Words by Ben Affleck’s career has had more twists than most Hollywood scripts. He won an Oscar in his twenties, became a blockbuster star, endured a slump and reinvented himself as one of the industry’s most respected directors.
Early life
Benjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt was born on Aug. 15, 1972, in Berkeley, California, and grew up in Cambridge, Massachusetts. As a boy he befriended Matt Damon, who lived nearby, and the two shared a passion for acting. Affleck appeared as a child in the PBS series “The Voyage of the Mimi.”
Good Will Hunting
Affleck and Damon wrote “Good Will Hunting” together, the story of a working-class math prodigy from South Boston. Directed by Gus Van Sant and released in 1997, it became a critical and commercial success. Affleck and Damon won the Academy Award for best original screenplay, making Affleck one of the youngest winners in the category.
Leading man
Affleck had already worked with director Kevin Smith on “Mallrats” and “Chasing Amy.” After “Good Will Hunting,” he became a leading man in big-budget films, including “Armageddon” (1998), “Shakespeare in Love,” “Pearl Harbor” (2001), “The Sum of All Fears” and “Daredevil.” Some later choices drew poor reviews, and by the mid-2000s his career had cooled.
Director
Affleck rebuilt his reputation behind the camera. He directed “Gone Baby Gone” (2007), starring his brother, Casey Affleck, and then “The Town” (2010), a Boston heist thriller in which he also starred.
“Argo” (2012), about the CIA’s rescue of six Americans from Iran in 1980, won the Academy Award for best picture. Affleck shared the award as a producer and won Golden Globe and BAFTA awards for directing. Later directing projects include “Live by Night” (2016) and “Air” (2023), about Nike’s pursuit of Michael Jordan.
Later roles
Affleck drew praise for David Fincher’s “Gone Girl” (2014) and played Batman in “Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice” and “Justice League.” He starred in “The Accountant” (2016) and its 2025 sequel, “The Way Back,” “The Tender Bar” and Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel” (2021), which he co-wrote with Damon and Nicole Holofcener.
Artists Equity
In 2022, Affleck and Damon launched Artists Equity, a production company built to share profits more broadly with cast and crew. “Air” was its first release.
Eastern Congo Initiative
Affleck founded the Eastern Congo Initiative in 2010, an advocacy and grant-making organization supporting community groups in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He has testified before Congress about the region.
Personal life
Affleck has three children with actress Jennifer Garner, to whom he was married from 2005 to 2018. He has spoken openly about his recovery from alcohol addiction, hoping to reduce the stigma for others.
Red Sox fan
A devoted Boston sports fan, Affleck is often seen at Red Sox and Celtics games, and his Boston roots show up throughout his films, from “Good Will Hunting” to “The Town.”
Partnership with Matt Damon
The friendship between Affleck and Damon is one of Hollywood’s most enduring. After “Good Will Hunting,” the two founded the production company LivePlanet and later the company Pearl Street Films. They have appeared together in several films, including Kevin Smith’s “Dogma,” and their collaboration on “The Last Duel” and “Air” marked a new phase. Artists Equity extends that partnership into a business model aimed at rewarding everyone who works on a project.
Philanthropy
Beyond the Congo, Affleck has supported anti-hunger efforts and other charitable causes, often lending his voice to public service campaigns.
Legacy
Affleck’s career is a study in resilience. A young screenwriting Oscar, a blockbuster run, a public slump and a second act as a best picture-winning filmmaker make him one of Hollywood’s great comeback stories.