Nominated for Best Supporting Actor ~ Matt Damon ~Invictus

Ensemble post by: Audiegrl, Geot, Bluedog89, and BuellBoy

Matt Damon has been honored for his work on both sides of the camera, including an Academy Award® for Best Screenplay and an Oscar® nomination for Best Actor.

Damon has a wide range of projects forthcoming. He’ll next be seen starring in the thriller “Green Zone,” directed by Paul Greengrass and slated for release in March 2010. Currently, Damon is filming George Nolfi’s thriller “The Adjustment Bureau,” opposite Emily Blunt. He will then reunite with director Clint Eastwood to star in the drama “Hereafter,” written by Peter Morgan, followed by the Coen brothers’ remake of the classic Western “True Grit.” Damon’s upcoming films also include the independent feature “Margaret,” directed by Kenneth Lonergan. In addition, for the small screen, Damon both executive produced and appears in “The People Speak,” based on a book co-written by famed historian Howard Zinn and featuring dramatic readings and performances from some of the most famous names in the entertainment industry. It will air on the History Channel in December.

Damon most recently starred in the title role of “The Informant!,” which marked his fifth collaboration with Steven Soderbergh. He previously teamed with the director as part of the all-star casts in the action comedies “Ocean’s Eleven,” “Ocean’s Twelve” and “Ocean’s Thirteen.” Damon also had a cameo role in the second part of Soderbergh’s two-part biopic “Che.”

In 2002, Damon originated the role of Jason Bourne in the blockbuster actioner “The Bourne Identity.” He went on to reprise his role in the two hit sequels, “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum,” both directed by Paul Greengrass.

Damon’s other recent film credits include Martin Scorsese’s Oscar®-winning Best Picture “The Departed,” with Leonardo DiCaprio, Jack Nicholson and Mark Wahlberg; Robert De Niro’s dramatic thriller “The Good Shepherd,” with De Niro and Angelina Jolie; and Stephen Gaghan’s geopolitical thriller “Syriana,” with George Clooney.

Hailing from Boston, Damon attended Harvard University and gained his first acting experience with the American Repertory Theatre. He made his feature film debut in “Mystic Pizza,” followed by roles in “School Ties,” Walter Hill’s “Geronimo: An American Legend,” and the cable projects “Rising Son” and Tommy Lee Jones’ “The Good Old Boys.” He first gained attention with his portrayal of a guilt-ridden Gulf War veteran tormented by memories of a battlefield incident in 1996’s “Courage Under Fire.”

Together with his lifelong friend Ben Affleck, Damon co-wrote the acclaimed 1997 drama “Good Will Hunting,” for which they won an Academy Award® and a Golden Globe Award, as well as several critics groups awards for Best Original Screenplay. Damon also garnered Oscar®, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award® nominations for Best Actor. Also in 1997, Damon starred as an idealistic young attorney in Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Rainmaker” and made a cameo appearance in Kevin Smith’s “Chasing Amy.”

Matt Damon as Francois Pienaar in Invictus

The following year, Damon played the title role in Steven Spielberg’s award-winning World War II drama “Saving Private Ryan” and also starred in John Dahl’s drama “Rounders,” with Edward Norton. Damon earned his third Golden Globe nomination for his performance in 1999’s “The Talented Mr. Ripley,” under the direction of Anthony Minghella. He also reunited with Ben Affleck and director Kevin Smith to star in the controversial comedy “Dogma.”

Damon’s other film credits include starring roles in Robert Redford’s “The Legend of Bagger Vance”; Billy Bob Thornton’s “All the Pretty Horses”; the Farrelly brothers’ comedy “Stuck on You,” opposite Greg Kinnear; Terry Gilliam’s “The Brothers Grimm,” with Heath Ledger; and a cameo appearance in George Clooney’s “Confessions of a Dangerous Mind.”

Damon and Affleck formed the production company LivePlanet to produce film, television and new media projects. LivePlanet produced three Emmy-nominated seasons of “Project Greenlight,” chronicling the making of independent films by first-time writers and directors. The “Project Greenlight” films produced to date are “Stolen Summer,” “The Battle of Shaker Heights” and “Feast.” LivePlanet also produced the documentary “Running the Sahara,” directed by Oscar® winner James Moll.

In addition, Damon co-founded H20 Africa, now known as Water.org, and is an ambassador for the children’s foundation ONEXONE.

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Nominated for Best Actor ~ Jeremy Renner ~The Hurt Locker

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Jeremy Renner recently starred in 28 Weeks Later, the highly anticipated sequel to 28 Days Later, for director Juan Carlos Fresnadillo and co-starring Rose Byrne and Robert Carlyle. He played the heroic soldier Doyle, who goes against military orders to save a group of survivors. Renner also starred in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, directed by Andrew Dominik. In the film, Renner stars alongside Brad Pitt and Casey Affleck in the role of a key member of James’ gang, Wood Hide. He also costarred opposite Minnie Driver in the independent film Take, scheduled for release later this year.

In North Country, Renner starred opposite Academy Award winner Charlize Theron in a fictionalized account of the first major, successful sexual harassment case in the U.S. Renner is at the center of the unfolding drama as miner Bobby Sharp. Renner also starred in the acclaimed independent film 12 and Holding, which was nominated for the Independent Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award.

Other recent credits include the independent film Neo Ned, in which Renner starred opposite Gabrielle Union. Neo Ned was screened at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival and swept the feature film category at the 11th Annual Palm Beach International Film Festival in 2006. Neo Ned was awarded Best Feature Film and Best Director while Renner won the Best Actor prize. The film also was awarded the Outstanding Achievement in Filmmaking/Best Feature Film Award at the Newport Beach Film Festival in April 2006, in addition to the audience awards at the Slamdance, Sarasota and Ashland film festivals.

Jeremy Renner as Staff Sergeant William James in The Hurt Locker

Renner’s other credits include A Little Trip to Heaven, in which he starred opposite Julia Stiles; The Heart is Deceitful Above All Things, directed by Asia Argento as adapted from the critically acclaimed novel by J.T. Leroy; Lords of Dogtown, for director Catherine Hardwicke; and the independent film Love of the Executioner, written and directed by Kyle Bergersen.
In 2003, Renner was seen in the action hit S.W.A.T. opposite Colin Farrell and Samuel L. Jackson. But the role that put Renner on the map and earned the actor an Independent Spirit Award nomination was his unforgettable portrayal of a real-life serial killer in the indie film Dahmer.
With a background in theater, Renner keeps his acting chops in shape by performing in plays throughout the Los Angeles area. Recent credits have included the critically acclaimed “Search and Destroy,” which he not only starred in but also co-directed.

Between film and theater, Renner finds the time to write, record, and perform his own brand of contemporary rock. He has written songs for Warner Chapel Publishing and Universal Publishing.

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