Ben Affleck Biography

Actor / Screenwriter

Photos ( See all 30 )

Ben Affleck and his childhood friend Matt Damon wrote and starred in the 1998 film Good Will Hunting. The resulting Oscar for best original screenplay catapulted both to stardom. Affleck first appeared in independent films such as Richard Linklater's Dazed and Confused (1993) and the Kevin Smith movies Mallrats (1995) and Chasing Amy (1997). He then became a leading man, playing heroes in big budget action movies such as Armageddon (1998, with Bruce Willis), Pearl Harbor (2001, with Josh Hartnett) and Daredevil (2003, with his future wife Jennifer Garner). While building a career as a Hollywood star, Affleck maintained his connection to Smith and has appeared in several of his comedies, including Dogma (1999), Jersey Girl (2004) and Clerks II (2006). He is married to actress Jennifer Garner and they have two children, Violet (b. 2005) and Seraphina (b. 2009). His other movies include Paycheck (2003, based on a story by Philip K. Dick), Hollywoodland (2006, he played actor George Reeves), State of Play (2009, starring Russell Crowe) and The Company Men (2010, starring Tommy Lee Jones).

Extra credit: Affleck starred in The Sum of All Fears, becoming the third star to play Tom Clancy hero Jack Ryan; the CIA superstud was played by Harrison Ford and Alec Baldwin in previous films... Affleck became engaged to singer and actress Jennifer Lopez in 2002. The couple were dubbed "Bennifer" by tabloids, but broke up in January 2004... Affleck previously was known for his extended sometimes-romantic friendship with actress Gwyneth Paltrow... His brother Casey Affleck is also an actor and the star of the Ben-directed film Gone Baby Gone (2007)... In August of 2001, Ben Affleck announced he had checked himself into a Malibu alcohol rehabilitation clinic, where he joined comedian Paula Poundstone and actor Robert Downey, Jr.

Blog posts mentioning Ben Affleck: