Ben Affleck is an American television and film actor, director, writer, and producer who started his acting career as a child artist with the PBS educational television series The Voyage of the Mimi in 1984. He is was seen in films like Shakespeare in Love, Pearl Harbor, and Gone Girl. However, he is best remembered for his portrayal of Batman in Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice.
Affleck made his directorial debut with 2007 neo-noir mystery film Gone Baby Gone, which he also co-wrote. However, it was his 2012 political thriller Argo, which he also starred in, that brought him immense fame and won him the Golden Globe and BAFTA Award for Best Director, and the Golden Globe, BAFTA and Academy Award for Best Picture.
The actor also co-founded the Eastern Congo Initiative, an American non-profit organization that works closely with the people of Eastern Congo. It supports rape victims and people who have been sexually violated, increases access to health care and education, promotes economic opportunity, and runs community-level peace and reconciliation programs.
Early LifeBenjamin Geza Boldt Affleck was born on the 15th of August, 1972 in Berkeley, California to Christopher Anne and Timothy Byers Affleck. When he was two years old, his family and him moved to Massachusetts, where his little brother Casey Affleck was born. Their neighborhood had people who worked in the arts. The two brothers often attended theater with their mother, who also encouraged the boys to make home movies. Their mother’s friend was a casting director who offered Ben his first acting role at the age of seven. Although his mother was supportive of him appearing in commercials, she also thought that acting was not the best career choice for her son, and saved his wages for his college trust fund, hoping that he would become a teacher upon growing up. Ben’s acting coach, who was also a family friend of the Afflecks, David Wheeler though Ben was “very bright and intensely curious”. His father was an actor and stage manager with the Theater Company of Boston. However, his father was a chronic alcoholic because of which his parents divorced when he was only twelve. Soon, his father moved to Indio, California to join a rehabilitation center, after which he became an addiction counselor.
When Affleck was eight years old, he befriended a ten-year-old Matt Damon. The two studied at the the Cambridge Rindge and Latin and became extremely close to one another. Their drama teacher Gerry Speca was a huge inspiration to both of them and the little boys spent their time talking about how they would grow up to become actors. Despite the two-year age gap between the two, they both thought alike and had almost the same goals. They saved up money for their transportation to New York for their auditions by working as construction workers and cinema ushers in their summer vacations. Despite high SAT scores, Affleck found it difficult to bring himself to attend high school. Although he was accepted by the University of Virginia, he chose to follow his then girlfriend to the University of Vermont. Owing to a hip injury, Affleck left the university without any degree. He then went on to study at the Occidental College for a year and a half, where he studied Middle Eastern affairs. He soon dropped out of college after a creative writing professor criticized an early draft of the Good Will Hunting screenplay. During the initial days of their careers, Damon and Affleck lived together in Los Angeles and New York.
Personal LifeAffleck was in a three-year-long relationship with Gwyneth Paltrow from 1997 to 2000. They first met at a Miramax dinner in 1997 after which they worked together on Shakespeare in Love in 1998. The two had broken up in 1999 only to get back together when they worked together in Bounce in 2000. However, they called off their relationship in 2000 and continue to remain friends. Like his father, Affleck also suffered from severe alcoholism and checked into an alcohol rehabilitation center in 2001.
In 2002, the actor dated popular singer and actress Jennifer Lopez. The two dated from 2002 to 2004, and during their eighteen-month relationship, the couple had got engaged in 2002 and planned to get married in 2003 in Santa Barbara, California. The couple received a lot of media attention and coverage and was called Bennifer. However, the couple broke up in 2004, leaving Lopez heartbroken.
Soon after breaking up with Lopez, Affleck began dating the Nine Lives actor Jennifer Garner in 2004. The two first met on the sets of Pearl Harbor in 2001 and also worked in the 2003 movie Daredevil. The two got married in a hush-hush ceremony in 2005. Together, the couple has three children, namely Violet Anne, Seraphina Rose Elizabeth, and Samuel Garner. However, the couple announced their separation after 10 years of being married in 2015. Despite their separation, the two are in good terms and do everything in the best interest of their children.
Movie CareerAs An ActorAffleck started his acting career in his childhood and his mother helped him audition for a few commercials. He was first seen in an independent film called the Dark Side of the Street in 1981 at the age of seven. However, his first big success as a child actor came when he starred in the PBS children’s series The Voyage of the Mimi in 1984, and also appeared in The Second Voyage of the Mimi in 1988. He also starred in the ABC afterschool special Wanted: A Perfect Man in 1986 and the television movie Hands of a Stranger in 1987.
