A bit part in Mystic Pizza (1988) followed by his break in 1992 with School Ties are what launched Damon's acting career. After attending the private Cambridge Rindge and Latin School and Harvard and working in theater productions with his writing partner and childhood friend Ben Affleck, Damon appeared in small roles in Geronimo: An American Legend (1993) and Courage Under Fire (1996) but it was a bigger part in Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of the John Grisham novel, The Rainmaker (1997) and his lead in Good Will Hunting that turned Damon into a big name. Damon and Affleck won the Best Original Screenplay Oscar and a Golden Globe for their collaboration on Gus Van Sant's Good Will Hunting (1997). He also appears in Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (1998) and The Talented Mr. Ripley (1998) by director Anthony Minghella.