MATT DAMON

AGE: 37
OCCUPATION: Actor
NUMBER OF TIME COVERS: 0
PREVIOUS APPEARANCES ON THE TIME 100: 0

PRO: Damon's Jason Bourne, even more than Dan Craig's Bond, has reinvented the espionage thriller for a deracinated cameraphone age. Notably absent from the tabs, Damon brings a touch of class to everything he does and seems in complete control of his career, from the prestige projects to the rent checks. He's that Hollywood rarity: a serious actor who's not self-serious. (Just ask Sarah Silverman.)

CON: Damon's great, the Bourne movies are fantastic, but the phrase "Ooh! Let's go see that new Matt Damon movie!" has never been uttered outside of his agent's office. Is his non-Bourne career overly dependent on fratty collabs, Brad Pitt and Clooney?