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Matt Dillon

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Matt Dillon
Dillon at the 2010 FICG
Born
Matthew Raymond Dillon

(1964-02-18) February 18, 1964 (age 60)
OccupationActor
Years active1979–present
Partner(s)Cameron Diaz (1995–1998)
Roberta Mastromichele (2014–2023)
RelativesKevin Dillon (brother)[1]
Jim Raymond (great uncle)
Alex Raymond (great uncle)
AwardsFull list

Matthew Raymond Dillon (born February 18, 1964) is an American actor. He has received various accolades, including an Academy Award nomination and Grammy nomination.

Dillon made his feature film debut in Over the Edge (1979) and established himself as a teen idol by starring in the films My Bodyguard (1980), Little Darlings (1980), Liar's Moon (1982), The Flamingo Kid (1984) and three of five S. E. Hinton book adaptations: Tex (1982), Rumble Fish (1983) and The Outsiders (1983). From the late 1980s onward, Dillon achieved further success, starring in Drugstore Cowboy (1989), Singles (1992), The Saint of Fort Washington (1993), To Die For (1995), Beautiful Girls (1996), In & Out (1997), There's Something About Mary (1998), and Wild Things (1998). In a 1991 article, movie critic Roger Ebert referred to him as the best actor within his age group, along with Sean Penn.[2]

In 2002, he made his directing debut with City of Ghosts and has since continued to act in films such as Factotum (2005), You, Me and Dupree (2006), The House That Jack Built (2018), and Asteroid City (2023). For Crash (2004), he won an Independent Spirit Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. He had earlier been nominated for the Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for narrating Jack Kerouac's On the Road. On television, he starred in the first season of the FOX television series Wayward Pines (2015), for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award.

Early life

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Dillon was raised in Mamaroneck, New York by homemaker Mary Ellen and Paul Dillon, a portrait painter and sales manager for toy bear manufacturer Union Camp. Paul Dillon also was the long-time golf coach at Fordham University, having been enshrined in the school's Hall of Fame in 2019.[3][4][5][6] His paternal grandmother was the sister of comic strip artist Alex Raymond, the creator of Flash Gordon.[7] Dillon is the second of six children with one sister and four brothers, one of whom is actor Kevin Dillon. Dillon was raised in a close-knit Roman Catholic family of Irish descent.[8][9][10] He grew up in Mamaroneck, New York.[11]

Career

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Dillon at the 2005 Cannes Film Festival

In 1978, Jane Bernstein and a friend were helping director Jonathan Kaplan cast the teen drama Over the Edge when they found Dillon cutting class at Hommocks Middle School in Larchmont. Dillon auditioned for a role and made his debut in the film.[12] The film received a regional, limited theatrical release in May 1979, and grossed only slightly over $200,000.[13] 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 dramedy 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[14] and raised Dillon's profile among teen audiences.

Another of Dillon's early roles was in the Jean Shepherd PBS special The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters.[15][16] The only available copies of this film are stored at UCLA, where a legal dispute makes it unavailable to the public.

One of his next roles was in Liar's Moon, where he played Jack Duncan, a poor Texas boy madly in love with a rich banker's daughter. In the early 1980s, Dillon also had prominent roles in three adaptations of S. E. Hinton novels: Tex (1982), The Outsiders (1983) and Rumble Fish (1983). All three films were shot in Tulsa, Oklahoma, Hinton's hometown. The Outsiders and Rumble Fish had Dillon working with Francis Ford Coppola and Diane Lane. He followed those up with The Flamingo Kid in 1984. He made his Broadway debut with the play The Boys of Winter[17] in 1985. Dillon did voiceover work in the 1987 documentary film Dear America: Letters Home from Vietnam. In 1985, Dillon was namechecked in the lyrics of the Roger Daltrey song 'After The Fire' (written by Pete Townshend). 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 the early 1990s with roles in films like Singles (1992). He had a resurgence when he played Nicole Kidman's husband in To Die For (1995), as well as starring 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 wrote and directed the film City of Ghosts, starring himself, James Caan and Gérard Depardieu. In 2005, he starred in Factotum, a film adaptation of an autobiographical work by Charles Bukowski. Two years later he received critical praise and earned Best Supporting Actor Golden Globe and Academy Award nominations for his role in Crash, a film co-written and directed by Paul Haggis. In 2005, Dillon co-starred in Disney's Herbie: Fully Loaded and on March 11, 2006, hosted Saturday Night Live, in which he impersonated Greg Anderson and Rod Serling in sketches.

Dillon starred in the comedy You, Me and Dupree, opposite Kate Hudson and Owen Wilson. The film opened on July 14, 2006. On September 29, 2006, Dillon was honored with the Premio Donostia prize in the San Sebastián International Film Festival.