Upon completing his schooling, Affleck moved to New York for a brief period of time in search of work. He then took up a course at the Occidental College in Los Angeles where he directed student films. Apart from directing student movies in college, Affleck also appeared in the television movie Daddy in 1991 where he played Patrick Duffy’s son. He made an uncredited appearance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, played a high school quarterback in television series Against the Grain in 1993, and a high school football player in Body to Die For: The Aaron Henry Story in 1994. Despite these appearances, his most notable work during this phase remains to be Dazed and Confused in 1993.
Affleck was first seen in the movie Glory Daze in 1995 where he played the role of an aimless art student, and his performance was well-received. After the movie, he was seen in Mallrats in the same year portrayed the role of a college bully. Director Kevin Smith cast him for the lead role in romantic comedy Chasing Amy in 1997, which cemented his place in the industry with critics praising his performance. The same year, he was seen in Good Will Hunting, which he not only acted in but also co-wrote with childhood friend Matt Damon. With Damon playing the titular role, the movie also co-starred Robin Williams. The movie won immense critical acclaim and also went on to become a commercial success, and also won the Golden Globe and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
With Armageddon, Affleck was considered to be a successful leading Hollywood actor. The movie, where he played the role of a blue-collar driller for NASA aiming to stop an asteroid colliding with Earth, went on to become a commercial success. In 1998, even Affleck’s supporting role of an arrogant English actor in Shakespeare in Love, co-starring his then girlfriend Gwyneth Paltrow, won him immense praise from critics. He then shared screen space with Sandra Bullock in romantic comedy Forces of Nature where critics mainly spoke of his unavoidable charm and the ease with which he acts.
The critics also praised his performance in the John Frankenheimer-directed action thriller Reindeer Games, where he was cast alongside Charlize Theron and played the role of a tough criminal. He was then seen in movies like Pearl Harbor, Good Will Hunting’s parody Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back, Daddy and Them, The Third Wheel, and The Sum of All Fears. After a series of critically acclaimed movies, Affleck was seen in Daredevil in 2003, which, although was a commercial success, received mixed reviews from critics. He was then seen starring opposite his then girlfriend Jennifer Lopez in Gigli in 2003, which opened to mainly negative reviews. Despite a very unsuccessful year of movies, Affleck bounced back in 2004 with holiday comedy Surviving Christmas.
Given the quality of scripts being offered to Affleck, the actor decided to take a break from his career. After marrying Jennifer Garner in 2005 and welcoming
his first child, Affleck made his career comeback in 2006. Although Man About Town and Smokin’ Aces did not do extremely well, his performance in the noir biopic Hollywoodland won immense praise and acclaim, winning him the Volpi Cup at the Venice Film Festival and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor. After venturing into direction, Affleck returned to acting with the romantic comedy He’s Just Not That Into You in 2009, which was a commercial success. He was then seen in psychological thriller Gone Girl in 2014 where he played the role of a husband who is accused of his wife’s murder.
Despite innumerable remarkable performances, Affleck is best known for playing Batman in the 2016 superhero movie Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice. When it was announced that he will be playing Batman’s role, fans on the Batman series mostly did not receive it well. However, upon the release of the movie, his performance was lauded although the movie opened to negative reviews. He then reprised his role of Batman in the 2016 movie Suicide Squad, which co-stars Jared Leto, Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, and Will Smith. His other releases of the year include The Accountant, an action thriller directed by Gavin O'Connor.
As A DirectorAffleck made his directorial debut in 2007 with the crime drama Gone Baby Gone starring his younger brother Casey Affleck. Based on Dennis Lehane’s book, Affleck co-wrote the screenplay along with his childhood friend Aaron Stockard. The movie opened to mainly positive reviews and critical acclaim. After the success of his directorial debut, Affleck directed the crime drama The Town in 2010, which is the movie adaptation of Chuck Hogan’s novel Prince of Thieves. Apart from directing it, Affleck also starred in and co-wrote the movie. With this movie, the critics praised Affleck’s ability of becoming a great director. He then worked on Argo, a Warner Bros. project, which was written by Chris Terrio and starred Affleck. The movie revolves around saving six diplomats during the 1979 Iran hostage crisis. The movie went on to become a major box office success with critics praising Affleck’s storytelling abilities. Affleck won the Golden Globe Award, Directors Guild of America Award and BAFTA Award for Best Director, becoming the first director to win these awards without a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Director. Meanwhile, Argo went on to win the Academy Award, Golden Globe Award and BAFTA Award for Best Picture.