Ben Affleck is an American actor who had written the script of his first hit film with actor and friend Matt Damon to give a boost to his film career. Read this short biography to know more about this actor/director.
The birth name of actor Ben Affleck is ‘Benjamin Geza Affleck-Boldt’. He was born to Christine Ann ‘Chris’ and Timothy Affleck on August 15, 1972 in Berkeley, California. Later, he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts with his family. Ben is of Irish and Scottish descent. His mother was a schoolteacher and father was a social worker. Ben has a brother Casey Affleck, who is three years younger to him and is also an actor. His parents terminated their marriage when he was just 12 years old.
Ben started acting when he was a child and worked in the kids’ series The Voyage of the Mimi of PBS television service. He finished his schooling from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School. Then he joined Occidental College in Los Angeles, but dropped out within a year. He took admission at the University of Vermont and left that too just after the first semester.
Film Career
When Ben Affleck was just eight years old, he met Matt Damon, who happened to be his neighbor, and they became very good friends. Both of them had the aspiration to make a career in acting. Initially, they worked together and concentrated mainly on TV movies. In 1993, Ben debuted in the film Dazed and Confused. Then he worked in two successive films, Mallrats in 1995 and Chasing Amy in 1997, which were written and directed by Kevin Smith. Both the films boosted his career as he received a lot of appreciation for his performances.
However, Ben was slightly frustrated with the small, insignificant roles that were being offered to him. So, he and Matt resolved to take a break from acting for a brief period of time. During this break, they finished working on their first script Good Will Hunting. The initial response from the Hollywood studios regarding their script was not at all encouraging. Finally, the movie was produced by Miramax Films and was directed by Gus Van Sant. The film was released in 1997 and it was well received by the fans, and completely changed the life of Ben Affleck as an actor. The film was nominated for 9 Academy Awards and won him his first Oscar for the Best Original Screenplay.
After attaining success with Good Will Hunting, things turned to Ben’s favor and he started selecting his roles according to his own choice. He was exempted from the tedious audition rounds. In 1998 came his blockbuster movie Armageddon which was alongside Bruce Willis. It was followed by the romantic comedy film Shakespeare in Love. In 2001, he worked in a war film Pearl Harbor along with Alec Baldwin, Josh Hartnett and Kate Beckinsale. His 2003 movie Daredevil, The Movie, is best remembered for his action. In the same year, he had another film Gigli, a romantic comedy, opposite Jennifer Lopez. This was an eagerly awaited film of 2003 as at that time the actor was romantically involved with Jennifer Lopez. His third movie in the year 2003 was Paycheck. In 2004 came Jersey Girl and a comedy film Surviving Christmas. They were followed by Clerks II, Hollywoodland and Man About Town.
By now, his accomplishments in his movies made him an actor at par with celebrated names like Andy Gracia and Jason Bateman. However, Ben was not the kind of actor who would rest on the laurels he received from acting. In 2007, he donned the director’s hat and debuted with a mystery drama Gone Baby, starring his brother Cassey Affleck. The film was well-received by both the critics and the audiences, and opened a new avenue for Ben in Hollywood. Yet, he is not ready to bid adieu to his role in front of the cameras. His releases of 2009 as an actor included He’s Just Not That Into You and State of Play. He’s Just Not That Into You – is a romantic comedy film with an ensemble cast which includes Jennifer Aniston, Drew Barrymore, Scarlett Johannson. Though the film got negative reviews from the critics, it was successful at the box office. State of Play, a political thriller that highlights the nexus between the politicians and the media also fared well at the box office.
He went behind the lens again in August 2009 for his second directorial venture The Town. He was one of the screenplay writers of the film and also acted in it. The film was released in September 2010 and recorded huge success in box office.
Personal Life
Apart from acting, the romantic affairs of Ben Affleck are also highly publicized by the media. In 1998, it was with actress Gwyneth Paltrow which ended in January, 1999. Then he started dating his costar of “Gigli”, Jennifer Lopez in 2002, which came to an end in 2004. The couple blamed the excessive media attention for their break up. Soon, Ben got involved with Jennifer Garner, who was his co-star in “Daredevil”. After dating for nine months, the couple took the wedding vows on June 29, 2005, in Turks and Caicos, situated in the Caribbean. The couple is blessed with two lovely daughters, Violet Anne and Seraphina Rose Elizabeth. Jennifer is expecting their third child and is due in early 2012.
Many of you may not know that the actor is highly fascinated with tattoos since his young days. When he was only sixteen years old, he had his first tattoo. Presently, he has around six tattoos on his body.
