Benjamin Géza "Ben" Affleck-Boldt was born on August 15, 1972, in Berkeley, California, to Chris Anne (Boldt),a school teacher, and Timothy Byers "Tim" Affleck, a social worker. He was raised in Cambridge, Massachusetts, alongside his younger brother, actor Casey Affleck, who was born in 1975. Ben's ancestry is mostly English, Irish, German, and Scottish, and his middle name, Géza, is after a Hungarian family friend who was a Holocaust survivor.
Ben's passion for acting began at a young age, and he made his debut in a Burger King commercial and the PBS mini-series, The Voyage of the Mimi, in 1984. It was during this time that he met his lifelong friend and fellow actor, Matt Damon. They played little league together and took drama classes together.
Ben's early years consisted of mostly TV movies and small television appearances, including Hands of a Stranger in 1987 and The Second Voyage of the Mimi in 1988. His big introduction into feature films came in 1993 with the film Dazed and Confused. He then went on to work on independent films like Kevin Smith's Mallrats in 1995 and Chasing Amy in 1997, which received critical acclaim at the Sundance film festival.
However, Ben's success in independent films was short-lived, and he struggled to find big roles in films. He, along with Matt Damon, decided to write their own script, Good Will Hunting, which they gave to their agent, Patrick Whitesell. The script was eventually accepted by Castle Rock, but Ben and Matt were not given the control over the project they wanted. It was Kevin Smith who took the script to the head of Miramax, who bought the script and gave Ben and Matt the control they desired.
Good Will Hunting was released in 1997 and became a massive success, earning nine Academy Award nominations and winning two, including Best Original Screenplay for Ben and Matt. The film marked Ben's breakthrough role, allowing him to choose his own roles instead of constantly auditioning.
Ben went on to star in blockbusters like Armageddon, Shakespeare in Love, and Pearl Harbor, as well as box office hits like Changing Lanes, The Sum of All Fears, and Daredevil. He also starred in comedies like Gigli and Surviving Christmas, but received a Golden Globe nomination for his performance in Hollywoodland.
In the 2000s, Ben took on supporting roles in films like Smokin' Aces, He's Just Not That Into You, State of Play, and Extract. He also ventured into directing, making his debut with the thriller Gone Baby Gone in 2007, which starred his brother, Casey Affleck.
Ben's directing career continued with The Town in 2010, which was named to the National Board of Review Top Ten Films of the year. He then directed, co-wrote, and starred in Argo in 2012, which won several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Ben has since headlined films like Gone Girl and reprised his role as Bruce Wayne/Batman in the superhero films Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice, Suicide Squad, and Justice League. He will next appear as Batman in Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom and The Flash.
In recent years, Ben has given praise-worthy performances in films like The Way Back, The Last Duel, and The Tender Bar, for which he received a Golden Globe nomination.