Dillon contributed his voice as the narrator, Sal Paradise, in an audiobook version of Jack Kerouac's novel On the Road. In 2006, he narrated Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos.

Dillon appeared in several music videos during his career. He made a cameo appearance as a detective in Madonna's Bad Girl music video which also stars Christopher Walken. Dillon appeared in 1987 in the music video for "Fairytale of New York" by the Irish folk-punk band The Pogues, playing a cop who escorts lead singer Shane MacGowan into the "drunk tank". In 2007, the band Dinosaur Jr. hired Dillon to direct the video for their single "Been There All The Time" from the album Beyond. That year, he guest-starred on The Simpsons episode "Midnight Towboy". Early in 2015, he played the role of a Secret Service agent in the FOX 10-episode series Wayward Pines.

In 2018, Dillon played the lead role in the Lars von Trier thriller The House That Jack Built.[18]

He portrayed Marlon Brando in the biopic about Maria Schneider Being Maria,[19] which premiered at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival.

Personal life

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Matt was in a relationship with Cameron Diaz from 1995 to 1998.[20]

Dillon is an aficionado and collector of Latin music, with a large collection of vinyl, including a notable library of Cuban 78s.[21]

Filmography

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Dillon at the 2009 Tribeca Film Festival

Film

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Year Film Role Notes
1979 Over the Edge Ritchie White
1980 My Bodyguard Melvin Moody
Little Darlings Randy Adams
1982 Tex Tex McCormick
Liar's Moon Jack Duncan
1983 The Outsiders Dallas "Dally" Winston
Rumble Fish Rusty James
1984 The Flamingo Kid Jeffrey Willis
1985 Target Chris Lloyd / Derek Potter
Rebel Sergeant Harry Rebel
1986 Native Son Jan Erlone
1987 The Big Town J. C. Cullen
1988 Kansas Doyle Kennedy
1989 Drugstore Cowboy Bob Hughes
Bloodhounds of Broadway Regret
1990 Bad Influence
1991 A Kiss Before Dying Jonathan Corliss
1992 Singles Cliff Poncier
1993 The Saint of Fort Washington Matthew
Mr. Wonderful Gus DeMarco
1994 Golden Gate Kevin Walker
1995 To Die For Larry Maretto
Frankie Starlight Terry Klout
1996 Grace of My Heart Jay Phillips
Albino Alligator Dova
Beautiful Girls Tommy "Birdman" Rowland
1997 In & Out Cameron Drake
1998 There's Something About Mary Patrick "Pat" Healy
Wild Things Sam Lombardo
2001 One Night at McCool's Randy
2002 Deuces Wild Fritzy Zennetti
City of Ghosts Jimmy Cremming Also writer/director
2003 Abby Singer Himself
2004 Employee of the Month David Walsh
Crash Officer John Ryan
2005 Loverboy Mark
Factotum Henry Chinaski
Herbie: Fully Loaded Trip Murphy
2006 You, Me and Dupree Carl Peterson
2008 Nothing but the Truth Patton Dubois
2009 Old Dogs Barry
Armored Mike Cochrane
2010 Takers Det. Jack Welles
2012 Girl Most Likely George / The Bousche
2013 Pawn Shop Chronicles Richard
The Art of the Steal Nicky Calhoun
Sunlight Jr. Richie Barnes
2014 Bad Country Jesse Weiland
2017 Rock Dog Trey Voice only
Going in Style Hamer
2018 The House That Jack Built Jack
Running for Grace Doc
Head Full of Honey Nick
2019 Nimic Father Short film
Proxima Mike Shannon
2020 Capone Johnny
The Great Fellove Documentary; Executive producer/director
2021 Land of Dreams Alan
2022 American Dreamer Dell [22]
2023 Asteroid City Walter Geronimo
2024 Being Maria Marlon Brando
Haunted Heart Max [23]

Television

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Year Film Role Notes
1982 The Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters Ralph Parker Television film
1991 Fishing with John Himself TV miniseries (episode 3)
Women & Men 2 Eddie Megeffin Television film
1999 Oz TV series (1 episode; Napoleon's Boney Parts); Director
2007 The Simpsons Louie TV series (1 episode: "Midnight Towboy"); Voice only
2011 Modern Family Robbie Sullivan TV series (1 episode: "Princess Party")
2015 Wayward Pines Ethan Burke TV series (10 episodes)
2023 High Desert Denny Main role

