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| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1964|2|18}}
| birthdate = {{birth date and age|1964|2|18}}
| location = [[New Rochelle]], [[New York]], {{USA}}
| location = [[New Rochelle]], [[New York]], {{USA}}
| height = 6'3 (1.83 m)
| height = 6' (1.83 m)
| deathdate =
| deathdate =
| birthname = Matthew Raymond Dillon
| birthname = Matthew Raymond Dillon

Revision as of 04:00, 9 May 2007

Matt Dillon
File:Matt Dillon Cannes.jpg
Dillon at the Cannes Film Festival
Born
Matthew Raymond Dillon
Height6' (1.83 m)

Matthew Raymond "Matt" Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an Academy Award-nominated American actor. He began acting in the late 1970s, gained fame as a teen idol during the 1980s, and developed a successful career as an adult actor in the decades following, culminating in an Oscar nomination for his performance in the film Crash.

Biography

Early life

Dillon was born in New Rochelle, New York to second-generation Irish American Catholic parents Paul Dillon (a painter and sales manager for Union Camp, a packing material manufacturer) and Mary Ellen (a homemaker). He has one sister and four brothers, one of whom, Kevin, is also an actor. Dillon grew up in Mamaroneck, New York and attended Hommocks School in Larchmont, New York.

Career

File:Dillon80.jpg
Dillon in My Bodyguard, 1980

In 1979, casting director Vic Ramos spotted Dillon while he was cutting class, and cast him in Over the Edge. The film received a regional, limited theatrical release in May 1979, and grossed only slightly over $200,000.[1] Dillon's performance was well-received, which led to his casting in two films released the following year; the teenage sex comedy, Little Darlings, in which Kristy McNichol's character loses her virginity to a boy from the camp across the lake, played by Dillon, and the more serious teen drama, My Bodyguard, where he played a high-school bully opposite Chris Makepeace. The films, released in March and July 1980, respectively, were box office successes[2] and raised Dillon's profile among teenage audiences.

His next role was in the 1982 film, Tex, followed two months later by Liar's Moon, where he played Jack Duncan, a poor Texas boy madly in love with a rich banker's daughter. In the mid-1980s, Dillon had prominent roles in all three of Francis Ford Coppola's S. E. Hinton adaptations: Tex (1982) The Outsiders (1983) and Rumble Fish (1983). All three films were shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hinton's hometown.

In 1987, Dillon appeared briefly as a policeman in the music video for the song Fairytale of New York by The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl, a major hit in Ireland and the United Kingdom. In 1989, Dillon won critical acclaim for his performance as a drug addict in Gus Van Sant's Drugstore Cowboy.

Dillon continued to work in early 1990s with roles in movies like Singles (1992). He had somewhat of a career resurge as the role of Nicole Kidman's husband in To Die For (1995), as well as large roles in Wild Things (1998) and There's Something About Mary (1998), for which he received an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain.

In 2002, he also wrote and directed the film City of Ghosts, starring himself, James Caan and Gérard Depardieu. He recently appeared in Crash (co-written and directed by Paul Haggis); Dillon received much praise for his performance, including Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Oscar nominations. He also co-starred in Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded. Dillon also hosted Saturday Night Live on March 11, 2006, where he impersonated Greg Anderson in a "SportsCenter" sketch and Rod Serling in Bill Hader's "Vincent Price St. Patrick's Day Special" sketch.

Dillon's most recent role is in the comedy You, Me and Dupree, opposite Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson. The film opened on July 14, 2006.

On September 29, 2006 the actor was honored with the price Premio Donostia in the San Sebastian International Film Festival.

Other work

Dillon is mentioned on Jeff Buckley's Live at Sin-é: Legacy Edition CD. On track 5 Buckley mentions that he cut his hair because people thought he looked like Matt Dillon.

Dillon also contributed his voice as Sal Paradise in Jack Kerouac 's famous novel On the Road.

As of 2007 Dinosaur Jr. hired Dillon to direct their new video and single "Been There All The Time," off the band's upcoming album "Beyond"

Personal life

Dillon dated actress Cameron Diaz from 1996 to 1998; the two met in 1995 while both were filming movies in Minnesota.

Matt has also been linked to The Apprentice Season 3 cast member Tara Dowdell. The pair were seen kissing at a New York restaurant in early 2005.[citation needed]

Selected filmography

Year Title Role Notes
1979 Over the Edge Richie
1980 My Bodyguard Melvin Moody
Little Darlings Randy
1982 Tex Tex McCormick
1983 Rumble Fish Rusty James
The Outsiders Dallas 'Dally' Winston
1984 The Flamingo Kid Jeffrey Willis
1985 Target Chris Lloyd/Derek Potter
1986 Native Son Jan
Rebel Rebel
1987 The Big Town J.C. Cullen
1988 Kansas Doyle Kennedy
1989 Drugstore Cowboy Bob Independent Spirit Award - Won - Best Male Lead
1991 A Kiss Before Dying Jonathan Corliss
1992 Singles Cliff Poncier
1993 The Saint of Fort Washington Matthew
Mr. Wonderful Gus
1994 Golden Gate (film) Kevin Walker
1995 To Die For Larry Maretto
1996 Grace of My Heart Jay Phillips
Beautiful Girls Tommy 'Birdman' Rowland
1997 In and Out Cameron Drake
1998 There's Something About Mary Pat Healy MTV Award - Won - Best Villain
Wild Things Sam Lombardo
2001 One Night at McCool's Randy
2002 Deuces Wild Fritzy
City of Ghosts Jimmy also directed
2004 Employee of the Month David Walsh
2005 Herbie Fully Loaded "Trip" Murphy
Crash Sgt. Jack Ryan Academy Award nomination - "Best Supporting Actor"

Independent Spirit Award - Won - Best Supporting Male

2006 Factotum Henry Chinaski playing Charles Bukowski
You, Me and Dupree Carl Peterson
Loverboy Mark limited release

References

  1. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". (Week ending May 23, 1979). Variety, pp. 9.
  2. ^ "http://www.boxofficemojo.com/". Matt Dillon box office tallies. Retrieved March 10. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); External link in |title= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)

Interviews