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The Matt Dillon Biography
Matt
Dillon was born on February 18, 1964 in New Rochelle, New York. He was
the second oldest of five boys and a girl. His father, Paul, was working
as a stockbroker, while his mother, Mary Ellen, was a homemaker. The Dillon
family has been described as a tight-knit, Irish Catholic family. His younger
brother, Kevin, also entered the acting profession, and has appeared in
such films as the Academy-Award winning Platoon, The Doors,
and Immediate Family.
Matt actually made his acting debut as Benjamin Franklin in a fourth grade play. His feature film debut was in the film Over the Edge. His discovery for that part is legendary in Hollywood circles.
Matt was 14 years old at the time, and was roaming
the halls of Larchmont's Hommocks School while cutting math class. He ran
into some talent scouts sent by casting director Vic Ramos for the low-budget
film, and they were definitely interested. When he got home that day, he
told his mom that he might do a part in a movie some brothers were making…
little did she know he was referring to the Warner Brothers.
On
being summoned to Ramos' Manhattan office for an interview, he came in,
never looked at the interviewers, looked into a mirror, and combed his
hair. His first words were, "Do I get my carfare back?"
When they asked him to describe himself, he lit a cigarette and said, "I'm a thief. I'm working up some robbery schemes." When asked what his father did, he replied, "He's a fucking stockbroker." When asked what his mother did, he replied, "She don't do shit."
Ramos was taken aback a bit at this point, and he asked, "I beg your pardon?"
Realizing he may have gone a bit too far with projecting
a persona, Matt eased up and replied, "I mean, she's a housewife - no profession…
No offense."
When
Matt left the office, Ramos and Jonathan Kaplan, the film's director, knew
they had found the perfect actor to play the part of the delinquent pushed
to the brink in the film. Ramos went on and became Matt's long-time manager.
His feature films then came one on top of the other, and he subsequently had to leave school while in the 11th grade to concentrate on his film career. He has been working virtually non-stop ever since, while educating himself in music and the arts. He is also the co-owner of a bar and a restaurant, both located in New York.
Matt has made a smooth transition from teen-idol to serious actor. In the future, he hopes to get to do something classical, a period piece that can further hone his already impressive acting skills.
Matt has never been married. He recently ended a two-year relationship with actress Cameron Diaz, his co-star in the sleeper hit of the summer of 1998, There's Something About Mary.
Matt is currently based in New York, close to his businesses and his family. The entire Dillon clan lives in the area at the present time. His father Paul is retired and paints portraits. He is also an avid golfer (as are all his sons with the exception of Matt), and is President of the Halfway Houses of Westchester, a facility that helps recovering alcoholics. He and Matt's mom, Mary Ellen, have been married for 36 years. Matt's siblings are Paul (who works for MCI in Mamaroneck), Kevin (mentioned above, who lives in Larchmont), Mary Ellen (living at home with her 8 year old son Sean), Tim (a currency trader with Credit Commercial De France in New York City), and Brian (who works for a furniture importer in New Rochelle). (Matt's family information provided by web site visitor Kate, who lives in the same town and went to the same school as Matt)
In addition to being a successful actor and restauranteur, Matt hopes to make his directorial debut soon with City of Ghosts, a thriller set in Southeast Asia that he also scripted.
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