Awards and nominations

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Year Award Nominated work Result
1981 Young Artist Award Best Young Actor in a Major Motion Picture My Bodyguard Nominated
1983 Young Artist Award Best Young Motion Picture Actor Tex Nominated
1990 Independent Spirit Award for Best Male Lead Drugstore Cowboy Won
1999 Blockbuster Entertainment Awards Favorite Supporting Actor – Comedy There's Something About Mary Won
MTV Movie Award for Best Villain (tied with Stephen Dorff) Won
Teen Choice Award Funniest Scene Won
MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss (shared with Denise Richards & Neve Campbell) Wild Things Nominated
2001 Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album On the Road by Jack Kerouac, audiobook Nominated
2005 Gotham Tribute Award Won
Dallas-Fort Worth Film Critics Association Awards Best Supporting Actor Crash Won
Gotham Independent Film Award for Best Ensemble Cast Nominated
Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards Best Supporting Actor Won
Hollywood Film Festival Ensemble of the Year Won
Satellite Award for Best Cast – Motion Picture Won
Phoenix Film Critics Society Award Best Cast Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Cast Won
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association Best Supporting Actor Nominated
2006 Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated
BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
Black Reel Award for Best Ensemble Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for Best Acting Ensemble Won
Chicago Film Critics Association Award Best Supporting Actor Nominated
Empire Award for Best Actor Nominated
Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture Nominated
Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Male Won
Online Film Critics Society Award for Best Supporting Actor Nominated
SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role Nominated
SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Won
San Sebastián International Film Festival Donostia Lifetime Achievement Award Won
2007 Cairo International Film Festival Special Award Won
2011 Special Tomislav Pinter Award Won
2016 Saturn Award for Best Actor on Television Wayward Pines Nominated
2019 Robert Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role The House That Jack Built Nominated
Bodil Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role Nominated
2022 75th Locarno Film Festival: Leopard of Honour Matt Dillon Honored

References

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  1. ^ Basilan, Rebelander (December 16, 2019). "Matt Dillon from 'Outsiders' - Meet His Brother Kevin Who Is Also an Actor". AmoMama. AmoMama Media Limited. Retrieved December 31, 2022.
  2. ^ Ebert, Roger (April 26, 1991). "Review: A Kiss Before Dying". Chicago Sun-Times. Archived from the original on September 12, 2012 – via rogerebert.com.
  3. ^ "Paul Dillon (2019) - Hall of Fame".
  4. ^ "New Documentary Features Mamaroneck's Paul Dillon - theloop". December 11, 2019.
  5. ^ "Cigar Aficionado - People Profile - Matt Dillon". Archived from the original on February 21, 2010. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  6. ^ "Matt Dillon Biography (1964-)". Film Reference. Archived from the original on October 27, 2017. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  7. ^ "Fordham golf coach has way with the brush". USA Today. October 9, 2001. Archived from the original on September 14, 2012. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
  8. ^ Dillon, Matt (August 6, 2005). "Behind the mask". London: The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on December 17, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  9. ^ Flynn, Paul (August 11, 2005). "Matt's Crash landing". Evening Standard. Archived from the original on April 22, 2013. Retrieved September 11, 2010.
  10. ^ Rader, Dotson (July 23, 2006). ""You Don't Shut the Door on Hope"". Parade. Archived from the original on February 21, 2009. Retrieved December 30, 2010.
  11. ^ Grant, Lee (May 6, 2005). "The outsider". San Diego Union-Tribune. Archived from the original on October 19, 2015. Retrieved June 7, 2015.
  12. ^ Over the Edge: An Oral History of the Greatest Teen Rebellion Movie of All Time September 2009, Vice Magazine. Retrieved March 10, 2010.
  13. ^ "50 Top-Grossing Films". (Week ending May 23, 1979). Variety, pp. 9.
  14. ^ "Matt Dillon box office tallies". Archived from the original on November 22, 2006. Retrieved March 10, 2006.
  15. ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on December 16, 2010. Retrieved January 25, 2011.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ^ "NTW Great American Fourth of July and Other Disasters, The". Main.wgbh.org. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved October 26, 2017.
  17. ^ The Boys of Winter at IBDb
  18. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 2, 2016). "Lars Von Trier Sets Matt Dillon, Bruno Ganz For 'The House That Jack Built'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017. Retrieved March 10, 2017.
  19. ^ "'Being Maria': Anamaria Vartolomei and Matt Dillon on 'Challenge' of Embodying Maria Schneider and Marlon Brando in Upcoming Biopic (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. January 15, 2024.
  20. ^ "Matt Dillon Said Cameron Diaz Was His "Muse"". InStyle. Retrieved May 12, 2023.
  21. ^ "Matt Dillon's passion for Latin music". www.recordonline.com. January 13, 2007. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
  22. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 22, 2021). "Dark Comedy 'American Dreamer' Adds Danny Glover, Matt Dillon, Danny Pudi, Michelle Mylett". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 22, 2021. Retrieved April 13, 2021.
  23. ^ Ntim, Zac (May 13, 2024). "'Haunted Heart' Starring Matt Dillon Lands North American Distribution With VMI Releasing – Cannes Market". Deadline Hollywood.
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