Matt Damon won the Golden Globe on Sunday evening for lead actor in a musical or comedy motion picture for the box office hit “The Martian,” playing an astronaut stranded on Mars as the rest of his crew members presume he is dead and leave without him.
This is Damon’s first Golden Globe for acting. He and Ben Affleck won a Golden Globe for their screenplay for the 1997 film “Good Will Hunting.” As he noted it had been 18 years since he had stood on the stage to accept a Golden Globe and much had changed since then, which he referenced in his acceptance speech.
FULL COVERAGE: Golden Globes 2016 | Complete list of winners and nominees
“My kids are watching so I have to thank my kids,” said Damon, 45.
Damon said the success of “The Martian” is due to veteran director Ridley Scott. “It all comes down to Ridley Scott. Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
Also nominated Sunday evening were Christian Bale for “The Big Short,” Steve Carell for “The Big Short,” Al Pacino for “Danny Collins” and Mark Ruffalo for “Infinitely Polar Bear.”
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Golden Globe winners, including Rachel Bloom with her Golden Globe for Actress in a TV Series, Comedy or Musical, stop by the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards press room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Actor Sylvester Stallone, winner of Supporting Performance in a Motion Picture for “Creed,” poses in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Kate Winslet accepts her Golden Globe for Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Director Alejandro González Iñárritu, left, and actor Leonardo DiCaprio pose with awards for Best Motion Picture, Drama; Best Director, Motion Picture; and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Drama, for “The Revenant” in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Winner Oscar Isaac for Performance by an Actor in a Limited Series or a Motion Picture Made for Television at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Taraji P. Henson in the press room with her Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series - Drama at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Matt Damon, winner for Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Producers Mark Pybus, left, Colin Callender and Rebecca Eaton, winners of Miniseries or Television Film for “Wolf Hall,” pose in the press room at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Jimmy Naples, left, and Sam Smith, winners of the Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for “Writing’s On The Wall” from the movie “Spectre”, at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Aaron Sorkin, winner of Screenplay - Motion Picture for “Steve Jobs” at the 73rd Annual Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Jan. 10, 2016.
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Director Laszlo Nemes, center, actor Geza Rohrig, second from left, and other members of the “Son of Saul” team pose with the award for best foreign-language film for “Son of Saul,” in the press room at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards show at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Sunday.
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Jennifer Lawrence won the award for lead actress in a motion picture comedy for “Joy.”
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Christian Slater took home the prize for actor in a supporting role in a series, limited series or motion picture made for television, for “Mr. Robot.”
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Gael Garcia Bernal of “Mozart in the Jungle” wins for actor in a TV series, musical or comedy.
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“Mr. Robot” creator Sam Esmail, center, and the cast pose together after winning the Golden Globe award for best TV series drama.
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Maura Tierney holds her Golden Globe for supporting actress in a limited series/TV Movie for “The Affair.”
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Jon Hamm holds his Golden Globe for “Mad Men.”
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Winners of the best motion picture musical or comedy for “The Martian”: Simon Kinberg, left, Ridley Scott and Michael Schaefer.
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Pete Docter, left, and Jonas Rivera, winners of the best animated feature film for “Inside Out.”
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Lady Gaga with her Golden Globe for actress in a miniseries or a motion picture. She will perform the national anthem at Super Bowl 50.
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Gael Garcia Bernal, Bernadette Peters and Lola Kirke share the Golden Globe for TV series comedy for “Mozart in the Jungle.”
(Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times) MORE:
Golden Globes: ‘The Martian’ gets a ‘grateful’ win for best picture comedy
Golden Globes 2016 updates: ‘The Revenant,’ ‘Mr. Robot’ and underdogs win big
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