Ben Affleck

15 Aug, 1972 |

Actor/Director/Producer

Biography

Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, director, writer, producer and activist. He has received two Academy Awards, for writing and producing, and three Golden Globe Awards for his work as a director, writer, and producer. Affleck began his career as a child actor, starring in the PBS educational series The Voyage of the Mimi (1984, 1988). He later appeared in Dazed and Confused (1993) and various Kevin Smith films including Chasing Amy (1997) and Dogma (1999). Affleck gained fame when he won the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting (1997), which he co-wrote and appeared in alongside childhood friend Matt Damon.  He then starred in high-profile films including Armageddon (1998), Shakespeare in Love (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), Changing Lanes (2002) and The Sum of All Fears (2002). After a career downturn, during which he appeared in films including Daredevil (2003), Affleck received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Hollywoodland (2006). His directorial debut, Gone Baby Gone, which he also wrote, was critically acclaimed in 2007.  He then directed, wrote and starred in The Town (2010), which was both a critical and commercial success. For Argo (2012), which he directed and starred in, Affleck won the Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Director, and the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Picture. He will star in the thriller Gone Girl in late 2014 and will portray Batman in Batman v Superman (2016). Affleck will direct, write and star in Live by Night (2016). Affleck is the co-founder of the Eastern Congo Initiative, a grantmaking and advocacy-based nonprofit organization. Affleck is also an outspoken member of the Democratic Party. His younger brother is actor Casey Affleck, with whom he has worked on several films including Good Will Hunting and Gone Baby Gone. Following high-profile relationships with Gwyneth Paltrow and Jennifer Lopez, Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner in 2005. The couple have three children.