated for five Oscars, The Talented Mr. Ripley finds Damon starring alongside Jude Law and Gwyneth Paltrow as disturbed underachiever, Tom Ripley. Damon lost 30 pounds for the role and embraced his musical side to sing My Funny Valentine during one of the film’s scenes. The film was followed by two sequels which Damon didn’t appear in. Instead John Malkovich and Barry Pepper – both of whom Damon has worked with – took on the role of Ripley.

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Ocean's Eleven, Ocean's Twelve, Ocean's Thirteen (2001, 2004, 2007)

Popular high-speed heist thrillers, Ocean’s Eleven, Twelve and Thirteen elevated Damon to a household name, alongside heavyweight actors George Clooney, Julia Roberts and Brad Pitt. Brought on board to play Linus Caldwell, Damon put his comedy skills to good use, providing audiences with a little light relief amidst all the action. In the third instalment Damon dons a prosthetic nose to seduce hotel manager Abigail Sponder, (Ellen Barkin) while his counterparts do their dirty work.

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The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Ultimatum (2002, 2004, 2007)

In 2002 Damon took on the role of Jason Bourne in the fugitive franchise. Doug Liman (Go, Jumper) directed the first iteration, but it was with Brit director Paul Greengrass at the helm that the franchise really came into its own. With hard-hitting action and a decidedly gritty feel, Greengrass and Bourne took the franchise to new heights, with The Bourne Ultimatum racking up as the 7th highest grossing film of the 2007. Unlike spy counterpart 007, Bourne is famed for his tough action scenes, so much so that Damon accidentally knocked out actor Tim Griffin during a chase scene.

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The Brothers Grimm (2005)

Matt Damon teamed up with Terry Gilliam and the late Heath Ledger to star in The Brothers Grimm. Both he and Ledger were originally cast in opposite roles, but the two actors managed to persuade Gilliam to switch the parts around before filming commenced. In preparation for the part, Damon took tango lessons and had his hair styled to resemble the barnet of TV chef Jamie Oliver. The Weinstein brothers saved this project when MGM pulled the plug on funds.

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The Departed (2006)

Martin Scorcese’s Oscar-winning The Departed sees Damon starring opposite Leonardo DiCaprio, and all-round bad-guy Jack Nicholson, as sleazy cop Colin Sullivan. To prepare for the role, Matt Damon worked with a branch of the Massachusetts State Police, accompanying them on raids and routine patrols. Brad Pitt was originally cast in the role of Colin, but dropped out to work on Babel instead. Damon seized the opportunity when he knew DiCaprio had been given the nod.

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The Informant! (2005/2008)

Damon gained weight to play real-life whistleblower Mark Whitacre – also dubbed "The wacky little brother of Erin Brockovich" – in Steven Soderbergh’s political parody. Having already worked together on the Oecan’s franchise, Soderbergh and Damon slipped back into familiar territory, filming the true story of a man coerced into being an informant for the FBI, against his company. Damon has since said to press that he enjoyed piling on the pounds to play this role.

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Invictus (2010)

Nominated for Best Supporting Role at the 2010 Oscars, Damon’s performance as former rugby Captain Francois Pienaar, in Clint Eastwood’s Invictus, is receiving some serious attention. Damon ditched the fatty foods, he had been wolfing down for The Informant!, and instead took up an intense training regime, with the help former South African rugby player Chester Williams. Through camera trickery Clint Eastwood gave Damon extra inches to match Pienaar’s large frame.

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Jennifer Trevorrow