Interesting Facts About Ben Affleck

Some actors are happy to be known for their character roles in smart, independent films; others enjoy the status of being a major box-office draw in Hollywood blockbusters. Ben Affleck has been both. He has also won acclaim as a screenwriter; he won an Academy Award for his original screenplay—co-written with friend Matt Damon—for Good Will Hunting (1997). It was that film that bridged the gap between independent film and Hollywood, between Affleck the actor and Ben the household name.

Benjamin Geza Affleck was born in 1972 in Berkeley, California. The family soon moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. By age 12, Affleck was on television in the PBS miniseries The Voyage of the Mimi. (He had been in a Burger King commercial at an even younger age.) In the same year, he met Damon. Although they both played Little League, it was the drama classes they attended together that would one day determine their linked future.

Affleck began appearing in brief film roles with School Ties (1992) and Dazed and Confused (1993). In 1995, he appeared in Kevin Smith's Mallrats; the indie director then gave him the lead in the critically acclaimed Chasing Amy (1997). Affleck proved he could play a variety of characters—ranging from one of the boys to a sensitive romantic figure.

Even with independent films making more of a mark, Affleck and his friend Damon were frustrated with their limited options. They penned a screenplay about a working-class genius and his best friend coming of age in Boston. After a few failed attempts to sell it elsewhere, Affleck and Damon let Kevin Smith bring the film to Miramax Films. Miramax made Good Will Hunting with Damon and Affleck as the stars. The film was both a critical—it won two Oscars—and financial success.

Since then, Affleck has continued to gain notice both on-screen and in the press. He had a highly publicized romance with actress Gwyneth Paltrow; he co-starred with her in Shakespeare in Love (1998) and Bounce (2000). He worked with Smith and Damon again in Dogma (1999). And he began a stint as an action hero in such films as Armageddon (1998), Pearl Harbor (2001), The Sum of All Fears (2002), and Daredevil (2003). He and Damon also started Project Greenlight, in which they helped an aspiring director make a film and televised the process.

Affleck's romance with film and recording star Jennifer Lopez provoked a media frenzy; the pair parted ways in late 2004. In 2005, Affleck married actress Jennifer Garner. The couple has 3 children.

In 2006, Affleck appeared in the drama Hollywoodland. He made his directorial debut as well as starred in the 2007 film Gone Baby Gone. Affleck also directed and appeared in The Town (2010), a crime drama.
 
Affleck received wide critical praise for his work in Argo (2012). The film told the story of the rescue of 6 American diplomats from Iran during the Iranian hostage crisis in 1980. Affleck both directed and starred in this real life thriller. Argo was named best picture at the 2013 Academy Awards.

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