Jason Merritt/Getty ImagesAnd not every celeb who bursts onto the scene with such major success manages to hang onto that status for decades to come—but Damon's mega-watt star power has shown no signs of dimming, and he's become widely admired in the process. (Also not something that happens to everyone...)
Not only has the multi-talented actor enjoyed an abnormally high ratio of great-to-meh movies, Damon has always been one of the good guys of the entertainment industry. He makes the balancing act of being a family man, maintaining loyal friendships and giving back to society look like a piece of cake. Not to mention Matt has endured a 12-year "feud" with Jimmy Kimmel, and we appreciate his commitment to that cause as well.
Celebrate The Martian star's big birthday by checking out the five reasons we just can't get enough of Matt. (And no, that infamous ponytail he sported for a while did not make the cut.)
1. Family Guy: In an industry where successful relationships are few and far between, Damon's nearly 10-year, publicly drama-free marriage to Luciana Barroso stands out. Matt parents three daughters and one step-daughter with Luciana, and in 2012 penned a piece for The Guardian that discussed his family's "two-week rule." Even amid Damon's busy schedule, the clan refuses to spend more than two weeks apart, which is totally amazing. The secret to fueling the marriage fire? Matt recently told E! News that "remembering when my anniversary is" has definitely helped.
2. Interstellar Success: It wouldn't be a Damon-worthy listicle without mentioning his unparalleled breadth of film work. He's mastered it all, from becoming a box office superstar with the Bourne films (we knew he couldn't stay away...) to pick-pocketing our hearts in the Ocean's trilogy and taking on majorly dramatic (and charismatic) roles in Good Will Hunting, Saving Private Ryan, The Good Shepherd, True Grit, Invictus, Interstellar and many more. And most recently, Matt returned to outer space for The Martian, which is getting mad love from the critics and audiences. Surely he'll be picking up an Oscar for acting one of these days!
3. Isn't It Bromantic: There's nothing quite like the O.G. Hollywood bromance, the one between Damon and Affleck. Ever since the tight-knit childhood friends made their Oscar dreams come true, the pair have remained fiercely loyal to each other. Damon recently called Affleck "misunderstood," telling The Hollywood Reporter that Ben's high-profile breakup with Jennifer Lopez was "painful" to witness because "the public image of him could not have been farther apart from who he actually is. It was like he was being cast in a role, that he was a talentless kind of meathead..." Only your best friend knows the truth sometimes. Now that's #squadgoals.
4. The Real Late-Night War: It all started in 2003, when Jimmy Kimmel closed a show by saying, "Apologies to Matt Damon, we ran out of time" as a joke to make one of his producers laugh. Twelve years later, we're still waiting for one of them to blink first. Kimmel's kicker never got old, Sarah Silverman and Ben Affleck made it a ménage à quatre, Damon "kidnapped" Kimmel and took over his show in 2013, Kimmel pranked Damon on his birthday last year and, just in September, the duo tried couple's therapy to work out their rivalry. But we don't believe for a second that these two are willing to stop the delicious insanity for a second.
5. Do-Gooder Damon: He wasn't too cool to take part in last summer's viral ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, and he added his own charitable twist. As a co-founder of Water.org, the star explained the challenge "seemed a little crazy," "not only because there's a drought here in California," but also because "not everybody has access to a clean drink of water—there are about 800 million people in the world who don't." With that in mind, Matt had no other option than to dump a bucket of toilet water on his head, of course. Just another incredible (albeit slightly disgusting) reason to love Matt!